"Compared to China or the USA, this fragmented situation puts Europe at a disadvantage"
This suggests that the US is one conglomerate. Not quite so, for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_laws_of_the_United_States
IIRC police agencies in the US differ greatly in their permitted activities, often depending on the jurisdiction in which they operate and I would expect the same to apply to telecoms companies retaining data, however if someone has more precise knowledge, I would be happy to be accurately corrected.