President Zeman signed a new construction law

Prague - President Miloš Zeman today signed a new construction law. According to the government, the new amendment to construction law is primarily intended to speed up the construction process and ensure compliance with set deadlines. The Castle informed today about the signing of the law. The law is set to come into effect in mid-2023, although some changes will take effect as early as January 1 of next year. The law moves building authorities under the state and provides for the establishment of the Supreme Construction Office. Under it, individual building authorities will be organized similarly to how it is currently the case with the financial administration.

The law, which has been in preparation for a long time, has many opponents. The parliamentary opposition and senators criticized the transfer of offices under the state. The Senate even unanimously rejected it, and the Chamber had to override this decision. The opposition coalition Together (ODS, KDU-ČSL, and TOP 09) and the Pirates with Mayors state that if they govern after the October elections, they will change the proposal now pushed through.

According to opponents, the state administration will become distanced from citizens. However, Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for ANO) assures that this is not a threat. According to her, the state will also not build new offices from scratch, but will try to utilize the current spaces.

The Ministry of Regional Development, which presented the law, emphasizes that the new law will ensure, for example, compliance with deadlines and strengthen the position of municipalities in spatial development. The law introduces a deadline of 30 days for the opinions of the concerned authorities, which can be extended by another 30 days in particularly complicated cases or when an inspection is ordered on-site. According to the minister, the law does not interfere with the powers of local governments, as the construction process is already an exercise of state administration. She pointed out that the law strengthens the position of municipalities, as the municipality will always be a participant in the construction process. According to her, authorities will not distance themselves from citizens because the construction process can be completed electronically from home thanks to digitalization.

The votes of six KSČM deputies helped overcome the Senate veto in the Chamber. The Communists previously did not support the law because they objected to an amendment that allows living rooms not to have windows. The ministry, which