On the whole, 2012 was a disappointing year for the economies of Central, East and Southeast Europe (CESEE), confirming fears of a double-dip recession in the euro area adversely impacting large parts of the CESEE region. This rather poor performance stands in sharp contrast to the better...

Following the upward trend registered by the construction industry in Europe in the late 1990s (+3.5 percent in 1999, +2.5 percent in 2000), growth came to an abrupt stop in 2001, against the background of an overall economic downturn. Building production stagnated and is expected to grow at a...