The House is set to discuss the building law in its second reading on Wednesday

Prague - The Chamber of Deputies should discuss the new construction law in a second reading on Wednesday, from which the government expects a significant acceleration and simplification of the construction process. Opinions of individual industry associations or authorities on its proposed form vary. For its adoption, for example, the Czech Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Industry and Transportation, or the Association of Developers are in favor. On the other hand, the Ministry of Culture has serious reservations, and last week the Association of Towns and Municipalities even proposed to withdraw the law from discussion. Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for ANO) called it irresponsible politicking. According to information from ČTK, the ČSSD deputies will not support it.

Perhaps the biggest disputes are around a proposed amendment from deputies, which considers a model of a pure state construction authority, where all building offices and officials would be transferred under the state. At the top of the new system of state construction offices would be the Supreme Building Authority. Subordinate to it should be the regional building authorities and the Specialized Building Authority.

"We reject this chaotic and unclear way of preparing a law that will fundamentally affect construction activity across the republic. Such a law must be discussed in the standard legislative process and find agreement not only across the political spectrum but also among other actors from builders to self-governing regions," stated the chairman of the Association of Towns and Municipalities, František Lukl.

According to Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for ANO), the swift adoption of the new construction law is crucial for the country's future. "Any call for non-approval or suspension of the discussion on the new construction law is extremely irresponsible. It is simply dangerous politicking. Everyone has agreed that the law needs to be changed, and yesterday was too late. If we do not approve the construction law in this electoral term, we will be wading through bureaucratic stagnation for at least the next five years," said Dostálová. The Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) is responsible for preparing the law.

According to the Czech Chamber of Commerce, such a fundamental law cannot be misused for politicking and individual interests of politicians. "The Czech Republic needs a new and quality construction law as soon as possible. Not to mention that with the new political representation, there is a risk of returning the entire recodification to the beginning," stated Lenka Janáková, secretary of the Section of Territorial and Regional Development of the Czech Chamber of Commerce.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Culture today told ČTK that the current form of the construction law is unacceptable. According to the spokeswoman of the office, Michaela Lagronová, Minister Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD) and his party colleagues will not support it either. "The current discussion of the construction law fundamentally changes the essence of the proposal. While the original proposal submitted by the MMR represented a compromise solution with other ministries and affected entities despite all justified objections, the current development is primarily determined by a complex amendment proposal that negates many of the reached agreements," added Lagronová.

The President of the Association of Industry and Transportation of the Czech Republic, Jaroslav Hanák, considers the suspension of the discussion of the construction law and its transfer to the next electoral term to be irresponsible and impossible. "We are facing a challenging period of recovery after the pandemic, and simpler construction law is one of the foundational pillars on which we can begin to build during the recovery of our economy," Hanák warned.

The Association of Developers also supports the fastest possible adoption of the law. "When else, if not now, on the brink of a significant economic crisis, should we adopt legislation that can determine the success or failure of the national economy? Inflated bureaucracy, endless challenges, appeals, and lawsuits. Offices that are not properly equipped. Standards for standards, not for the quality of construction. Confusion, chaos. All of this brings slow and expensive construction," said the director of the association, Tomáš Kadeřábek. The change in legislation is also deemed necessary by the President of the Association of Building Entrepreneurs, Jiří Nouza. As he stated, given that it is currently unclear which amendment proposals will pass, it is difficult to assess the form of the law.

The Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers Active in Construction (ČKAIT) also has reservations about the law. "We have long been striving to unify regulations for the entire territory of the Czech Republic. We were assured that the prepared amendment would bring unification. However, the result is that not only Prague but also Brno and Ostrava will have their own building regulations. I don't know why a resident of an estate in Trutnov should have different needs for sunlight than one in Prosek," stated the chairman of the chamber, Robert Špalek.

The Czech Chamber of Architects also expressed opposition to the proposed form of the law. According to the chairman of the chamber, Jan Kasl, the sanction of authorized persons by building authorities is completely unacceptable. "It could essentially be imposed for anything, for example, for submitting incomplete project documentation. Meanwhile, the investor will submit the project to the Building Portal, and the designer may not even be informed about it," added Kasl.

The main principles of the law are to have a single procedure before a single building authority and the inclusion of affected bodies into building authorities so that the builder does not have to seek the necessary statements alone. The law also introduces fixed deadlines, measures against inactivity, or an appeal principle, whereby the superior authority will no longer return matters for new discussion.