In some instances it is better. In other circumstances it is not.
One silly example that happened to me. I bought a dishwasher and it had a problem. Under EU law, the retailer covers the warranty the first year and then the manufacturer warranty kicks in for years 2 and 3. Under the manufacturer's warranty they would dispatch a technician to my home. But the for the first year I would have to carry this big bulky appliance back to the store for them to look at and repair it.
In the end I sat on the problem for a few months until the "real" warranty kicked in and had a technician come out.
I don't think this was intentional but an oversight in the original consumer protection law.
Actually, that's not the EU law. EU law states that the retailer is responsible for a 2-year guarantee, full stop. Member countries may then legislate stronger protection if they like.
Thus, local legislation in an EU country may give better protection; for instance, here (Finland) there is an additional defect liability which says that if an item is supposed to last longer than 2 years (e.g. a dishwasher), then the liability "wears out" over the reasonably expectable lifetime of product. You won't get a refund if a 6 year old washing machine breaks (yes, I won't buy another LG), but you can get a partial refund if a 3 year old machine breaks down.
This liability falls on the retailer; importer/manufacturer has only secondary liability.
One silly example that happened to me. I bought a dishwasher and it had a problem. Under EU law, the retailer covers the warranty the first year and then the manufacturer warranty kicks in for years 2 and 3. Under the manufacturer's warranty they would dispatch a technician to my home. But the for the first year I would have to carry this big bulky appliance back to the store for them to look at and repair it.
In the end I sat on the problem for a few months until the "real" warranty kicked in and had a technician come out.
I don't think this was intentional but an oversight in the original consumer protection law.