In the European Union they (Apple) have to provide 24 months of reclamation. That's the law after all.
Correction:
The seller (ie. the person or retail corporation that actually conducted the final sale to the consumer), not the manufacturer, is responsible for providing 24 months of repair or replacement coverage. Which service they offer (repair, replacement, or both) is essentially left up to the seller's discretion.
If you bought it directly from Apple, then it's Apple's responsibility to provide those 24 months of coverage.
However, if you bought it through a 3rd party, then it's the 3rd party, not Apple, who has to provide that coverage.
If that 3rd party, say, a local electronics store chain that has a franchise agreement with a national mobile phone operator, doesn't have a general business presence in some other European nation, then you'd still be left with the practical necessity of getting the phone to a place where that local electronics store chain does have a general business presence, in order to make good on that coverage.
The manufacturer's warranty from Apple is a completely different beast than the retailer's obligations under EU law.
