In a significant political shift for CEE, Romania elected Nicușor Dan as president on May 18, 2025, while Poland's pro-European candidate Rafał Trzaskowski narrowly led the first round of its presidential election. These outcomes suggest a regional move toward centrist, pro-EU leadership.

Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG (pbb), the European specialist bank for commercial real estate finance, announced a pre-tax profit of €28 million for Q1 2025, down compared to the €34 million in Q1 2024, but an higher from Q4 2024.

The strong demand for apartments in new buildings in the Moravian metropolis is not slowing down, according to the latest analysis by Trikaya. In the first quarter of 2025, developers in Brno have sold 479 new apartments, the most since Q2 2021. 

The intensive construction of warehouse and production facilities for lease across the Czech Republic continued into the first quarter of 2025, according to the analysis of demand and availability of modern industrial space by Savills. However, supply remains insufficient in certain key markets, particularly in Prague and Brno. 

Hungary’s leading proptech event, the PropTech Hungary Conference, will be held for the sixth time on May 22nd. This professional gathering brings together top experts, innovators, and decision-makers from the fields of proptech, real estate, construction, BIM, and contech for a full day of exchange and discussion. Property Forum is supporting the event as a professional partner.

The European Commission’s recent pause on reporting obligations for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is consequential for real estate investors’ Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) compliance. Without the CSRD requirement, funders’ ability to collect asset data for SFDR disclosure becomes more difficult. Yet because real estate developers and portfolio managers have a profit-driven imperative to measure and maximise operational efficiencies, they are well positioned to meet investors’ data requirements. Particularly to secure financing for “dark green” or “light green” retail funds, as defined by the SFDR, real estate firms must continue complying with financer mandates. Jaroslav (Jaro) Mida of MINT group discusses why operating measurably high-efficiency real estate is the pragmatic choice for funders, developers and the environment in an article prepared for Property Forum by Lisa Chase (Lucky Fish Research & Communications).

Prime rents on Europe’s leading shopping streets, in shopping centres, and retail parks have increased on average during 2024. Leisure concept operators have been the most active segment, occupying 20% more floor space year-on-year, according to a study by Cushman & Wakefield. 

Property developer Wing has successfully issued bonds worth €43.2 million, recording a double oversubscription rate. 

Join Property Forum's exclusive investment survey to voice your thoughts on crucial topics impacting the investment landscape. By sharing your perspectives, you not only contribute to shaping the future of the industry but also stand a chance to secure a free ticket to the highly anticipated CEE Property Forum 2025 event in Vienna on November 24-25.

iO Partners and Walvius Partners have announced an exclusive cooperation agreement to introduce asset & portfolio sustainability services.