Peter
I do not disagree with a lot of what your saying especially the fact that EASA will never allow an FAA route to bypass or make a fast track to an EASA commercial and I also agree that a lot of these regulations are protectionism based.
What I fail to understand is that before I considered the Bi Lateral regarding FCL to be a smokescreen purely to smooth ride the new regs into existence.
Now I know the 2012 to 2014 and possibly 2016 move is for real and the EASA Motives are genuine.
What more it appears that the FAA are also motivated.
I am equally convinced that there will never be a time when I will take my FAA ATP into an office to exchange it for an EASA one.
Bose gone are the days when you could take your FAA licence to Ireland and get it swopped for an Irish and hence JAA one. I was so so close to doing that now I could kick myself yet I know many pilots a lot who are the most anti FAA who took that route and others to an easy JAA licence!!
As an older pilot and a working pilot I am reliably told that the present new regs regarding working employed pilots in Europe would not stand up in the European courts if challenged so EASA will have to do something.
I am sure after june things will either look more hopeful or less hopeful and by the end of this year pretty clear on where things are going so I wont start 14 exams at my age just to do what I am already doing perfectly safely quite yet.
Pace