It's a chicken and egg problem. EE never had its technocrats like Taiwan or South Korea but a bunch of populist thieves with lack of vision.

EE is full of entitled elderly pensioners that control the narrative and are only interested in returning to the "good old times of communism" in one way or another.

Prosperity requires stepping out of your comfort zone and implement ideas that bring competitive advantage over your neighbors. These kind of ideas are lumped in the same category like LGBT rights, climate etc etc.