Prague - The Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) is investigating Prague's building regulations and a long-standing contract concerning urban furniture based on a complaint. This contract was previously made by Prague with the French company JCDecaux. The Czech News Agency (ČTK) learned this from a letter that the ÚOHS sent last week to the Mayor of Prague, Adriana Krnáčová (ANO). In recent months, there has been a heated debate in Prague regarding building regulations and the advertising regulations stemming from them. "We will address the contract with JCDecaux in the near future, we will familiarize ourselves with the existing legal opinion and take the necessary measures," Krnáčová said in response to ČTK's inquiry. She also hopes that the new building regulations will come into effect as soon as possible. The Ministry for Regional Development abolished Prague's building regulations in January due to objections. After several delays, the council approved two amendments this week. The temporary amendment is expected to come into force in about two months. The ÚOHS letter arrived at the magistrate at a time when the Prague coalition was addressing this topic within the framework of negotiation proceedings. The text indicates that the antitrust office is investigating suspicions of violations of competition law in the area of outdoor advertising. According to its findings, Prague may have committed restrictions on free competition. Prague's building regulations serve as implementing regulations for the building law. The billboard lobby launched a strong media campaign last year in protest against the regulations. They disagree with the advertising regulation that the regulations brought. They also pointed out the long-term contract between Prague and JCDecaux, which allegedly disadvantages competitors in the advertising field. Architects and developers, on the other hand, welcomed the change. In January, there were demonstrations due to the regulations and the police started to take an interest in them.
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