In Europe politicians are generally not lawyers unlike USA, so the legal system cannot work in the same way. "Spirit of the Law" is what a non lawyer would assu

In Europe politicians are generally not lawyers unlike USA, so the legal system cannot work in the same way. "Spirit of the Law" is what a non lawyer would assume the law to mean, since most laws are drafted by non lawyers. Legal battles are usually cheaper in Europe than in USA so it seems to work as intended even if you think that it wouldn't work in theory.