In the Serbian economy, the construction industry has been one of the sectors least affected by COVID-19, with only smaller decrease recorded in production volumes and logistical capacity. The Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association has published a COVID-19 update on the construction sector of Serbia.

COVID-19’s direct impact on ongoing construction activity in Romania has been minimal since no restrictions were in place specifically targeting construction works. Several indirect factors, however, are expected to limit the amount of construction activity. The Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association has published a COVID-19 update on the construction sector of Romania.

The strong fundamentals of Warsaw’s office sector, coupled with no risk of oversupply and low vacancy rates, should enable the market to regain equilibrium relatively quickly after the slowdown. Cushman & Wakefield summarised Q1 2020 on the Warsaw office market.

Starting this month, Banca Comercială Română (BCR) has relocated its headquarters to the Business Garden Bucharest office building, developed by Vastint, the real estate division of Ikea.

Panattoni has allocated PLN 500,000 (around €110,000) to buy medical supplies for three hospitals. Institutions in Poznań, Białystok and Szczecin were chosen in consultation with the Ministry of Health. As part of the aid, the developer will provide medical masks, nitrile gloves, non-contact thermometers and packs of medical caps.

Spanish developer Gran Via Real Estate announced that starting 18 May, it will reopen the sales offices for its ongoing four residential projects: Timișoara 58, Gran Via Park, and Aviației Apartments in Bucharest, as well as Gran Via Marina in Constanța.

The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the adaptation of technology on the residential market with developers across the region now offering digital solutions for prospective home-buyers. Waldemar Olbryk, Board Member responsible for the residential sector at Echo Investment shared his thoughts on the topic.

Atrium European Real Estate published an update on trading for the three months ended 31 March 2020 and an update on trading in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. A progressive reopening has been launched from 4 May in Poland and is planned from 11 May in the Czech Republic and 3 June Slovakia, although it is too early to say when the company’s assets will return to full operation.

The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak seems to be having a severely negative impact on market sentiment across the CEE region, according to the latest RICS Commercial Property Monitor. Q1 2020 figures show that both rental and capital value expectations have been downgraded across the region with retail expected to see the sharpest decline and industrial proving to be the most resilient asset class.

The coronavirus outbreak continues to affect people and economies deeply. In the latest online panel organized by Property Forum, three real estate professionals discussed the impacts of the coronavirus crisis on the Bulgarian property market.