The office markets of CEE's six largest capitals records resilient demand for high-quality space in 2026, although new development has slowed, tightening supply, according to Colliers.
The EU unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.0% in 2025, up from 5.9% in 2024, according to new data covering people aged 15-74 in the labour force, according to Eurostat.
CEE real estate investment rebounded strongly in 2025, with volumes reaching €11.6 billion across six core markets, representing a 31% year-on-year increase according to Colliers.
CEE is transforming from Europe's periphery into a defence industry powerhouse, according to a new KPMG study. The region's combination of cost efficiency, industrial capacity, and strategic location is attracting investment as European defence spending increases.
Commercial property investment in CEE rebounded strongly in 2025, with a combined volume of €11.3 billion across Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. This represents a 34% year-on-year increase and stands 24% above the five-year average, according to data by Knight Frank.
CEE property investment reached a turning point in 2025, with transaction volumes across the region's six main markets totalling €11.6 billion, representing 31% annual growth according to Colliers' latest analysis.
In 2024, the average price of 1 hectare of arable land in the EU reached €15,224, reflecting a 6.1% increase from the previous year.
CEE is entering an uneven economic recovery against a backdrop of inflationary pressures, with Romania remaining under pressure from inflation...
Central Europe's commercial real estate sector is experiencing a transformation, with Hungary leading the recovery through an 86% year-on-year increase in investment driven by Asian capital from China and South Korea. The CATL factory in Debrecen and BYD in Szeged, along with the planned Volvo plant in Košice, Slovakia, are reshaping the region's industrial landscape and creating demand for logistics space.
Confidence is returning across CEE real estate markets, with investor sentiment shifting from cautious optimism to execution, according to Colliers. The region continues to demonstrate resilience, supported by moderating inflation, solid household consumption, and strong employment levels.
CEE recorded a 38% increase in real estate investments in the first three quarters of 2025, reaching over €7 billion across six major markets, according to Colliers' latest report.
Industrial developer CTP reported net rental income growth of 15.4% year-on-year to €549 million in the first nine months of 2025. The company achieved like-for-like rental growth of 4.5%, driven by indexation and lease renewals.
CEE economies have been delivering solid GDP growth, outpacing many Western European peers despite external trade uncertainties and recent inflationary pressures, according to Colliers' latest report.
The first half of 2025 has confirmed a strong return of investor activity in Central and Eastern Europe. The Czech Republic, with the most remarkable performance, is emerging as the regional leader, ahead of even Poland, according to the latest iO Partners report.
The European property market has begun to adapt to new conditions. The latest data, based on a survey in 28 countries across Europe, has clearly confirmed this, according to the 14th edition of the Deloitte Property Index.
The CEE commercial real estate market experienced a significant rebound in H1 2025, with total investment volumes across the five key CEE markets reaching nearly €5 billion, Knight Frank reports.
Industrial developer CTP said its gross rental income for H1 2025 reached €367.2 million, marking a 14.4% year-on-year increase, while signing 1 million sqm of new leases, an 11% increase compared to H1 2024.
E.ON Energie Romania and MOL Romania have signed a deal aimed at bolstering the electric mobility infrastructure across Romania and CEE.
The industrial real estate market in CEE has entered 2025 with strong momentum. According to new market data released by iO Partners, the total stock of industrial space has reached 34.4 million sqm in Q1 2025, marking a 1.1% quarter-on-quarter increase.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has cut its 2025 growth forecast for its regions by 0.2 percentage points to 3.0%, with a moderate rebound to 3.4% expected in 2026. This follows a similar downgrade in February and reflects mounting global headwinds, including rising trade policy uncertainty, softening external demand, and newly imposed tariffs.
PPC Blue Romania, part of the PPC group in Romania, has signed a partnership with Dedeman, a Romanian-owned DIY retailer, for the installation and operation of electric vehicle charging stations across Dedeman's national store network, both existing and future locations.
OMV Petrom concluded a sales contract with OMV Downstream GmbH, a fully owned subsidiary of OMV AG, for part of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) to be produced at the Petrobrazi refinery.
Raiffeisen Asset Management (RAM) manages around 15% of the financial assets of Raiffeisen Group's individual clients in Romania, almost double the market average.
Romania registered the highest annual inflation rate in the bloc for May 2026, reaching 9.7%, according to Eurostat.
In 2026, production sites in Romania are turning to power studies to understand how energy is consumed and distributed within their own installations, at the level of equipment and production lines.