The First Amendment is one of a kind, the gold standard of free speech. So when it disappears in the only country that has it, the bar is lowered globally.
Ironically that probably means the EU now has the worlds best free speech protections (and they're pretty bad imo).
It depends for whom and about what.
If you "offend" politicians in Europe it can get unpleasant for citizens right now. No gulag yet, but unpleasant.
If you are a visa holder in the US , and criticize the wrong middle eastern country you get deported....
I've said plenty of unfriendly things about our current and former prime ministers, including demanding that Balkenende be trialed for crimes against humanity. Never caused any issues. At least in The Netherlands you're fine unless you make death threats (which the First Amendment doesn't protect either). In Malta on the other extreme, journalists have been murdered. Very diverse continent :-)
