In the first year of the pandemic, the construction market of the SEE region as a whole remained in the positive, and further expansion is expected until 2023. The only exception is Bulgaria where a harsh transition is foreseen for 2023 when the 2014-2020 EU programming period ends financially. The massive growth experienced in the years before 2020 is not anticipated to return. around 3% growth is projected for 2021 and 2022, and a 3% drop for 2023. The countries with the largest cumulated growth on the forecast horizon are Croatia and Serbia, according to the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association’s 2021 Summer Construction Forecast Report.

The retail, industrial and logistics sectors have been affected by the recent price increase of crucial construction commodities mostly steel, plastic and wood, according to a report by 108 Agency.

Arcadis published its Global Construction Disputes Report 2021 comparing the length, value, and ways of solving construction disputes in particular regions of Europe, Asia and North America.

According to the new forecast presented by WIFO, the Austrian partner of the Euroconstruct network, construction in the Euroconstruct area is set to register a 3.8% growth this year. Yet, Hungary still awaits negative growth rates this year, although the drop in 2021 is foreseen to be lower than last year.

At the end of May, the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, has approved an amendment to the building law that aims to accelerate approvals on large construction projects. If approved by the Senate and signed by the President, it should come into force on July 1, 2023. Property Forum asked two renowned market experts for their comments on the possible changes.

Futureal’s Budapest One office park has achieved another major milestone in its development, as the second and third phases of the complex have reached their highest point. Budapest One will house both Vodafone's new headquarters and BT's regional service centre.

The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, has approved an amendment to the building law drafted by Regional Development Minister Klára Dostálová that aims to accelerate approvals on large construction projects. Now the law will be submitted to the Senate for consideration. If approved, it should come into force on July 1, 2023.

Arcadis has published the annual results of the International Comparison of Construction Costs which demonstrates that the building industry has shown its resistance worldwide during the pandemic. Many governments took advantage of fiscal stimuli to support their economies, which has reflected an increase in infrastructure investment of the public sector. Within CEE, Vienna (#30) has by far the highest construction costs, followed by Zagreb (#64), Bucharest (#65), Sofia (#66), Prague (#66), Warsaw (#70), Belgrade (#72) and Krakow (#75).

Hungary's construction output in March was 11.5% higher than in the previous month, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said on Thursday. Hungary’s construction industry has corrected the February slump and the rising trend remained unbroken, but the pre-crisis peaks are still some way off.

The latest EBI Construction Activity Report has found that the stagnation of the total value of started construction works has not stopped. Between January and March 2021, construction works in the sector started on HUF 421 billion. This, although not greatly different from the values seen in the previous three quarters, is still the lowest Activity Start indicator of the last two years. Compared to the January-March periods of the previous two years, 2021 started clearly weaker: against the positive Q1 2020, the decline was about 35%, but even over the same period in 2019, there is a 15% decrease.