The departure of Bartoš due to the digitization of the building permit process is not a solution, said Fiala

Prague - The departure of Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates) from the government due to the digitalization of the building permit process is not a solution to the problems, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) said today in the discussion program Partie on Prima CNN News. According to him, the issues associated with the implementation of the new system starting July 1 need to be addressed gradually. The functioning of the government will not be threatened by the situation surrounding the building permit process, he added. By the end of the summer, it should be clear how the Ministry of Regional Development (MMR) will proceed, according to Fiala.

"For me, the end of summer is really the time when it must be clear whether a plan B is needed, or if it's just in the implementation phase, which I also do not rule out. Because when I look at the numbers, the functionality of the system improves every week, the number of applications submitted and processed. Things are changing," Fiala said.

According to Fiala, the responsibility for the situation and its improvement lies solely with the MMR and Bartoš, who bears the responsibility for the very introduction of the system. "He must come up with a solution. So far, he has not come to me saying that this did not work out and that he does not know how to proceed. That has not happened. The primary responsibility and know-how is on Minister Bartoš. And I believe he will manage it," Fiala said.

The functioning of the government, according to the Prime Minister, will not be affected by the situation and will not destabilize the government. However, the situation is concerning to him, and it casts a poor light on the digitalization of public administration as a whole. According to the Prime Minister, digitalization has made significant progress in recent years.

The launch of the digitized system is accompanied by problems that, according to some previous statements from coalition politicians, are serious enough that if the MMR does not resolve them by the end of August, Bartoš should take responsibility. On Wednesday, Bartoš also faced criticism in the Senate regarding the building permit process. The upper chamber of Parliament called on the MMR to consider establishing a crisis manager and a working group with representatives of building authorities and the chamber of architects. Senators warned during a roughly three-hour debate about possible economic consequences, employee departures from building offices, and potential lawsuits against the state for damages. The government party TOP 09 has called for coalition talks due to the difficulties.

At Wednesday's government meeting, Bartoš promised further development of the system for digital building permits. The system should be more user-friendly for building offices, and automation should also be increased. The builder's portal will also be developed.