The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause multiple disruptions to the world’s industries and economies and this is also true for many CEE currencies. Those countries that have not adopted the Euro, or are not pegged to it, have each seen a ca. 10% depreciation in currency value during the period February to March 2020. The Romanian Leu is the exception which has depreciated just 1%, largely due to central bank intervention, Colliers reports in its CEE Special Insights Series.

Governments in the region keep introducing economic aid packages. Property Forum’s daily summary looks at the measures taken to ease the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on households and businesses.

The COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve rapidly and several governments in the markets in which Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) operates have taken measures to contain the spread of the virus. These measures will impact the Group’s operations, according to URW’s statement.

Austria’s economic growth curve is set to follow a V-shaped course in the wake of the coronavirus and the containment measures implemented, according to Bank Austria, a member of UniCredit Group.

The German federal government plans to set up an economic stabilization fund (Wirtschaftsstabilisierungsfonds, WSF) to prevent companies from going bankrupting during the coronavirus crisis, according to the new draft bill of the finance minister.

In our interconnected world, significant disruptions underscore the need for resilient supply chains. The risks posed by COVID-19 to economic growth would likewise affect real estate in the near term; on both counts, the magnitude is yet unknown. Still, structural trends point to resiliency for logistics real estate through this period and beyond, shaping both the fundamental and investment landscape, according to a new report by Prologis Research.

The government authorities in all countries where Immofinanz owns and operates retail properties have recently imposed restrictions and implemented various measures to contain Covid-19. These measures affect various aspects of everyday life, among others through the temporary shutdown of retail facilities. Exceptions have generally been made for stores, which sell basic supplies like supermarkets and pharmacies, drugstores, post offices, banks, pet food shops etc. Moreover, access to public areas has been limited or similar recommendations have been issued. Immofinanz supports these measures in the interest of public health and safety.

Property Forum collected the latest measures taken in CEE countries to mitigate the negative effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

Property Forum provides a comprehensive summary of the most important coronavirus-related measures that have been introduced in CEE countries. All of them have implemented a number of restrictive measures to slow down the spread of the virus and several governments have announced plans to help companies hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis and to stimulate the economy.

CBRE expects the COVID-19 outbreak to have a negative short-term impact on certain sectors of the commercial real estate market. However, the further transmission and evolution of the virus remains difficult to predict.