H'mm Belgium and driving standards
The difference between the US geography and GA and European is like poo and cheese. There are small areas of the US around major hubs which come near it but the rest is like flying in the North of scotland apart from the fact you get a radar service.
The simple fact is that GA does interact with commercial aircraft all the time in europe. The GA pilots have to be several steps up from your example of standard car drivers.
Personally I would have all car drivers doing a test every 5 years. And pro drivers one every 2 years even though that would mean a whole heap of effort for me and loosing my C+E license. But then again I haven't driven a 44tonner for 5 years now and I know in myself it wouldn't be safe.
The level of FAA training is just as variable as JAR training you get some gooduns and you get some bad. I have seen some shockers both FAA and JAR and thats both private pilots and commercial.
Alot of folk don't have an issue with the status quo just now until we read about people like Robert Weaver who would never be able to operate the way he does if he wasn't able to use the FAA and N-reg to side step the European system.
I really don't want to see the likes of PACE and IO not to be allowed to continue doing what they are doing. But the current stituation cannot be allowed to continue. I will admit the method of stopping the previous practises is flawed and also the method of bring the changes in is barbaric and is self defeating to what it is trying to achieve.
I have no doudt they will do it though. It makes no difference to me personally one way or the other.
Personally I would have removed the dispensation for airways charges for lights (none training) and also made VFR pay them for crossing FIR boundarys. With also an additional fee for none EU reg aircraft flying internally in the EU. Would have solved the majority of issues within a few years by simply making all users pay the cost of maintaining the european ATS infrastructure.