In Scandinavia, we are reserved, respectful of boundaries, and do not dare to give anyone direct critique, at least not without wrapping it in carefully. The same seems true for UK, perhaps even more so.
In contrast, when I've dealt with people from Germany, France and Netherlands professionally, they are ruthless and will rub it in your face if you've done a bad job, with no sugar coating applied. To me this was brutal until I got used to it. At least I don't have to wonder if they meant what they said.
How is this for the rest of Europe? Which culture is more common?