In January 5 years have passed since the European Parliament approved the Green Deal. The construction industry is accountable for 39% of global carbon dioxide emissions. The pressure to reduce emissions from clients, banks and legislation is only increasing, comments Jakub Škaloud, Project Manager and Head of the Building Differently team at VCES, one of the general contractors of Czech buildings.

The Hungarian construction industry experienced a mixed performance in 2024, with the final quarter showing a significant increase in the value of started projects, largely due to the Mohács Danube Bridge project.

In 2024, 13,295 new dwellings were built, 29% fewer than in the previous year. The number of dwellings built on the basis of building permits and simple declarations issued was 20,494, 4.7% fewer than in 2023.

Romania's construction industry maintained a high level of activity in 2024, despite a slight 4% decrease compared to the previous record year, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS). However, compared to 2018, the volume of construction works was 78% higher during 2024.

Since the onset of the full-scale invasion, the proportion of imports on Ukrainian construction sites has remained relatively stable, with any monetary growth primarily attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates. The Ukrainian Real Estate Club has convened insights from representatives of various development companies to conduct a thorough analysis of the current share of imports, the evolution of procurement strategies, and the materials and components that predominantly remain imported.

The biggest growth in Eastern Europe is foreseen in Bulgaria going into 2025, while the rest of the countries are projected to make side moves in the coming years, according to a report by the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA).

We have previously published insights on the recovery efforts in Ukraine, and we would like to share some remarkable examples of how commercial projects damaged by missile attacks are being rebuilt. Shopping malls, office buildings, and logistics centres are often prime targets during hostilities, yet Ukrainian businesses are showcasing extraordinary resilience as evidenced in this summary prepared by the Ukrainian Real Estate Club for Property Forum.

Construction activity in the 19 Euroconstruct countries is projected to decline by 2.4% in 2024, while next year it should return to growth, with an estimated rate of 0.6%, according to the conclusions of a conference held in early December 2024, in Milan. 

Recovery in Ukraine began after the first months of the war. Without waiting for the war to end, the authorities and the population decided to restore both civilian and commercial facilities that had been damaged or destroyed during the hostilities. Today, this is a well-controlled and organized process of reconstruction and renovation, funded by the state, along with the help of international organizations, and by the population's efforts in the case of damaged housing. The Ukrainian Real Estate Club has collected information on specific areas of reconstruction for Property Forum, from the restoration of critical infrastructure to socially oriented projects such as schools and medical facilities.

Value of started construction projects in Hungary fell almost 17% down year-on-year in the first nine months of 2024, accounting for around HUF 1800 billion, according to EBI Construction Activity Report Hungary.