European backbones in name only?

Anybody else seeing this...I've heard that  the so called European Internet
backbones are, well, just that - "so called." When you get down to it and start
talking peering, the European Internet backbone providers are often looking to
locate their peers on local or national ASes not the major routes cutting down
on performance, etc. etc. View on both sides of the house are welcome.
Information is for an upcoming story. As always, comments can be kept
off-the-record.

Thanks,
David Greenfield
International Technology Editor
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