Éamonn  D'Arcy - One very important lesson to emerge from the recent financial crises has been the need to reduce the over-reliance of the European property sector on bank lending as a primary mechanism for capital-raising. This situation has created significant problems...

Lonneke Löwik - In recent months, INREV has produced a series of studies detailing the investor universe in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. These studies estimate the size and composition of the three investment markets.

Peter de Haas - The speed of demographic, economic, and technological change in the last decade, combined with a new awareness of the way we value our environment, will impact our society and, as a result, our future real estate working environment.

Paul Wessels - Cities and the metropolitan regions they represent are increasingly becoming drivers of (international) economic success. Sustainable (re)development is vital to this process, but the economic crisis has not made financing these goals any easier. All over Europe, cities are looking at ways to bridge the growing investment gap – a task whereby city leaders are being called upon to reinvent themselves.

The UK real estate market, in particular Central London, has attracted a lot of attention and headlines of late, especially after capital values grew by 21% in the second half of 2009. We now find ourselves in a unique situation. For Central London several forecasters are anticipating a strong upturn in rents in the order of 30% to 40% by 2013. Against this backdrop, overseas investors remain very keen on London commercial real estate and at the same time want to minimise taxes on both income and acquisition. Whilst this can sometimes be achieved by direct investment, tax efficiency is more likely to be achieved through an indirect vehicle, of which there are several in the UK.

ICSC’s European Public Affairs Committee has been lobbying for the retail real estate industry within the European Parliament in Brussels for two years, explaining how sustainable the shopping centre concept really is. In that time we’ve come a long way. At first Brussels simply did not understand our industry.

A salient theme that has emerged from the global financial crisis, and the one that has dominated the headlines ever since Dubai and Greece have stoked fears of a default on their debts, is sovereign risk...

Now that the flurry of media coverage around the climate change talks held in Copenhagen in December 2009 has died down, it is time to reflect on the outcomes and consider what they mean for EU property investors...

It’s great to feel a sense of inspiration. The last time I felt that way was last December while listening to a speech by Jeremy Rifkin at the Rotterdam Global Urban Summit...

Henk Hirs - Until mid-September, prospects for the Hungarian commercial property market were still relatively upbeat. 'In contrast to Germany or the UK...

There isn't any point pretending any more, economically things are likely to be about as bad as they can get. 'Meltdown headlines now have real substance'...

Jaap Gillis - Working for a pan-European company, I am used to travelling a lot across Europe. In fact, I frequently travel by plane. Some of you might criticise me for this, and, indeed, it does not seem to exemplify good corporate social responsibility.

Musfik Cantekinler - Turkey's economy and financial markets have continued to develop and stabilise in the last five years. Inflation rates of around 80% during the early 2000s have dropped to single-digit figures in the last two years and political uncertainty has subsided following the double elections in 2007.

René Buck - Qualitative factors are as crucial to running new operations. As the need for qualified, motivated personnel is imperative for many manufacturing, distribution or office projects, many decision-makers want to know what kind of labour climate they can expect in the various countries under consideration.

Ekke Overbeek - Poland has recently seen an invasion of Spanish real estate companies. Indeed, it would have been more appropriate to call the second edition of the Central Europe Meeting Point held recently in Warsaw the Spanish-Polish Meeting Point.

Jan Hebly - A recent verdict by the European Court of Justice on the tender process of an urban development in the French town of Roanne near Lyon could have far-reaching implications for other EU member states.

Nicky Godding - Speakers suggested a scenario of future shopping centres hosting well-known retailers offering nothing more than a great experience and...

Andrea Carpenter - Sustainability issues are climbing up the agenda in countries across Europe. In the process, the cultural differences between the various member states are becoming apparent. 

Howard Morgan - “What makes your properties attractive is not just building quality and location, but also having a reputation for great service. Great locations plus great service leads to great performance.”

Karl Petrikovics - “In many CEE markets the pioneering phase is over. It’s now the time for long-term-oriented and risk-averse investors to move in.”

Paul Kennedy - “Provided investors remain sensible and don’t bid yields down to unsustainable levels, then we’re not in overpriced territory.”

Gerard Greene - “The whole passion of the hotel industry used to be about putting a personal touch into properties. What consumers really want when they go to a hotel is to feel special and experience something personal.”

Steve Hays - Why are the UK and the Netherlands also the two gravitational poles of the European real estate investment market?

Paul McManus - Over the last couple of years Britain's private investors have become fed up with their domestic market. Property gurus...

Wabe van Enk - Investing in property is becoming less and less a question of mathematics. There was a trend in the 1990s to view investment as a cold calculation of yield and risk.

David Gordon Smith - The German foundation 'Lebendige Stadt' ('Vibrant City') is working to make German cities more liveable -- and to change the way Germans think about urban space. 'We want to ...

Douglas Clark - Urban development has been with us for a long time. Max Weber outlined the features of the European city in The City published in 1921; the Urban Land Institute has been talking and thinking urban since 1936.

It promises to be a hot autumn in Spain. On 10 September the European Commission officially confirmed what many Spaniards had been fearing for months: that the country will slide into recession during the second half of this year. And construction will be one of the sectors hit hardest by the slump.