Probably EASA are trying to get the lot through to be sorted afterwards,
Spot on.
My guess is their concerns were allayed
100% fact. This is how EASA's top brass work. They "brief" people selectively. They are quite good... I've met Eric Sivel face to face; spoke to him for quite a long time. What he told me was very different from what transpired afterwards; a sentiment echoed in far less printable language by a number of others.
But this is standard politics. You always do under the table deals. Town & Country Planning too.
The bottom line, however, is that
nobody actually gains from the elimination of GA, or even IFR GA. Well, maybe some cynical FTOs who hope to make a fast buck processing a few k pilots one day, but it will be a one-off, and they must know that most people, if pushed, will pop down to Spain or Greece where things are much better "lubricated". FTOs in N Europe are not going to profit from any large scale pilot screwing, especially as any deadline will obviously be pretty flexible.
That's why I don't go along with the "we want to eliminate GA" motive. I can fully see the reason for thinking that, but there must be a
motive.
My guess is that this is an anti American battle and we are caught up in it. The European intellectuals have always hated America and everything it stands for.