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...which is appropriate when "risk-free" government bonds hover near zero percent.

The US 10-year is on the other hand is near 3%.

It's not a fair comparison. Interest rates have bounced back (to some extent) and interchange fees are quite a bit higher in the US.

I haven't checked everywhere in the eurozone but a lot of major banks have online brands/products that are typically free. You should be able to have at least a checking account and a debit card without paying any fees. "Neobanks" are also a lot more developed than in the US: see N26, Revolut, Ferratum, ...

Savings accounts yield nothing, but that has nothing to do with retail banks :) That said, you can find fixed-term deposits between 1 and 2%: https://www.raisin.com/

You can get around 0.8% in Euro zone, but your local bank is unlikely to offer that.