I think realistically the EIR is not for pilots who want to go into those type airports in marginal VFR (probably not at all).
IME, loads of airports in Europe employ SIDs and STARs but are "OK" for GA. Not microlights/permit types (who won't pay more than a tenner
) but people doing longer flights in normal planes.
In the wider European picture, an airport which charges £80 is not considered outrageous. I've just been to Greece and back (LGKC, also LSZR, LGKR, LJPZ) and this kind of thing was fairly normal. These places either operate procedural arrival/deps, or use radar vectors.
The idea of departing VFR and getting a joining clearance sounds overly complicated. I hate doing that, particularly in marginal conditions, and I wouldn't wish it on an inexperienced pilot.
Actually that is a nasty situation, for an IR holder too, because until one gets the IFR clearance one is supposed to maintain VMC, and the typical IR holder is no more likely to be carrying VFR charts plus a GPS running a terrain map
than the holder of something lesser than an IR... And it is not confined to other countries; one gets it all the time here in the UK, with London Info taking anything up to 30mins to do the handover to London Control, by which time one could be at FL074, collecting ice, etc. just below the base of Class A. Last time I did this I was in French airspace before I got the IFR clearance
And the UK is organised; last year in Greece I never picked up the IFR/C before I landed an hour later. But this is all a "tactical operational" piece of knowledge, which anybody can be taught by somebody who knows about it. I don't think it is a bigger issue with an EIR because he will have to depart "VFR" and then try to pick up the IFR/C around his filed VFR/IFR transition.