The amendment on the digitization of heritage conservation is in effect, tightening oversight over archaeologists

Prague – A amendment to the law on the digitalization of heritage care comes into effect today, which was passed by the Ministry of Culture in Parliament and signed by President Petr Pavel in June 2024. The amendment introduces a new option to revoke the authorization for conducting archaeological research, and it also relates to the machine transfer of information about the preservation of heritage sites into the land register. Jana Zechmeisterová from the Ministry of Culture's press department informed ČTK about this.

Regions will gain better oversight over archaeological findings. Especially in the case of larger rescue archaeological excavations, they will now be able to set conditions for how individual artifacts will be handled after discovery. This will dictate how the findings are to be documented and processed before being handed over to the regions.

The law also strengthens the powers of the Ministry of Culture in archaeology. This primarily concerns organizations and private companies if they commit offenses. "The amendment regulates the possibility of the Ministry of Culture revoking the authorization to conduct archaeological research not only in case of loss of professional prerequisites but also if the authorized organization either repeatedly in the last two years or significantly violated the obligations set by law," described Zechmeisterová. The Ministry's control mechanism remains the same as before.

The digitalization of heritage care also enshrined the possibility of machine transmission of data about comprehensive heritage protection into the land register. "According to the transitional provisions of the amendment, work towards this state will begin after January 1, 2025, and the launch of this system will be announced in the collection of laws and international treaties," stated Zechmeisterová. Thus, the land register will also include information about heritage protection for properties.

The Ministry of Culture does not anticipate significant expenses related to the amendment, expecting them to be around three million crowns. According to them, it is primarily necessary to adjust the digital Integrated Information System for heritage care. "The introduction of the registry of heritage-protected areas in the basic register will lead to their sharing across the entire public administration, enable a modern way of updating them, and ensure their relevance," said Minister of Culture Martin Baxa (ODS) earlier.