Significant increases in real estate investment turnover in the UK, Germany and Spain in the third quarter of this year propelled an upturn in the European commercial real estate investment market, according to the latest data from CB Richard Ellis. European investment activity in the third quarter totalled EUR 17.3 bn, a 34% increase on the previous three months and the highest quarterly result so far this year. Despite the quarterly increase, in year-on-year terms the third quarter of 2009 total is virtually half the EUR 30 bn investment turnover recorded in the third quarter of 2008.