This is not an oil specific question..

2011 Nismo#91

Alot of things are done not because they are the best thing for you individually, Oil grades in the US have constantly been dropping (10W-40 to 0W-20 or lower) why? Because its a simple way to improve emissions across the board along with other improvements, it's not for longevity. Using less oil for the entire EU will reduce consumption, slow down fuel price increases, and pollution.
In the end Oil and engines have improved to some extent and the 3k or 3 months doesn't apply, not sure it ever did, but some cars, like BMW have had issues with extreme oil change intervals.