Praha will announce a tender for 1.9 billion CZK for the future headquarters of the space agency

Prague - Prague will announce a tender with an estimated value of 1.9 billion crowns excluding VAT for the completion of the unfinished building Nová Palmovka and its adaptation for the headquarters of the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA). This was approved today by city councilors. According to an agreement between the state, Prague, and EUSPA, the agency is expected to move into the new premises in 2027. The city plans to build a residential area in the vicinity.

EUSPA has had its headquarters in the Czech Republic for 11 years; it currently resides in a building on Janovska Street in Holešovice, which is no longer sufficient in capacity. The building in Palmovka began construction by Prague 8 in 2014, intended to house the town hall along with a shopping center or offices. However, a year later, the work on the center, which cost over a billion crowns, was halted and has not been resumed to date. After long negotiations, the building was taken over by the city council from Prague 8 in 2021.

Initially, it planned to house the new headquarters for rescuers there, but later abandoned this idea, and an agreement was ultimately reached with the state and EUSPA. To relocate the technological agency, the building will need to be completed and adapted for its needs. According to the document approved today, Prague will award the related contract using the so-called Design & Build method, meaning that the selected company will handle both the preparation of project documentation and the actual construction.

Urban development will be overseen by the Prague Development Company, a city-funded organization, which, according to Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (for STAN), has already conducted preliminary market consultations regarding the planned tender. He added that the city would like to have a company selected by the end of the year.

According to Hlaváček, an advantage of the chosen method is that the company will be able to immediately start work on parts of the building that will remain unchanged from the original plans while simultaneously working on the necessary adaptations. After completion, the Ministry of Finance will lease the building from the city, which will provide the space for the agency.

City councilor Adam Zábranský (Pirates) added that, according to the proposed lease conditions, the city's investment should have a very good return. The city plans to build a new neighborhood with a park on the land surrounding the unfinished building. The land is owned by the city council, the city district, and the transport company, of which Prague is the owner.

Opposition councilor Pavel Zelenka (Prague Sobě) said in the discussion that the Nová Palmovka as a whole cannot be considered a success given its very problematic past. "It is a completely flagrant example of how projects should not be done in the city," he said. "I am glad for it, we cannot do anything better right now, but it is necessary to name the situation," he added.

The EUSPA agency, among other things, coordinates the operation of EU space programs, including existing satellite and navigation projects such as Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus.