The 2026 ULI Europe Conference brought together real estate leaders to take stock of where the European market stands today and where it is heading. Across a series of sessions covering investment strategy, capital markets, climate risk and technology, several clear themes emerged. We report from Berlin to summarise the five most significant ones.

European investors continue to lead commercial real estate investment across the continent, accounting for 48% of activity in Q1 2026, according to BNP Paribas Real Estate data. American investors follow with 31%, while Asia Pacific investors represent just 7% and Middle Eastern investors 2%.

Conducted in autumn 2025, the RICS Sustainable Real Estate Survey Europe gathered 112 responses from valuers, developers, investors and other professionals across 30 countries. The findings confirm that ESG has moved from a peripheral concern to a core driver of real estate value, risk and decision-making across Europe.

Despite global uncertainty and stronger competition from other asset classes, Europe’s real estate market is proving more resilient than many expected. In an interview with Property Forum, Petra Blazkova, Head of Research & Strategy at Catella, argues that structural undersupply, index-linked income and disciplined development are keeping the sector on a solid footing, while investors increasingly shift from broad sector bets to highly selective, asset-level strategies.

The European data centre sector is entering a period of unprecedented expansion, with operators expecting to commission an average of 67MW of capacity in 2026. 

Due diligence platform Drooms has released its Real Estate Trends Report 2026, showing that European transaction times remained stable at 363 days in 2025, compared to previous years of continuous increases.

Investors in CEE are entering 2026 with higher activity than their Western European counterparts, according to a new survey conducted by CBRE.

Commercial real estate companies remain optimistic about 2026, with 83% expecting revenue growth, according to a Deloitte report. This represents a slight decline from 88% last year, while 68% plan to increase expenses in 2026.

P3 Logistic Parks has appointed Simon Carter as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Frank Pörschke who will remain in the role until Carter joins within the next 12 months. The two will work together during a handover period to ensure business continuity.

Institutional investors are returning to key European markets, and transaction volumes are expected to rise steadily after a period of reassessment in 2024-2025, according to a Colliers report.