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.

Office markets across the six largest CEE capital cities, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Bucharest, Bratislava, and Sofia, have entered a new phase characterized by a severe supply crunch.

The workplace is being redefined by far more than hybrid working. As businesses adapt to AI, changing employee expectations and growing ESG ambitions, the office is evolving into a strategic tool for attracting talent, strengthening culture and improving performance. These themes were at the centre of the workplace panel at Bucharest Business Forum 2026, where experts agreed that successful workplaces are no longer measured by efficiency alone, but by the experience they create for employees.

For decades, investment activity in Central and Eastern Europe has been concentrated around a handful of established markets and capital cities. Yet some of the most significant economic shifts taking place today are happening further east, along a corridor connecting Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.

Pan-European real estate developer VGP is strengthening its Romanian footprint by securing two lease transactions with Ursus Breweries and ePiesa.

Industrial developer CTP has agreed a seven-year extension of its partnership with Autonet, a Romanian importer and distributor of automotive parts and accessories. The company has renewed the lease for the entire 26,000 sqm facility it occupies at CTPark Bucharest South, continuing a collaboration that began in 2021.

Iulius and Atterbury Europe are allocating €9 million to revamp Iulius Mall Iași, located in the Tudor Vladimirescu university campus.

The office markets of CEE's six largest capitals records resilient demand for high-quality space in 2026, although new development has slowed, tightening supply, according to Colliers.

Monia Dobrescu, Head of Real Estate & Construction at Mușat & Asociații, talked to Property Forum regarding the legislative shifts defining the 2026 property landscape. She highlighted the impact of Law No. 207/2025 on transaction security, the evolution of ESG-linked project financing, and the legal hurdles facing expansion into Romania's secondary cities.

Czech investment group SCF has completed the acquisition of two Romanian NEST retail parks from developer RC Europe for nearly €40 million. The transaction marks SCF's entry into its fourth country, expanding its Central European retail portfolio beyond the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia.