I've been doing some IMC flying with a view to the IR(R). But I might pause it for a bit and wait for the EASA rating.
As far as I could see from looking at the consultation documents, the EASA ratig follows a similar syllabus but with a bit mre enroute navigation and no specified required number of hours, though I'm sure it will still take 15-20 hours to do.
The priveleges are similar to IR(R) with similar approach minima, something like airfield minima+200 feet and 1500m vis, and there's a speed limit of about 240 knot ias. The rating is proposed to be valid for IFR flight in all classes of airspace including A throughout Europe.