The problem for other Europeans was that they didn’t have a well trained cadre of longbowmen, and the English did. After Edward I finally conquered the Welsh, the English learned how to use their longbow, and it was low-born yeoman who were trained. Knights felt the weapon was beneath them, but soon learned respect for it, particularly after the longbow was responsible for such stunning victories as the defeat of the French at Poiters and Crecy.
The short answer to your question, then, is that the English had them and everyone else didn’t.