The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has appointed Justin Young as its new CEO, tasked with managing the ongoing transformation of the organization that includes the delivery of excellent experience for staff, members, and stakeholders. He will assume the new role as of July 5, replacing Richard Collins, who was appointed interim CEO back in October 2021 following the reforms recommended by the Levitt report. 

CPI Property Group has announced the acquisition of a 25% stake in CleverPower. The company focuses on corporate energy self-sufficiency and electromobility and also operates the Chargee charging platform. By 2030, they will build up to three thousand new charging points not only in the Czech Republic, CPI Property Group announced today.

Resi4Rent has announced on LinkedIn that it has secured financing worth PLN 613 million to expand its portfolio of PRS flats. The funds raised will be used to build 2,700 new units in Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań and Gdańsk. 

Four Points by Sheraton Budapest Danube Hotel has opened in the Hungarian capital. The new 105-room hotel is situated on the banks of the river in the centre of the city and is managed by the Hungarian company Accent Hotels.

The scale of the destruction suffered by Ukraine as a result of the war is difficult to comprehend. The housing stock has been severely damaged, with Ernst & Young's research indicating that the scale of damage to Ukrainian real estate exceeds the volume of all new housing commissioned over the past seven years. No wonder that speaking about the Ukraine Recovery Program, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted that it will be the largest reconstruction project since World War II. The Ukrainian Real Estate Club and Property Times summarised what is known about the program in an article prepared for Property Forum.

The Supervisory Board of Immofinanz has appointed Pavel Měchura to the Executive Board, effective immediately. The Immofinanz Executive Board will now include two members: Radka Doehring and Pavel Měchura. Also effective 16 June, Radka Doehring has become a member of the Executive Board of S Immo.

With EBRD financing, Serbia will expand science and technology parks (STPs) and construct new ones in cities across the country, including Niš, Čačak, Kruševac and Belgrade (in the BIO4 Campus). A sovereign loan of €80 million and accompanying project agreements were signed in Belgrade by the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, the Minister of Finance, Siniša Mali, and the EBRD Regional Head of the Western Balkans, Matteo Colangeli, as well as directors of existing STPs.

The Polish warehouse real estate market has slowed after a record period of growth that was achieved during the pandemic. Gross demand for warehouse space in Poland for Q1 2023 totalled more than 982,000 sqm, a 35 percent year-on-year drop and an 18 percent decline compared to the five-year average. According to JLL's analysis, however, Q1 2023 was better than the corresponding periods in 2019 and 2020. Most of the new demand was in Poland's major logistics regions.

Panattoni has started the construction of Panattoni Park Poznań East II with an area of approximately 35,000 square meters. The project will be financed by Santander Bank, allocating a sum of €18 million.

Monia Dobrescu, Partner at Mușat & Asociații, spoke to Property Forum about real estate companies’ growing interest in alternative financing options and Romania’s tax framework for real estate investments.