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.

CTP has secured €200 million in financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the roll-out of its large-scale programme of solar panel installation across its European business park portfolio.

Daniela Lazea, Partner at Biriș Goran, spoke to Property Forum about Romania's advantageous position as an investment destination in the real estate sector and the growing demand seen by the law firm from clients active in the renewable energy sector. Biriș Goran’s portfolio remains consistent on residential, office and logistics projects.

Victor Constantinescu, Managing Partner of Kinstellar Bucharest, talked to Property Forum about this year’s environment for property investments in CEE and Romania’s emerging profile as a hub in the region which will generate more development across the economy, including the property and clean energy sectors.

Lavinia Ioniță Rasmussen, Partner at NNDKP's Real Estate practice, spoke with Property Forum about the increasing investor interest in the renewable energy sector, the outlook for the real estate transaction market in 2023 and the law firm’s performance in the real estate segment.

Investors prefer sustainability to be measured in the case of commercial buildings too. Therefore new detailed rules will be elaborated and a so-called green passport for properties will be introduced, international law firm Baker McKenzie and CBRE reported after a special roundtable discussion in Budapest. 

As part of its energy management and sustainability strategy, the real estate developer will reduce its domestic energy consumption by 20 per cent by 2025. 

The development firm has invested in the technical modernization of its buildings and reassured "BREEAM in Use" accreditation for the Váci Greens D complex.

As the European Union has proposed the move towards zero-emission buildings by 2030, a significant portion of the energy consumption of these projects should be covered by energy from renewable sources. This includes renewable energy produced on-site or nearby so property companies are starting to invest in such facilities in a bid to lower operating costs and meet targets under their ESG agendas. The investments in such capacities have been boosted by the high energy price environment and the need of property companies to enhance the security of power supplies.

Panattoni is supporting the upcycling of the machinery used to generate green energy. In 15 of the developer’s locations, environmentally-friendly outdoor furniture can be found, made from former wind turbines. In 2023, similar furniture is to appear in another 100 locations.