The volume of Hungary’s construction output in February decreased by 11.7% compared to the January data, based on seasonally and working-day adjusted indices construction output. Aside from the unpleasant surprise of lower output, the volume of orders was also not very rosy. Nevertheless, it would be too early to give up on this year's outlook.

Romania seeks backing from the European Union for the green rehabilitation and seismic consolidation of buildings. The country aims to receive €2.2 billion worth of EU funds as part of the recovery and resilience mechanism of the European Commission. The scheme deployed across Europe aims to kick start economic growth after the pandemic shock. 

The market for mortgage loans was dynamic in 2020 and this trend is continuing in early 2021, while the segment of consumer loans is narrowing, says Sergiu Oprescu, President of the Association of Romanian Banks (ARB). 

The authorities of Gdynia state that the maximum amount of useable residential floor space that the city needs by 2045 could be as high as 11.29 million sqm. With this much space around 266,000 people could live in the city – currently, there are around 246,000. For the city's further development both public and private investment is needed. The restrictions imposed because of the pandemic have harmed both sectors. The city of Gdynia has announced that most of the planned investments will be completed, some will be delayed, and others are to be developed as PPP projects.

Manufacturers of facade products were successful in generating a little over PLN 3.6 billion (€800 million) in revenue in 2020 in spite of slower activity in the building construction sector, especially in the non-residential segment, according to the findings presented in the report released by research company Spectis entitled “Facades and facade materials in Poland 2021-2026”.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, seasonally adjusted GDP decreased by 0.6% in the euro area and by 0.4% in the EU, compared with the previous quarter, according to a flash estimate published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. These declines follow a strong rebound in the third quarter of 2020 (+12.4% in the euro area and +11.5% in the EU) and the sharpest decreases since the time series started in 1995 observed in the second quarter of 2020 (-11.7% in the euro area and -11.4% in the EU). According to the first estimation of annual growth for 2020, based on seasonally and calendar adjusted quarterly data, GDP fell by 6.8% in the euro area and 6.4% in the EU.

December turned out to be a good month for construction companies and producers of building materials, according to the latest monthly report by research company Spectis, “Construction market in Poland – February 2021”. However, the outlook for the construction industry in 2021 remains moderately bleak, mostly because of a high comparison base of Q1 2020. That the second half of the year could see an upturn is yet suggested by higher order books reported by the top 20 construction companies.

The stable 2021 outlook for sovereigns in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) reflects their robust economic growth prospects and strengthened ability to carry and reduce debt, which make their credit profiles resilient to the sharp deterioration of their public finances in 2020, Moody's Investors Service said in a report published today. Ageing populations and structural economic change will remain longer-term challenges for the region.

Manufacturing PMIs in CEE showed that the recovery slowed at the end of Q3 2020 and the carryover to Q4 2020 was small (and even negative in some cases). This assessment pertains also to the outlook, with new orders and output expectations either rising less or showing a slower recovery in September than in the previous months, according to Dan Bucsa, Chief CEE Economist at UniCredit Bank in London.

Employers may not unilaterally order employees to work from home even in case of a strong resurgence of coronavirus infections and this would require a mutual agreement under new remote work rules that can now be considered final. Home officing would also be supported by a lump sum payment of overhead costs to the tune of HUF 16,100 (around €45) per month, tax-free. There are, however, still question marks regarding health and safety issues, local daily Magyar Nemzet reports.