Well... if you want to get into the details...
Where I live is quickly turning into a 3rd world country anyway, so there's not much to miss. I am not enjoying losing my cultural heritage to whatever it is America is becoming. And... I prefer the EU's form of government to that which I'm in right now.
It may be expensive and there may be plenty of problems there, but at least they are, for the most part, known. You speak of petty thieves. I live in NY!!
I have to use a huge steel cable to lock up my tender every time. I have to watch everyone. I know several people in organized crime (not as friends, but know who they are.) These "mobs" in many flavors... Italian, Russian, Chinese, etc... There is PLENTY of crime here.
Plus, I like the socialist slant in Europe that puts humanity before corporate greed.
Good enough reasons? I could go on...
But, I do agree with you regarding the business climate there. Seems daunting. So... maybe this will be more than a 10 year plan for us. This is why I'm asking these questions. To try and get an understanding of how difficult it would be. Seems like it will be quite difficult, so we may only go over for retirement. Depends how things turn out... and if our economy continues to crumble here....