Prague - The Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) has updated the systems for digitized building procedures. The system now allows for loading information about property owners from the land registry, and when entering the location of the building, the help feature offers pre-filling the districts. Additionally, users can view the submitted document in the form in which it was sent to the recipient, or resend the document to individual participants in case the first delivery fails. MMR announced this today in a press release. Municipal offices, builders, and designers have complained about the digitization systems since their launch on July 1st, considering them non-functional. Some are requesting major repairs by the end of August.
MMR has also added about thirty more templates for documents to the system, which, according to the press release, are most commonly used by building authority staff. These include decisions or binding opinions. Data already held in the system from previous case handling will automatically populate these templates.
"The latest update of the information system responds to the most serious requests from our partners in professional organizations and local governments. It primarily concerns the automation of work, so that the process management is simplified and accelerated for building authority staff. It is true that in the first month after the launch, it was rather the opposite,” said Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization and Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates). By the end of August, the number of templates is expected to be around 130 according to MMR.
Some adjustments have been made by the ministry based on feedback from offices. Based on this feedback, MMR has revised the order of actions in the approval process for construction projects to better match practice. The system will now also allow the submission of documents for approval only in PDF format. This, according to MMR, will prevent errors in sending documents in open formats, such as docx.
However, according to MMR, it is still necessary to verify the document’s signature; automatic verification is part of the planned development. This week, the information system is also expected to facilitate bulk verification of persons, parcels, buildings, proposed structures, and participants in proceedings while also updating the related manual. Bartoš expects the planned changes to bring significant acceleration and higher comfort for officials. "I understand that the new information systems did not make a good first impression, but each planned extension will bring significant improvements at two-week intervals,” he added.
However, municipal offices and builders have consistently complained about the digitization systems since their launch. Problems with the digitization of building procedures could, according to some estimates, lead to billion-dollar losses. In recent weeks, Bartoš and other representatives of MMR have met with people from trade unions, associations, and unions. For example, the Association of Towns and Municipalities requested a remedy for fundamental deficiencies in the systems by August 20th. According to the unions, some officials are even considering leaving due to the digitization, while others are considering striking. However, Bartoš has repeatedly stated, following criticism from opposition and coalition politicians, that he does not consider resignation.
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