<MŽP> criticizes the proposal to grant building authorities powers in protected areas

Prague – Representatives of the Ministry of the Environment criticize the amendment to the new building code, which shifts the responsibilities for nature conservation in national parks and protected landscape areas (PLA) to building authorities. The amendment, which concerns built-up areas and buildable plots of all specially protected areas, was recommended for adoption by the parliamentary economic committee today. Consent from the park's management is now required for construction in national parks.

The change was proposed by committee member Jan Bauer (ODS), and the committee supported it despite the objections from the Ministry of the Environment and the proposer of the building code, namely the Ministry for Regional Development. Deputy Minister of the Environment for state administration management Vladimír Mana stated on Twitter that it was crucial for the economic committee's decision that the proposal was supported by its rapporteur Martin Kolovratník (ANO).

Environmental Minister Richard Brabec (ANO) considers the attempt to limit the powers of national park administrations and the Nature Conservation Agency absolutely unacceptable. "I urge all MPs across the political spectrum to stop threatening the existence of the most valuable parts of nature throughout the Czech Republic," he stated in a statement provided to ČTK by the ministry spokesperson Petra Roubíčková.

Deputy Mana called the committee's decision sad news. "Attacks on national parks and protected areas are nothing new in the Chamber. I believe this attack will also be repelled and that there will be no devastation of the most valuable pieces of nature that we have in the Czech Republic," the deputy wrote in another post on Twitter.

The new building code is awaiting final reading in the Chamber, with MPs having raised dozens of amendments to it. It will also face a proposal for rejection from the Pirates. The Chamber had earlier decided that the basis for discussion would not be the original government proposal, but a comprehensive amendment from the economic committee, which wants to establish a purely state model for building administration. Authorities, including officials, would be transferred under the state. In contrast, the government proposed a hybrid model that arose from last year's agreement between Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for ANO) and the Association of Towns and Villages of the Czech Republic, where the law was supposed to maintain building authorities at the municipal level.

Before the changes to the building code during the discussion in the Chamber, Culture Minister Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD) also warned. He expressed concern that agreed procedures regarding monuments and cultural heritage would disappear from the law.