Online shopping is continuing to grow in the European Union. With high street shopping affected by the COVID-19 restrictions and changes in habits and preferences, e-commerce can be expected to grow further. Data realised by Eurostat reveals that over the last five years, the largest increases in online shopping among internet users were recorded in CEE countries.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, seasonally adjusted GDP decreased by 0.6% in the euro area and by 0.4% in the EU, compared with the previous quarter, according to a flash estimate published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. These declines follow a strong rebound in the third quarter of 2020 (+12.4% in the euro area and +11.5% in the EU) and the sharpest decreases since the time series started in 1995 observed in the second quarter of 2020 (-11.7% in the euro area and -11.4% in the EU). According to the first estimation of annual growth for 2020, based on seasonally and calendar adjusted quarterly data, GDP fell by 6.8% in the euro area and 6.4% in the EU.

Three of the five EU countries that registered the highest annual (year-on-year) house price growth in Q3 2020 are located in CEE – Poland (#2), Slovakia (#4) and the Czech Republic (#5), freshly released data by Eurostat reveals.

In Q3 2017 the largest increase in house prices was registered in the Czech Republic. According to fresh data published by Eurostat, Hungary also saw double-digit growth, while prices rose by 5-10% in Bulgaria, Slovenia, Slovakia and Romania