It's not leading the way technically but for the end consumer it might be better. If I get charged unfairly my bank will tell me to go to the police. Americans can easily just refuse it.
The main difference is that, in Europe, debit cards are often used in the same way as a CC - except they are just a direct pipe to one's bank, and once the money comes down the pipe there is no easy way to push it back up.
It’s easy enough to get your money back when something goes wrong while being less open to abuse.