Bartoš defends the construction process, wants to discuss issues in the Jurečka coalition

Publisher
ČTK
03.08.2024 13:45

Prague – Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates) defends the digitization of the building permit process after a series of criticisms from involved offices, professional organizations, and construction companies. This has been accompanied by problems a month after the launch on July 1. The issue is likely to be addressed by the government coalition upon the return of government officials from vacation. On platform X, Bartoš apologized, stating that the change is necessary and will bring benefits. According to him, the overload of offices was caused by a "spontaneous panic" before the system was launched, when builders were still applying under the old rules. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) will request clarification of the complaints and, above all, their resolution plan within the government coalition. In response to a query from ČTK today, he said that he understands that complications may arise, but if they persist for weeks, then either the assignment and process management is poor or there is a fault on the part of the contractor.

"I would like to apologize for the problems that the rollout is causing on any side, and I acknowledge that the time for officials to orient themselves in the system was very short given the possibilities. Based on feedback, we are now connecting with another series of training and webinars," said Bartoš. He simultaneously debated the views that the original system was better. If that were the case, there would not have been "such deep dissatisfaction with the length of the building permit process and the entire process" prior to the change, he stated. He also noted that under the leadership of the now-opposition movement ANO, the digitization project "lay dormant" at the ministry for eight years.

Jurečka wrote to ČTK that he takes information from the field from people who work with the building permit system very seriously and will want detailed information from Bartoš about the complaints of building office staff and, above all, the resolution of the situation within the coalition. He stated that he understands that complications may arise when implementing new IT systems, but if they persist for weeks, then either the assignment and process management are poor or there is a fault on the side of the contractor. "At the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, we have been making a number of changes in digitization for the past two years. I know that it is not easy, but mistakes must not stop quality services for citizens and investors," he added.

"No one entered this because it was clear that it would be accompanied by complications, resistance to change, and it goes against various interests. A new building law and modern digital solutions were needed and are still needed, and I am grateful for everyone who is working on this common path and actively participating in its implementation. Despite all the pressures. Thank you all for your current commitment and patience until this fundamental change settles and we, as a society, can benefit from it," said Bartoš.

If anything has caused lower throughput of the building permit process, according to him, it was not the new information system or simpler building laws, but artificially induced and fueled panic before July 1. "It is mainly the overload from applications submitted under the old building law, which disproportionately burdens the offices. For processes under the new building law, we have extended the basic deadlines for decisions by the building office to double by the end of the year," he stated.

According to the Association of Cities and Municipalities (SMO), problems with the launch of the digitized building permit process could mean a delay of 13,000 building permits worth 100 billion crowns, provided that the system is put into functional condition by the beginning of September. The association warns of a collapse of offices and also of further damages that may arise from the inability to draw agreed-upon subsidies. Similar to the Platform for a Healthy Building Law, which includes organizations such as the Association of Entrepreneurs for Construction, the Czech Chamber of Architects, and the Developers Association, they are requesting politicians to negotiate to address the problems of digitizing the building permit process.

The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.

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