The new government will postpone the implementation of parts of the building law, said Bartoš

Prague – The new government will postpone the validity of certain parts of the new building law, subsequently wanting to change them. The establishment of a special building authority should be maintained, but not to the extent that would lead to a deepening of the centralization of the state. During today's meeting of leaders of Czech construction at Prague Castle, this was stated by the candidate for the Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates). The law will come into effect in mid-2023, but some changes will already take effect on January 1 of next year.

The amendment to the law was approved by MPs despite a Senate veto in July this year, when President Miloš Zeman also signed the norm. The law shifts building authorities under the state and anticipates the establishment of a Supreme Building Authority. Under it, the individual building authorities should be organized similarly to, for example, the Financial Administration.

Bartoš said that the new government coalition will want to change the building law. "We will try to leave in the law what we think is right. For example, the establishment of a special office, which has been in demand here for a long time, but we definitely do not want an additional network of building authorities to be created at some new level or to have anything other than purely procedural and practical centralization," he noted. According to him, it was a mistake of the current government to adopt the new law forcefully without broader consensus in the Chamber. The new coalition, according to Bartoš, will want to create a proposal that will survive multiple electoral terms.

According to the government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), the new amendment to the law is intended to speed up construction proceedings and ensure compliance with established deadlines. However, the wording of the law has a number of critics, who have gained strength in the Chamber after the October elections. They argue that the state administration will distance itself from citizens and that construction procedures will become more complicated. In recent weeks, representatives of local governments, for example, have already requested a postponement of the law's effectiveness. The Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for ANO) then told ČTK that postponing the law's effectiveness during a housing crisis would be irresponsible.

The Ministry for Regional Development, which proposed the law, emphasizes that the new law will ensure, for example, adherence to deadlines and strengthen the position of municipalities in spatial development. The law introduces a 30-day deadline for statements from affected authorities, which can be extended by another 30 days in particularly complicated cases or when an on-site inspection is ordered. According to the minister, the law does not interfere with the powers of local governments because construction proceedings are already an exercise of state administration. She pointed out, for example, that the law strengthens the position of municipalities, as the municipality will always be a participant in the construction proceedings. According to her, authorities will not distance themselves from citizens because construction proceedings can be conducted electronically from home thanks to digitalization.