Just a general comment cos I don't have all the info here right now.
Hosting in Europe can be just as competitive as the US rates. Eg... the Docklands data centre in London is "the" main pipe across the Atlantic and into the heart of Europe. A few friends have set up servers in Docklands and it was revealing when they quoted the prices - damned good!!
And yes, there is every reason to avoid US hosting, not for any "quality" or "support" reasons, - just simply because of the US government and related laws, which are clearly a problem and I have little doubt we ain't seen the start of it yet!
