Solid economic growth and further expansion on investment markets are expected for 2017 and 2018 in the CEE region with interest rates unlikely to increase until 2019. But even though the short term outlook is highly positive, investors and developers need to be prepared for future challenges. Nearly 400 people from more than 25 countries gathered in Vienna for the fifth CEE Property Forum, co-organised by Property Forum and RICS, to analyse the CEE property market from a global perspective.

Cushman & Wakefield is the first global commercial real estate services firm to have opened a regional office in Lublin. This comes as a direct response to the growing office tenant demand, particularly in the BPO, SSC and IT sectors, for top-quality advisory services in south-eastern Poland. Cushman & Wakefield will occupy an office in ZANA Office II.

Real estate developer Portland Trust and American investment fund Ares Management LP will invest €50 million in the development of the third building at Oregon Park in the northern part of Bucharest. The new office building will comprise25,000 sqm and should be completed by the end of 2018.

The CEO of TriGranit is still optimistic for 2017 on the Budapest property market, but he expects some kind of correction in the coming years. The question is: will this correction take place in the form of a market stabilisation or will it bring on a significant downturn? Árpád Török talked to Property Forum about TriGranit’s plans for new developments and acquisitions.

The significant increase in interest from international investors looking for the best formats of cooperation with local developers sends a powerful message to the market in Romania’s capital city. Importantly, the abovementioned interest applies not only to the office sector, but also to the retail and logistics ones.

Demand in the Tri-City continued apace. 73,800 sqm had been leased in the area in H1 2017. The vacancy rate currently stands at 7.8%. JLL summarised H1 2017 on the office market in the Tri-City.

The markets of Budapest, Bucharest, and Warsaw, in addition to Milan and Oslo, offer the most amenable conditions for both lenders and borrowers, according CBRE’s research.

Galeria Północna, GTC’s latest retail development in the Polish capital has officially opened. The mall has a total leasable area of 64,800 sqm and is LEED Gold pre-certified.

Increasing political risk on a global level has helped investors look past country risks associated with CEE markets and focus on strong fundamentals coupled with solid economic growth. Jeff Alson, Partner and Head of CEE Investment Team at Cushman & Wakefield talked to Property Forum about his expectations for the investment market.

Revetas Capital, an investment fund founded and managed by an American real estate broker Eric Assimakopoulos, is close to buying the Radisson Blu Bucharest hotel for €177.5 million, according to market sources. If completed, this will become the largest transaction on the Romanian property market in recent years.