Romania saw new construction volumes expand by 64% in 2023 compared to the previous year, reaching also a record in gross value and growth rate from the past decade, according to the EBI Construction Activity Report.

The latest EBI Construction Activity Report, prepared by Eltinga, Buildecon, and iBuild, has found that after the weak Q3 2022, Q4 2022 saw a slight nominal expansion in activity-start in Hungarian construction. The value of started construction works was still very low; between October and December 2022 they totalled roughly HUF 650 billion.

For a long time, the logistics and industrial market in Croatia has been overlooked by real estate developers, despite the country’s strategic geographical position, proximity to major European markets and developed, high-quality road network, as well as direct access to sea routes. Recent project completions and commencements, with a strong pipeline and the arrival of international developers, suggest that winds are changing, and Croatia could become a very attractive logistics market.

Last year, the Activity Start indicator of EBI Construction Activity Report reached a total of more than €7 billion (HUF 2,500 billion), an increase of almost 18% against 2020 and of more than 6% against 2019.

Romanian real estate developer Iulius says it will invest around €35 million in the infrastructure and urban mobility features for its Palas Campus project in Iași. The mixed-use project will feature 54,000 sqm of office spaces targeting tech companies and 6,000 sqm of retail spaces.

A new railway line connecting Bucharest’s main railway station Gara de Nord to the Henri Coanda International Airport has been inaugurated over the weekend. Trains depart every 40 minutes with a one-way trip taking about 20 minutes. The price of a one-way ticket is RON 4 (around €0.82).

The fact that Budapest is competing for the right to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics has now Been decided, as the capital submitted the initial application materials in the middle of February. The next big question is, will the choice of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) really fall on Budapest, and if so, will the city manage to prepare for the games in time and in a sustainable manner.