If the EU, a supposed bastion of human rights, forces this through, what argument do we have when more authoritarian countries demand the same thing from Apple, Google, or Meta?

Just because the EU is not as egregiously awful as some other places does unfortunately not make it a bastion of human rights. The same forces are at play there as everywhere else in the West.

>supposed bastion of human rights

Ever wondered why they position themselves like that? Because they repeated it so often that everyone believes it now.