Experts support the heritage protection law, but it still has its critics

However, the Czech Chamber of Architects and the Association for the Protection and Development of Cultural Heritage (ASORKD) still oppose the shape of the law. It has also been criticized by the Association of Professional Heritage Care Workers, which states that the proposal reduces the scope of heritage protection, does not define the protection of tangible cultural heritage as a public interest, and does not bring the required systemic changes. According to ASORKD, the proposed law does not protect the most valuable and simultaneously most endangered part of the domestic cultural heritage - historic towns. The ministry mostly rejects these criticisms, claiming that critics have misunderstood the law.

The government approved the draft law last autumn, and at that time, the ministry stated that it had attempted to resolve the contentious points. "In numerous discussions, we found a truly maximum degree of consensus with all more or less interested parties of experts," stated then-Minister Daniel Herman. According to the ministry, the law allows for effective care of the heritage fund and provides authorities with tools to intervene when an owner neglects a heritage site.

"The preparation of the new heritage protection law has been ongoing for a quarter of a century. Over the past years, several substantive proposals have emerged, which, in their conceptual starting points, have mostly significantly weakened expertise and particularly the effectiveness of decision-making regarding individual heritage sites and cultural heritage as a whole," stated representatives of the Art History Society (UHS). The currently submitted draft law is, according to art historians, the first that has been processed transparently and with the participation of representatives from almost all professional, vocational, and civic institutions.

During the beginning of the discussion on the law at the April session of the Chamber, opposition proposals were heard to limit the authority of heritage care bodies in heritage areas to just appearance. According to UHS, this would have catastrophic effects on the protection of significant buildings in heritage reserves, including the Prague Heritage Reserve, which is protected under UNESCO status. The proposal to limit the statements of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) only to situations where the authority will request a statement would practically mean that the institute would be unable to express itself on matters it considers essential, thus making it impossible to guarantee heritage care in full.

"We are convinced that the authors of the regulation have succeeded in expressing the significance and role of heritage protection, its balance, and expertise in a completely current manner. We consider the proposal to be of high quality and support its approval," stated UHS.