1. The EIR is an 'enroute only' EASA IFR rating which is still only a proposal.
2. The IR(R) is exactly the same as the UK IMCR - same privileges, restrictions, revalidation and renewal requirements. For boring technical reasons, an IMC Rating cannot be included in a Part-FCL licence, so it has been termed the Instrument Rating (Restricted) at my suggestion.
3. Currently, or at least until some sense is knocked into the blinkered, stubborn €urocrats in Köln, only those pilots whose licences included IMCR privileges prior to 8 Apr 2014 will be able to exercise them on EASA aeroplanes (and if you don't know what those are, you need to find out!) after that date. To do so, such IMC privileges must have been converted (paperwork exercise) to an 'IR(R)' - if they haven't been, pilots will only be able to exercise such privileges on non-EASA aeroplanes until their licence does include an IR(R).
4. Pilots who don't already have one will still be able to obtain IMCRs after 8 Apr 2014, but only for use on non-EASA aeroplanes.
The fight for new issues of the IR(R) after Apr 2014 is still being fought - at pretty high level.
It is by no means certain that the EIR will be adopted; at least one NAA is firmly against it on safety grounds.
Last edited by BEagle; 1st March 2013 at 20:18.