Parts of europe have a far better outlook than america, unlike europe america has no way to drop the dead wait, central europes economy can still hold strong if they can drop the dead wait that is the south.
You're not from Europe, I am. Trust me, scandinavian culture is so, so fucking different from western culture. Great example is Denmark, where you can leave your kids outside of restaurant and strangers will take care of them, you don't have to worry about them. You don't have to worry about your bikes when you leave them alone outside of shop. It's superior in many ways and this kind of economy is actually possible there.
By the way, my friend's roommate in dorm have stolen bike from Denmark when he was there. He couldn't restist stealing something unlocked and not secured. That's pathetic and clearly shows modern Polish mentality. Just look what 40 years of communism did to this once great and proud country.