I somehow find the old rule more correct, as most of these roads are very far from anything you could call a “highway”. On the other hand, when I see how it is handled in the neighbouring countries, your rule would be more persistent.
If I could decide, I would correct it in the other countries. The “European Road” does not mean much, as you can clearly see on the example E97 Kherson - Aşkale. Its route follows several disputed areas and a normal person probably could not cross most of these borders.
So the importance of the road should only be one factor, another one clearly should be the actual quality of the infrastructure.
