Growth exceeding 12% is forecast for major projects in the construction sector in 2026, according to data presented by EKTER, at a time when the total size of the market of 7th, 6th and 5th class technical companies amounts to 6.5 billion euros.
This is the segment of the market in which EKTER operates, which in July entered the club of the strong, obtaining a 7th class contractor's license, alongside AKTOR, GEK TERNA, METKA and AVAX.
In the company's semiannual financial report published yesterday, the listed company emphasizes that the construction sector is going through the strongest phase of growth of the last fifteen years, citing study data.
The market of 7th class companies in particular amounted to 4.05 billion euros in 2025, recording an increase of 28.1% and reaching the highest value of the decade under review.
The driving forces of this growth are structural and secured for the coming years: the NSRF 2021-2027, with total available resources of 26.2 billion euros, of which 20.9 billion euros constitute EU participation and 5.3 billion euros national contribution; the Recovery and Resilience Facility, with infrastructure projects underway; the Development Law; and the rapidly expanding cycle of Public-Private Partnerships.
“At the same time, major private investments in tourism infrastructure, high-specification residential complexes, data centers and green development projects are further expanding demand, with the private sector gaining increasing weight in the sector's mix,” the report states.
As for the structure of competition, 7th class companies represent only 5% of the number of businesses in the sector, but account for 63% of the market by value, with an average turnover of 810.6 million euros in 2025, while the three largest concentrate around 79% of the market of their class.
“A clear gap is therefore emerging in the market: projects with budgets between 50 million euros and 300 million euros, which exceed the capabilities of 6th class companies, but fall short of the size that primarily occupies the three large groups,” it adds.
The challenges
Among the main challenges of the period, EKTER includes the rise in the cost of building materials, energy and mechanical equipment, which is further burdened by the ongoing geopolitical instability in the Middle East.
At the same time, it points to delays in the issuance of new price revision coefficients and in state payments, bureaucracy in the transition from tender announcement to contract signing and, above all, the lack of specialized human resources.