A simpler explanation: Those countries didn't get aid through the Marshall Plan after WW2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan https://en.wikipedia.org

A simpler explanation: Those countries didn't get aid through the Marshall Plan after WW2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan Additionally, some of them entered the EU much later compared to other countries, so they haven't received EU's "free" aid for as long as the others, either. Look how much this type of aid/investment has helped South Korea.