I disagree.
There are many pre year 2000 JAA/EASA national licence holders, and any one is free to apply for an NPPL at any time anyway.
The ability to fly any permit or annexe2 aircraft without any form of medical contact with either an AME or GP is a valuable concession, and the current ability to use the concession on EASA aircraft until at least 2018 with a fair chance of an extension, (possibly even a permanent one) thereafter may yet prove a massive benefit.