Radivoje Petrikić

Methodology In Q2 2024, Mergermarket surveyed senior executives from 240 corporates and 90 PE firms based in Europe, in the Americas and in Asia-Pacific about their expectations for the European M&A market in the year ahead. Among the 330 executives interviewed, 70% are headquartered in Europe, while the remaining 30% are split equally between the Americas and Asia-Pacific.

In a year that started with challenges including rising inflation and energy prices, only for the Russian invasion of Ukraine to add to the volatility, the M&A market in emerging Europe transpired to be extremely resilient. The region saw M&A activity maintain a steady pace, though deal values were notably lower, and there were variations across territories and sectors. While 2022 brought a unique set of challenges, dealmaking largely compared favourably to pre-pandemic levels.

Despite geopolitical tensions, fears of recession and strong inflationary pressures across the EU, as well as the fiscal tightening needed to contain them, M&A in the CEE region has remained reasonably buoyant. Findings from the CMS Emerging Europe M&A 2023/24 report, published in cooperation with EMIS, demonstrate the resilience of the Emerging Europe deals market as activity holds firm against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and strong inflationary pressures.