Buying AppleCare warranty in a different name than the original buyer's A friend has the opportunity to get a recently purchased Apple MacBook from a colleague in exchange for some work.

It was very recently purchased (&lt; 2 weeks). The receipt is in the original owner's name.

The new owner would like to purchase an AppleCare warranty for the machine in their name so there's no trouble in case they would ever need the warranty. 

Is this possible?

Is it enough to simply purchase the AppleCare, fill in a form with the new owner's name, and thus connect it to the machine for warranty purposes?

Is it necessary to purchase AppleCare in the first place? Here in the EU, there is a mandatory 2-year warranty anyway. I guess my broader question is how Apple deals with changes of ownership for their products. Would one have to expect any trouble when making use of the warranty if the owner's name has changed?
I called Apple Support with just this question two years ago.  They seemed completely uninterested me showing that the machine had been properly transferred to me; my claim that I had it was good enough.  I bought AppleCare for a Macbook from Amazon.com and registered it with Apple received the final paperwork from them promptly, no further questions asked (this was in the US).

(FWIW, I did get a receipt and acknowledgment of the transfer of ownership to me from the seller in case it should ever become necessary, such as in an insurance claim).