PRESS RELEASE    

Contact           darina.gordienko@cms-cmno.com

Date                29 January 2024

 

Emerging Europe continues to show resilience amid challenges 

Findings from the CMS Emerging Europe M&A 2023/24 report, published in cooperation with EMIS, demonstrate the resilience of the Emerging Europe1 deals market as activity holds firm against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and strong inflationary pressures. 

The latest report reveals a modest slowdown in total deal flow across Emerging Europe, with 1,187 deals recorded compared to 1,229 deals in 2022. However, these were up from the 2021 total of 1,164 deals. Despite lower valuations and fewer large transactions, deal value stayed on par with 2022 values, at EUR 32.48bn in 2023 compared with EUR 32.93bn in 2022.  

Notably, with inflation trends showing signs of improvement during the summer, investor confidence experienced a revival in the latter part of the year. The deal value for each quarter demonstrated improvement, resulting in a significant overall increase for H2 2023 (EUR 19bn), representing a 41% increase on H1 2023 (EUR 13.5bn). 

Cross-border deal activity, meanwhile, remained strong, with total value increasing to EUR 30.8bn in 2023, despite attracting 69 fewer deals than the previous year. The United States maintained its top position by deal count (96), while the United Arab Emirates emerged as the leader by deal value (EUR 3.16bn), fuelled by mega deals in the telecoms sector, including the EUR 2.5bn acquisition of PPF Telecom Group’s assets in Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia by UAE-based e&. 

 

Sector diversity 

The report shows remarkable diversity across Emerging Europe’s sectors, with no one sector dominating the deal landscape. Telecoms & IT secured the largest share of deals (266) across the region, accounting for 22.4% of all deals, followed by Manufacturing at 15.2%, and Real Estate & Construction at 13.3%. While overall deal count in the Telecoms & IT sector decreased by 70 deals in 2023, deal value surged by 140.3% to EUR 9.1bn. Manufacturing came in at second place by deal value at EUR 6.57bn, with Nippon Steel Corp’s EUR 2.75bn acquisition of the Slovakian business of U.S. Steel claiming the region’s largest deal of 2023.  

Meanwhile, renewable energy deals featured heavily across the Energy & Utilities sector, with a significant number of wind and solar deals completed across 2023, including UGT Renewables’ agreement with Montenegro-based EPCG for the development of a new large-scale solar plant in Montenegro. With CEE generating just 25% of its electricity from renewables, compared to 55% from fossil fuels, the potential for further activity in this sector remains ripe.  

Private Equity and IPOs 

While the global IPO market showed signs of improvement in the latter half of 2023, regional listings remained scarce, dwindling from 13 to just eight in 2023, a significant drop from the peak of 60 observed in 2021. However, the total value of IPOs experienced a notable rebound, soaring from EUR 40m to EUR 2bn, primarily fuelled by a substantial listing: Hidroelectrica on the Bucharest Stock Exchange, amounting to EUR 1.89bn.  

Although the volume of private equity deals slightly decreased to 248 transactions last year compared to the 289 deals recorded in 2022, the deal value surged by 57%, reaching a four-year high of EUR 15.7bn. Noteworthy among the active U.S. private equity firms was The Carlyle Group, which acquired Meopta–Optika in the Czech Republic for EUR 677m, and Advent International, which secured the purchase of MyPOS in Bulgaria for EUR 500m. 

ESG in M&A  

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) is an umbrella term for multiple factors in a company’s operational activities and management practices that have an impact on the environment and society. ESG has become integral to corporate decision-making as investors, consumers and other stakeholders, as well as regulators, increasingly scrutinise companies’ ESG performance. Equally, ESG affects almost every aspect of a target’s business in an M&A transaction.  

Tetyana Dovgan, Corporate/M&A partner at CMS CMNO Ukraine, comments, “ESG compliance introduces a fresh perspective on the assessment of M&A transactions. Investors are not only focused on assessing the risks associated with a target’s historical non-compliance with, primarily, environmental and social legislation, but are also taking into account the nature-related risks related to the target’s direct operations, as well as its impact on climate and social aspects.” 

Country hotspots 

Standout performers in M&A activity for 2023 were Poland (284 deals at EUR 7.45bn), Romania (199 deals at EUR 5.54bn), and the Czech Republic (139 deals at EUR 3.73bn). Meanwhile, deal values in Hungary almost doubled to EUR 3.77bn from EUR 1.96bn, the highest level since 2018, largely thanks to the EUR 1.64bn acquisition of Vodafone Hungary by Corvinus and 4iG. However, the number of deals fell by 11% from 64 to 57, the lowest figure since 2020. 

In Ukraine, Vitaliy Radchenko, Managing Partner at CMS CMNO Ukraine, highlights the increasing M&A activity in the country, with 89 deals worth EUR 950m, reflecting growing confidence in Ukraine’s rebuilding efforts. “We observe increasing interest from foreign companies; often cautious, but it is there and growing. We also see new foreign investors entering the market and establishing a business presence in Ukraine”, adds Maria Orlyk, Partner at CMS RRH Ukraine. 

 

“Ukraine’s recovery plan (UNRP) is already shaping up to be the most extensive reconstruction effort since World War II. Its implementation is expected to attract numerous large-scale and technologically advanced restoration initiatives, presenting numerous compelling opportunities for international and domestic companies.”, notes Tetyana Dovgan, Corporate/M&A partner at CMS CMNO Ukraine.   

“Foreign governments and international financial institutions have pledged USD 1trn in support of UNRP,” says Anna Pogrebna, partner at CMS RRH Ukraine. “The UNRP envisions at least 7% annual GDP growth by 2032.” Anna notes that UNRP’s pillars are smart systems, renewable energy and sustainable construction. “It is expected that Ukraine’s infrastructure will leapfrog to innovative technologies,” she suggests. 

Some large US companies have already taken the first steps to engage in the rebuilding process, including Bechtel who signed a reconstruction agreement with Ukraine’s State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development relating to key infrastructure corridors. However, much more support and investment is needed to meet the scale of the challenge once the war is over. 

 

The CMS Emerging Europe M&A 2023/24 report can be found here.