The French allowed VFR flight in airways
The airspace you refer to is Class E which is uncontrolled for VFR.
France does not nowadays allow enroute VFR in its FL120+ Class D.
as did the southern Irish.
What airspace class was that in?
Does this also mean they will allow instrument approaches which are not VFR but IFR?
Could you expand?
We even with the IMCR did not allow flight in airways.
The IMCR allows access to all UK airspace classes D-G, IFR. You can fly in UK Class D airway sections with the IMCR but it isn't very useful. For example you could file a Eurocontrol FP from Bournemouth and fly some distance in the "airways" before London Control send you off into Class A and then you are out of license privileges
If they are really looking at an FAA copycat Instrument rating then that is good news as it would open the floodgates for a European proper PPL IR?
Either this is a backdoor climbdown by EASA or another red herring.
I think it is classical French arrogance which, on this particular occassion, is a good thing.
A major EU country sticking a finger up to the EU is not the correct procedure, which is to use the EU parliament, but that option is not available because the majority vote will be done by mostly faceless toothless spineless brown-nosing Euro-MPs who are there just to ride the gravy train while feeling important.
I have explained the EASA moves to senior aviation execs on a number of occassions but they never showed much interest. It's obvious that they got onto the DGAC which told them to just ignore it; France will never let anything happen.
It is a disgrace that Europe has to operate in this way and it proves the complete credibility bankruptcy of EASA and the Aviation "Safety" people at the Commission.
100% true.