I see no no reason to discontinue the CEU requirements other than to keep those who will not stay up to date on the new regulations (which are usually added for  good reasons) and methods as licensed electricians in the field. Many other professions have requirements to maintain a current level of expertise that have life and safety consequences of bad practice.
 There are few enough electricians that I would recommend install or repair wiring as it is now, and I can see that number slowly diminishing in the years ahead if the CEU requirements are eliminated.