The Eastern European construction market is facing a cooling period of "little less optimism", while Southeast Europe shows signs of stabilizing with a "little less pessimism", according to the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA) 2026 Summer Construction Forecast released on 22 June 2026. Despite the shifting sentiment, both regions are projected to sustain the record-high output levels achieved in 2025 through to 2028.

Croatia's construction sector is threatened with damage this summer due to the ongoing US-Israeli-Iran conflict. While the pain has not been intense so far, the situation could worsen significantly by mid-June or even late May, according to an analysis by the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA).

The Romanian residential market is currently navigating a complex boomerang effect as construction costs remain resilient despite previous forecasts of a decline, according Dr. Sebastian Sipos-Gug, analyst for Romania at Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA).

Slovenia's housing market faces rising prices without reliable data on the supply-demand gap, finds an analysis by the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA). Prices for new and existing homes continue climbing, with Ljubljana leading the surge, while construction struggles with slow permitting, high costs and industry fragmentation.

In the East European region, the aggregated construction outlook for next year has remained positive, only the trajectory has changed a little, according to the winter report of the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA). 

Overall construction output in Serbia is expected to decline this year, primarily due to the slowdown in civil engineering as several road and railway projects were completed last year. By contrast, non-residential construction has entered a new growth cycle driven by investments connected to hosting Expo 2027 in Belgrade.

While the Southeast European region is projected to maintain its 2024 activity levels, reduced optimism in Eastern Europe is largely attributed to a worsened forecast for Turkey, finds the latest report of the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA).  

Bulgaria is in a critical race against the clock to access the remaining €4.32 billion of its €5.69 billion Resilience and Recovery Plan (RRP) grants, with less than 25% of the total funding received so far, according to research by EECFA.

A major railway project in Slovenia, aimed at enhancing the capacity of Port Koper, is nearing completion amidst ongoing controversies and skyrocketing costs, according to an analysis by Dr Aleš Pustovrh, Slovenian researcher at the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA).

Bucharest's residential real estate sector is experiencing a significant downturn, with a notable drop in both permits and completions, raising concerns about the market's trajectory, according to an opinion by Dr. Sebastian Sipos-Gug - Ebuild srl, Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA) Romania.