hairy_hen said:

By throwing out all EU works (many of which are admittedly crap), they have tried to nullify the validity of the Thrawn trilogy, which is among the best Star Wars stories ever written

I think this may be over thinking the move a little. Personally, I think they made the distinction for the benefit of the casual fan - or consumer - rather than to undermine anything that's been previously released.

Some people prescribe to canon, others do not. Personally, I never care one way or the other - but I won't stop people from having an idea of one if they want.