The obligation to notify building regulations was known to Prague, claims the office

Prague - According to the Office for Technical Standards, Metrology and Testing (ÚNMZ), Prague was aware in advance that it had the obligation to notify the Prague Building Regulations to the European Commission. The national decree that is currently in effect in Prague has been duly notified. In an interview with ČTK, the Deputy Chairman of the Office Zdeněk Veselý stated today. Because the regulations have not been notified, the Ministry of Regional Development suspended their validity.
    The Office secures the notification process in the Czech Republic, but its opinion is only advisory. The decision to apply for notification was up to Prague, said Veselý. "Given that the Prague Building Regulations contain a number of provisions that regulate technical requirements for buildings, building structures, and components, we believe it was necessary to fulfill the obligation to duly notify the Prague Building Regulations," he added. The Office communicated this opinion to representatives of the capital city and the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Regional Development during meetings.
    The obligation to notify, according to ÚNMZ, stems from the European Parliament directive on the procedures for providing information in the area of technical standards and regulations. However, according to former Prague Mayor Tomáš Hudeček, the obligation does not apply to the Prague Building Regulations because the directive pertains to standards for products and the entire territory of the state or its significant parts. "Prague is not a larger part of the territory of the state, and building regulations dealing with the construction of houses are definitely not free movement of goods and raw materials," Hudeček told ČTK.
    The same opinion is held by MEP and former Prague representative Miroslav Poche (CSSD). "The European Commission plays a zero role in this case, as local building regulations are not subject to mandatory notification to the EU," he stated earlier. According to him, the alleged notification is merely a tool for obstruction.
    However, ÚNMZ refutes the objections. "Every construction consists of a whole range of products, the incorporation of which is decided by entities involved in the construction process, such as the designer or the contractor," Veselý said. Likewise, according to him, it is not true that Prague is not a region for the purposes of the directive, meaning it is not a larger part of the territory of the state.
    The new building regulations came into effect in October of last year, but the Ministry of Regional Development suspended their validity at the beginning of January due to the missing notification. According to information from ČTK, the European Commission agrees with the ministry that the notification should have taken place.
    The current administration of Prague wants to resolve the issue with an amendment. Its preparation and notification to the EC will, according to Deputy Prague Mayor Matěj Stropnický (SZ), take about half a year from the council's decision. When the regulations are suspended, general building regulations apply throughout the country. However, according to experts, they are not suitable for use in the Prague agglomeration.
    The Prague Building Regulations are an implementing regulation to the Building Act. They establish traditional city planning tools such as street and building lines and regulated building heights. General regulations, on the other hand, according to some, would allow among other things the construction of green areas in residential districts, the expansion of the number of billboards, and the introduction of advertising in the heritage conservation area.