CEE as Asia’s gateway to Europe and a hub for continent-wide distribution

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is strengthening its position as one of the continent's key logistics hubs. An increasing number of Asian companies view the region as the natural gateway to the European market, using it not only for cargo handling and distribution but also as a location for manufacturing facilities, warehouses and logistics centers. As a result, CEE is playing an increasingly strategic role in European supply chains, particularly in road freight transport, which remains the backbone of goods distribution across the continent.

These trends create significant business opportunities for the region, especially for the logistics sector. Global companies are looking for partners with strong local expertise, well-developed infrastructure and the operational capabilities to manage increasingly complex, multi-market supply chains.

Asia remains a strategic trading partner for Europe

Europe continues to maintain strong economic ties with Asia. China remains one of the European Union's most important trading partners, with EU imports from China increasing by 6.4% year-on-year in 2025. At the same time, ASEAN economies—including Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia—are playing an increasingly important role. Trade between the EU and ASEAN has grown by 67% over the past decade.

Central Asia also represents a rapidly growing market with significant long-term potential. As a company operating in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, we are witnessing not only increasing European investment in the region but also the emergence of strong local businesses that are gradually expanding beyond their domestic markets, including into Europe.

CEE has naturally become the gateway for these growing trade flows. Whether goods enter Europe by sea through Baltic and North Sea ports or overland by rail and road, onward distribution relies primarily on road transport. Thanks to its strategic location, advanced logistics infrastructure and dense transport network, CEE now serves as a pan-European distribution hub, enabling efficient deliveries across the continent—from Scandinavia and Western Europe to Southern Europe and the Balkans.

CEE: Europe's manufacturing and warehousing base

CEE is also increasingly serving as Europe's manufacturing and warehousing base. As companies seek to diversify supply chains and reduce transport distances, they are increasingly locating production and logistics operations across the region, making Central and Eastern Europe one of the main beneficiaries of the nearshoring trend. This, in turn, is driving demand for road freight services, both for inbound deliveries of raw materials and components to manufacturing plants and for outbound distribution of finished products across Europe.

Investment data confirms this momentum. Poland is currently the most attractive investment destination in the region, with 56% of companies planning new investments in CEE selecting Poland—a year-on-year increase of 11 percentage points. Romania is also experiencing strong growth, attracting 16% more foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in 2025 than in the previous year.

Distribution flows from CEE

Trade flows clearly demonstrate how deeply integrated Central and Eastern Europe has become with the wider European economy. Western Europe remains the primary export destination for CEE countries, with Germany playing a particularly important role as the largest trading partner for virtually every major economy in the region. Germany accounts for approximately 28% of Poland's exports, nearly 30% of Czech exports, around 22% of Slovakia's exports and roughly 25% of Hungary's exports.

Other Western and Southern European markets—including France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain—also remain key destinations. We continue to see stable freight volumes on UK trade lanes despite Brexit, with the UK remaining an important export market for CEE companies. In this context, efficient customs services are essential to maintaining uninterrupted supply chains. Scandinavia is another important destination, with Poland serving as a natural logistics hub supporting distribution across the Nordic region. Meanwhile, Romania and Slovenia are strengthening their positions as gateways to the Balkans, where growing consumer demand is driving road freight volumes, particularly in the FMCG, electronics and consumer goods sectors.

At the same time, trade within the CEE region continues to expand. The Czech Republic is Poland's second or third largest export market, while Slovakia, Hungary and Romania also rank among Poland's key trading partners. This demonstrates that CEE is increasingly operating as an integrated internal market of more than 100 million consumers.

Local expertise combined with international experience

At Rohlig SUUS Logistics, we see significant business potential in these market developments and continue to strengthen our presence across the region. We support customers in designing and managing supply chains tailored to their business needs, providing FTL, PTL and LTL road transport solutions in both domestic and international markets.

International road freight requires broad operational coverage, which is why we operate more than 350 regular international groupage connections every week. Our strategy is built on close cooperation with trusted local partners. Leveraging our logistics centers, we are also expanding our own distribution network across the V4 region, covering Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

Customs services are another key element of our offering. They ensure seamless operations both for imports from Asia and for distribution to markets requiring customs clearance, including the UK and Ukraine, where efficient customs processes are essential for maintaining supply chain continuity and operational efficiency.