Don't we already have proper AppleCare support over here? Maybe not at many regular retailers, but at least when buying at full-blown and store-within-a-store VARs, or through the official online Apple Store?
I mean, we do have great in-warranty and extended warranty/replacement programme service at AASPs all over the country. I had excellent service and got my Series 0 Apple Watch Sport replaced for €50 at m.repair, in Areeiro, after its battery decided to swell into a balloon on a very much hungover, after-wedding-party morning, and popped the screen right off.
It took me three tries, as I was getting replacement unit after replacement unit with weirdly sticky digital crowns (they bore adjacent serial numbers, so that was definitely down to a bad batch), but eventually I got the one that's been working perfectly on my wrist to this day.
As for Macs (i.e. anything that can be opened and serviced), service can sometimes be a bit hit-or-miss, but if you know where to look, you will get a decent experience.
AppleCare is just that thing AASPs check on Apple's database, it doesn't matter whether you bought your product here or in China, and you could always buy it for your Apple gear shortly after the initial purchase, even during Interlog's “dark ages”, with those mail-in AppleCare coupons/envelopes that came in the box. The only reason why it's so overrated and unpopular in Europe is just the fact that savvy EU customers know that despite what Apple says on their AppleCare upselling page, regarding their one-year limited warranty as if it was the only level of free service by default, we all get an EU-mandated, national two-year warranty at the country of purchase. I believe they even got sued in Italy over that, and rightly so.
It's a bit of a pain and quite inconceivable still in such an integrated common market, especially if you bought your Apple gear in a different EU country and moved afterwards, bought it on a whim during a trip, or asked someone to do it for you and bring it over (case in point: I had said Watch bought in Belgium for me, to gain what turned out to be only a few weeks of advance before its official launch here, but, luckily enough, the extended replacement programme I made use of happened to be valid worldwide and that happened well over the two-year warranty window anyway)… But hey, if you were already comfortable travelling around before, it's almost worth getting one or a couple low-cost, same-day return flights just to go to whatever cool Apple Store where you can have it fixed. After this whole thing clears away and assuming there are still low-cost airlines by then, that is. 😅
