March 16 (SeeNews) - Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) remains a key target for international investors, whether they want to tap its markets directly or use them to produce goods for export, a report by law firm CMS on merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in the region shows.
"We are already witnessing a healthy pipeline of activity at the start of 2018 with all signs pointing to another good year for M&A actvity in the rgeion," the authors of the report commented.
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Buoyant economic activity and GDP growth across core markets in CEE spurred a stellar level of deal flow in the region, up 6% on 2016, they noted.
Romania saw a healthy uptick in M&A activity, with a 13% increase in deal volume and 64% increase in value, according to the report.
China became the largest fooreign investor in emerging Europe in 2017, increasing the value of its investments into the region by 78%, after a 96% rise in 2016. "The 2017 figures are skewed by the CEFC China Energy-Rosneft deal, but there is no doubt that CEE is firmly on the radar of Chinese investors and will plan an important role in its Belth and Road initiative to improve infrastructure within key trading partners," the authors of the report commented.
Real estate and construction topped the table by number of deals, whereas mining, including oil and gas, was he dominant sector by value in 2017, according to the report. You can read the full report at: https://cms.law/en/AUT/Publication/Emerging-Europe-M-A-Report-2017-18