It says you should be able to access access trough Vertex AI.

This might be consumer protections issue. EU regulations protect mainly consumer privacy and rights, so product for 'retail' consumers has stricter rules than those intended for developers.

Interesting.

Perhaps someone knowledgeable could add context as to why they wouldn't include EU. I know they've passed more regulation and earlier... But in technical/legal terms...

Not enough time to ensure compliance? Capability or privacy issues exceed regulatory framework?

I haven't been following the regulatory side too closely as of late.