Austerity pushed onto peripheral states has lead to slowdowns/recessions/depressions.
So - problems caused by reckless spending should be fixed with even more reckless spending?

Before, they were part of the Soviet Union, now they are part of the European Union.
Only this time it was our decision to join the EU - they did not send tanks here.
Even though they were not rich
Of course - commie occupants robbed them.
My grandparents lost everything when they were deported to Siberia.
Many people who returned form Siberia later found their former houses and flats already occupied by "liberators" and were forced to live in communal flats instead. (only in 1990s they (or their descendants) got their properties back if they lived long enough).

Now I'm planning to start my own business - 30 years ago commies would throw me in a prison for that.

It's a shame about the military bases and excessive Soviet military installations in the Baltic states.
Of course - it was an occupied territory after all - local "burgeous nationalists" and "fascists" needed to be kept in check.
And Hanna - you said that beach in Liepāja was nice - in Soviet Times most of Kurzeme's beaches were off-limits to everyone except military (trespassers were shot) - to prevent people escaping to dirty, burgeous, capitalistic Sweden.