European construction volume to stagnate in 2011Selected results of the Euroconstruct winter conference 2010

Construction volume in the 19 Euroconstruct countries should total 1.28 trillion euros in 2011 (in 2009 prices), which will be slightly below the previous-year level. Developments in the three construction sectors - residential construction, non-residential construction, civil engineering - will be uneven. Whereas an increase of nearly 2 percent is expected for residential construction, a renewed shrinking is expected in non-residential construction (-1%) and in civil engineering (-2%). Developments are not only uneven in the construction sectors but also in the individual countries. In Ireland and Spain the already precarious situation will worsen in 2011 in all three construction segments. In contrast, construction output will again increase clearly in Portugal and the Czech Republic. In Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, three Eastern European Euroconstruct countries, construction measures are expected to expand clearly this year. In Western Europe the recovery will be concentrated on the four Scandinavian countries in the network. By 2012 the economic situation in most Euroconstruct countries should have normalised to a large extent. It can be assumed that many businesses will abandon their investment hesitation. Also, government agencies should again have funds available for infrastructure projects. The result will be growth in all three construction sectors that should also continue in 2013.