Can we kill off this ridiculous assumption that the airspace in UK/Europe is "reserved" for commercial traffic.
IT ISN'T.
If you and the aircraft you're flying are rated/certified for IFR in CAS then you can fly IFR in CAS. If not, you cannot. Simple.
Maybe there is a view that there's too much Class A in the UK, but that's a different argument
Something else, conveniently forgotten at present:
What are you going to do in 2003, when to fly IFR in Europe you require Mode S. (FAA IR and N Reg. or not.) More expense.
What about vertical expansion of 8.33 - all ready to pay for new avionics? It will come, it will affect lower airways. N reg or otherwise.
By 2008, the cost of getting your JAA IR will be dwarfed by the costs of keeping your aircraft IFR-ready. (N reg or otherwise)
(Who will be first to tell me that the money you would save doing an FAA IR could be used to buy all this kit
)