A structural shift is rewriting the financial logic of European commercial real estate. It isn't being driven by ESG pressure or voluntary sustainability labels. It's being driven by regulation — and the numbers are concrete enough that ignoring them is becoming a financial risk. A recent white paper by workcloud24 traces the mechanism in detail: how the operational energy and CO₂ performance of a building transmits into net operating income, asset value, and financing conditions. The argument isn't that green buildings are virtuous. It's that inefficient buildings are becoming measurably more expensive to own, operate, and finance.
As ESG expectations move from aspiration to obligation, real estate leaders are being forced to confront how sustainability directly affects asset value, financing and long-term resilience. Chaired by ESG Partner Tjidsger Wierda of Walvius Partners, the sustainability session at CEE Property Forum 2025 brought together a range of expertise and pragmatic perspectives on the evolving role of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) in commercial real estate.
Older buildings usually consume more energy in operation than new construction. That is not only a cost issue. It also affects how an asset performs against market standards like BREEAM, EU Taxonomy, and CRREM, as well as regulations such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the rules for Building Automation and Control Systems (BACS). Many owners assume the only way to close the gap is a major refurbishment. Better insulation and new equipment certainly help, but they are expensive and disruptive. Investments in deep fabric and equipment upgrades can reach one to five percent of the asset value.
The Annual Water Report, based on over 13.5 billion liters of monitored water usage across 5,370 properties in 36 countries, reveals that 67% of properties experience water leakage yearly. With rising water scarcity, increasing tariffs, aging infrastructure, and stricter regulations, property owners are under growing pressure to better understand their water consumption.
Only 14% of office buildings across the Prague market have achieved an Energy Performance Certificate in class A or B, with older properties having a higher probability of being classified in lower energy performance classes. An internal Savills survey, covering dozens of properties, has revealed that a significant proportion of Prague's office stock is facing the need for modernisation.
96% of European logistics tenants are planning to expand their capacity in the next 12 months, to a greater or equal extent than in the past year, according to the latest CBRE survey.
According to Savills' global network research, almost 90% of respondents are anticipating an increase in daily office attendance requirements from companies this year. One of the main drivers of this change is Generation Z.
The industrial real estate market in CEE has entered 2025 with strong momentum. According to new market data released by iO Partners, the total stock of industrial space has reached 34.4 million sqm in Q1 2025, marking a 1.1% quarter-on-quarter increase.
The GBCI Europe Circle conference was established to provide the LEED community in Europe with a space for professional and social exchange. The next edition is scheduled to take place in Prague from May 14-16 and Property Forum is proud to be joining the event as Media Partner. More about the event's significance and program has been shared by Kay Killman, Managing Director of GBCI Europe, Vessela Valtcheva-McGee, Director Market Development EE and Simona Kalvoda, Executive Director of the Czech Green Building Council (CZGBC).
It is still a long way to embedding ESG principles into corporate culture, operations, and decision-making processes. That was the main takeaway from a panel at CEE ESG Forum 2024 organised by Property Forum and Green Forum in Vienna last November.
Property Forum's annual SEE Property Forum Award Ceremony will take place during SEE Property Forum on 22 October 2024. The list of award categories is already available and nominations are now open until September 16th. Property Forum's Country Manager for Romania Fulvia Meirosu and CEO Csanád Csürös answered all potential questions related to the nomination process and explained how the winners will be selected.
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.
ProCredit Bank Romania has launched a CO2 Emissions Calculator to help microenterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises quantify and understand their carbon footprint. This initiative reflects the Procredit Group's commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, with client engagement at the core of its Climate Action Strategy.
DSV – Global Transport and Logistics, the world's largest logistics operator, has launched a solar installation at its warehouse in Łozienica, Poland, in partnership with commercial real estate investor Accolade. The installation will meet the energy needs of Poland's first multi-client warehouse equipped with an AutoStore system.
Etem Gestamp, the Sofia-based joint venture between Viohalco Group and Spain's Gestamp Group focused on aluminium extrusion and processing for the automotive industry, and Rezolv Energy, the Actis-backed independent power producer, have signed a 10-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) in Bulgaria. The VPPA will see Etem Gestamp buy electricity from Rezolv Energy's 461MW 'Vifor' wind farm, which is about to come onstream in Buzău County, Romania. It is the first cross-border wind PPA that has been publicly announced in Bulgaria.
DP World has launched a five-year coastal restoration programme to create underwater "forests" of native seaweed to boost marine life near the Constanța South Container Terminal on the Black Sea.
