Sadly this isnt just an issue in Aviation, almost every industry that the European Union have their claws in now demand some form of 'certificate', the training for which usually consists of largely irrelevant content for which the worker is billed an equally ridiculous fee - In Scotland we now require bar staff to have a license to pour pints, labourers to have one to carry bricks etc etc etc, all of these are justified by government under 'health and safety' its absolute rubbish. As an FAA qualified instructor i was constantly amazed at the number of trainee pilots who arrived in the USA having completed their ATPL theory exams with great marks, but when faced with a conversation with an FAA examiner simply couldn't get past the oral due to a lack of practical knowledge. The FAA system isn't perfect, but at least the content is totally relevant to what you will be using the qualification for!