Removing region SIM lock (EMEA) from iPhone 6s

Have it your way. My real beef is that the actual facts of my experience are being discounted by people who are either ignorant or self-important know-it-alls. Perhaps you are right that my problem won't be solved forever now, but it's a far cry better "help" than I've received here or from the relevant companies. Bye and good luck to you too.

I did call Apple, gave them the serial number, and they told me it's locked to EMEA, which is not a carrier but a region. They suggested that I contact the carrier it was used with in Europe (Vodafone), and I did that but they say they are not locking it. Apple customer service also suggested we try restoring the iPhone to factory settings. I tried that as well, but unsurprisingly it did not help.

That doesn't make sense. If it were locked to a carrier, both Vodafone and Lebara SIM cards would not be accepted by the iPhone, but they both are. Those are completely separate companies that operate on separate networks. Their networks are both in Europe though. If the phone were locked to a specific carrier, the Apple service people would've been able to identify the carrier that locked it, but they could not.

OK, Apple was quick to remove my post which actually described how I finally resolved this issue because it "discussed inappropriate activities." It is extremely frustrating that Apple will not at least acknowledge the nature of the lock that was on this phone- tell me, yes, your device has a region lock placed there for competitive business purposes, and we cannot recommend any way to remove it. Fine. I don't like it, but I can accept it and move on. Don't just tell me "the carrier" can fix it over and over. I did all I could to solve this in a way that was up front with both Apple and Vodafone (the carrier we used in Europe), contacting both companies multiple times. Vodafone said they did not put any lock on, and an online IMEI check and Apple rep IMEI check confirmed this. Apple reps say they can't do anything about this issue. The only solution Apple seems to sanction here is buying a new phone. We bought a used phone (from a widely-known reputable source) in the first place because we'd rather use an existing device that works than generate more e-waste and spend extra money. So much for that I guess.