Senators rejected the new construction law, they mainly object to the transfer of offices under the state

Prague - The Senate today unanimously rejected the proposal for a new building law. Senators were mainly concerned about the transfer of building authorities under the state and the centralization of building administration under the Supreme Building Authority. They also feared that if this change were approved, the building process would slow down. Three Senate committees and the standing commission for rural development recommended rejecting the law. In today's plenary session, all 65 present senators voted against its adoption. The Senate also rejected the amendment bill, which aims to modify sixty related standards.

The law now returns to the Chamber of Deputies. At least 101 deputies will be needed for its approval. It is uncertain whether the proposers will manage to gain this majority. During the June session, the law was passed only with the votes of ANO, SPD, and three Social Democrats.

The new building law has been in preparation for several years. The government hopes for a faster building process. The Minister for Regional Development, Klára Dostálová (for ANO), previously stated that she would seek support in the Chamber of Deputies also from the Communist Party, which did not support the law during the previous voting.

The Communists in the Chamber were mainly concerned about the passage of an amendment that would allow residential rooms not to have windows. The ministry also disagreed with this proposal and is now looking for a way to maintain these parameters for residential rooms, according to its Wednesday statement.

In the Chamber, the version was ultimately adopted where building authorities would be moved under the state and a Supreme Building Authority would be created along with regional building authorities and their territorial offices. Building authorities would no longer remain under local governments, which was criticized by the opposition in the Chamber. Senators also labeled it as a dismantling of the connected model of public administration.

Senators across parties expressed objections. Earlier in the morning, at a joint press conference, the Senate clubs, including the governing ANO and ČSSD, announced their negative stance, arguing that the establishment of a central building authority distances the building process from cities and municipalities. According to the club leaders, it is unrealistic to revise the norm, as it would also entail the revision of a substantial set of related standards.

"The right place for this law to go is the trash can,” declared Ladislav Kos (SEN21 and Pirates). He mentioned that everyone will find unacceptable passages in the law, while only large developers are enthusiastic about it. "There will be a centralization of state administration, which I consider negative,” said reporter Jaroslav Větrovský (PROREGION). He expressed a fundamental objection that the proposal pulls one segment of public administration out of the connected model. According to Anna Hubáčková (KDU-ČSL and Independents), the change has not been sufficiently discussed. The senator criticized, for example, that the proposal did not go through a comment procedure.

"Our goal is not to start a war with municipalities,” assured Minister Dostálová. She reiterated, for instance, that officials would be able to help each other, and that it should no longer happen that, for example, in a two-member office, if one official gets sick, the other goes on vacation, and the office does not function. She also argued that the state official would decide according to the same laws as the municipal official.

Petra Štěpánka (STAN), the reporter of the standing commission for rural development, criticized among other things the integration of the affected bodies into the building authority, claiming that the public interest has been pushed aside in favor of the interests of builders. Senator Petr Vícha (PROREGION) stated that the state could speed up the building process by having its own institutions act faster, for example, in issuing opinions. According to him, the mayors do not seek influence but rather have a different vision of how the process should work. They also do not want the state to spend billions of crowns on a new network of building authorities. According to him, the mayors do not seek influence but rather have a different vision of how the process should work. They also do not want the state to spend billions of crowns on a new network of building authorities.

The Ministry of Regional Development emphasizes that the new law will ensure, for example, compliance with deadlines. According to it, there will be no need to build a new office from scratch or hire new officials. According to the MMR, it also strengthens the position of municipalities in spatial development. The law introduces a 30-day deadline for statements, coordinated statements, and binding opinions from the affected bodies, which can be extended by another 30 days in particularly complex cases or when an on-site inspection is ordered.