I get your point, but I would say that you've only touched on the root issue: > emigration and it has everything to do with the social and economic conditions

I get your point, but I would say that you've only touched on the root issue: > emigration and it has everything to do with the social and economic conditions there vis-a-vis other places in Europe. and: > Much like businesses make short term decisions [...] I think everyone makes short term decisions. On the one side there's "the country", as in "those in power". They've chosen a path of rampant corruption, embezzlement, etc because they could get their hands on a lot of money very quickly. Even though I doubt this was specifically leur goal, they have instilled a particular kind of climate where people get the feeling that in order to get ahead and be able to do something you have to "know people" and grease a lot of hands. Of course, most educated people don't exactly enjoy this and don't feel like waiting around for years and years for this to change. So they look after their own short term interest and move some place where this situation isn't as strong. Also, feeling somewhat disconnected from this way of doing things, they won't have a particularly strong wish to help "their country". And as someone who's family left an other EE country before it was admitted in the EU, I've seen that the "educated" didn't wait around for their countries to join in order to move. Many, many people left during the '90s to the States and Canada. Sure, I bet with the EU it's much easier to do this, but "the smart guys", those who can actually benefit their home countries didn't have that hard of a time going elsewhere.