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The vast majority of continental Europeans I know or have met seem to have learned (learnt ) the British variant of English in school.
I'd believe it if were told that the American variant of English is gaining in popularity in Europe, though.
As for accent, you need to attain a fairly decent level in a language before the accent becomes a factor.
Most German, French, Spanish or Italian people I know when speaking English don't sound British or American. They sound like German, French, Spanish or Italian people speaking in English.
The only way I can tell that they were taught British vs. American is by certain words they may use: trousers, knickers, lorry, etc.
If none of these types of words come up in a conversation, there is absolutely no way of knowing which variant of English they were taught.
I'm not sure learning American English makes sense though. What links do Continental European Countries have to the United States that are stronger than any perceived links with the United Kingdom?
Besides the United Kingdom and France and maybe Germany, most European countries have limited links/communication with the United States. That's something that's clear if you look at the USA's top trading partners: http://www.trade.gov/mas/ian/build/g...ian_003364.pdf
I'm not sure learning American English makes sense though. What links do Continental European Countries have to the United States that are stronger than any perceived links with the United Kingdom?
Besides the United Kingdom and France and maybe Germany, most European countries have limited links/communication with the United States.
Well you won't allow me to be interested in the UK so I guess I'm left with no choice here Owen
Both of these accents in English are very, very slight compared to how most French-speaking Canadians sound in English.
My kids have much stronger francophone accents, for example. My wife, who like me did not grow up in Québec, has even less of a French accent than I do in English. In fact, she has none and can pass seamlessly for an Anglo-Canadian if people don't know her name (she has a very French-sounding name).
Written with Swedish pronunciation rules yes. We pronounce it as "Scandinavien" where the first a is pronounced kind of how people from northern UK would pronounce dance and the second one like the RP version of dance.
Dutch people sound very 'neutral' when speaking English to me. I think their proficiency in English is incredible. Geert Wilders there speaks English perfectly.
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) the British variant of English in school. 
