Even if that’s true (which I wouldn’t know), I don’t see how that can be sufficient to declare a project that aims to improve things a failure.
Let’s assume that project was for the poorest 10% of the EU. That would be 44 million people. €133 billion divided by 44 million is about €3000 per inhabitant.
I don’t think one can expect such an amount to bring roads, rails, bridges, and sewage treatment systems up to standards of the richest parts of the EU.
I don’t know how much the EU spent, but over here EU money payed for a frankly crazy amount of fiber optic cable. Completely common for a house far from any urban centre to have fiber internet.
That is the intentional result of Helmut Kohl's government many decades ago. Kohl wanted cable TV instead of fibre... because cable TV could be used to broadcast programs that were not "left mainstream". Wish I was joking, private TV stations in Germany are a thing only because the state TV was too left (in reality: not right-wing enough) for the freshly appointed Conservative chancellor.
I've visited several small towns in Romania, and all plumbing was in good order. It's not like a country stuck in 15th century. Are you talking about 'villages' of like 5 people?
In Croatia, they did, just saw a big sign in the hood when I went there for a funeral in the summer (which is what actually inspired me to write this comment).
