BTC was touted as The Lifeboat When Mica issue large fines …

BTC was touted as The Lifeboat
When Mica issue large fines to Lightning Network node operators that boat don't float

There is no evidence in the provided search context that the EU or any of its agencies, such as Europol, has fined any Bitcoin Lightning Network nodes.
While a June 2024 EU report identified the Lightning Network as a potential obstacle for criminal investigations due to its ability to obscure transaction details, it did not result in reported fines against individual nodes. The regulatory focus has instead been on:
Layer 2 and Privacy Concerns: The report warned that the Lightning Network's selective transaction broadcasting (only recording channel opening and closing on the main chain) could be abused by criminals, complicating law enforcement efforts.
CEX Restrictions: The EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework and new regulations have led major centralized exchanges like Binance and Coinbase to ban Lightning Network deposits and withdrawals for EU citizens, citing traceability issues, rather than fining the network nodes themselves.
Legal Uncertainty: In the US, legal experts debate whether routing nodes constitute unlicensed money transmitting businesses, but no specific EU fines for node operation are documented in the search results.