I don't think it should be as hard as the US, but then again, there's endless abuse from the consulting companies there, and I believe that the salary floor, while it could be higher, goes a good way in curbing the abuse (in the EU)

I also think companies act naively in hiring, thinking it's just a matter of bringing people to fill seats (which might make sense for the "consulting companies"), also that cultural differences are easy to deal with (that goes both ways and it can either be good or bad)