The Chamber approved an amendment aimed at bridging issues with the construction process

Prague - Building authorities are likely to continue using their systems for building management, which they could use until July 1 of this year. Builders will submit project documentation in digital form. This is provided by the amendment to the building law, which was approved today in an expedited process in its first reading by the Chamber of Deputies. The amendment aims to bridge the difficulties with the digitalization of building management. It is set to take effect the day after its publication in the collection. It will now be discussed by the Senate.

Builders and officials have experienced problems with the digitized building management systems since they were launched in July. The situation at the end of September resulted in the dismissal of then-Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates) from the government and the subsequent departure of his party to the opposition.

In October, the government decided to launch a new tender for the digital building management system. At the same time, it allowed the temporary use of the original systems alongside those launched this summer. The newly created system is set to be operational by the beginning of 2028 at the latest.

The amendment to the building law, dubbed "bypass," was introduced by a group of deputies from various parties led by Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS). It was originally signed by Pirates representative Jakub Michálek, who later withdrew his signature. Today, three Pirate deputies were the only ones to abstain during the vote on the proposal, while all other deputies across parties supported it.

Former minister Bartoš stated today that he supports the very idea of relieving building authorities. However, he is bothered by the fact that the government extended the transitional period to three years. According to one of the proponents, Minister Kupka, this time frame is supposed to provide the state with certainty that it will obtain a properly tendered tool that will not be questioned by anyone. Minister for Regional Development Petr Kulhánek (for STAN) stated that the law establishes clear legal certainty for builders and affected authorities that even if they worked outside the launched system, they did not violate the law.

The reporter for the proposal Robert Stržínek (ANO) said that Bartoš "messed up" the digitalization. His party colleague Robert Králíček labeled it alarming that the state finds itself in a situation where it must adopt emergency measures. According to SPD MP Marie Pošarová, the entire government, not just Bartoš, is to blame for the situation. She pointed out that the government did not allow the submission of project documentation through a data box. According to Kupka, however, the data box does not allow the transfer of large files.

Stržínek noted that under the proposal, the builder will have to submit the project documentation processed by an authorized person into the evidence of electronic documents and then include a link to these documents in the application, which the Builder's Portal will generate for them. He pointed out that currently the portal does not have this function. He hopes that this can be added to the system.

According to Kupka, the Senate is expected to approve the proposal on December 10, after which it will be sent to the president for signing. If the head of state signs it, it could come into effect before the end of the year. Kupka wants to organize a public discussion before the Senate voting, where he will present the new system. "At the moment it is proven during the presentation on December 10 that the system is unstable or exhibits any faults, we are prepared to amend the system to shut it down for the first quarter of 2025," said Kulhánek. Given the current stabilization work on the system and its subsequent full testing, he does not expect such a scenario to occur.

The amendment establishes two transitional periods. The first one is set to last until mid-next year and is intended for purposes of spatial planning and the national geoportal of spatial planning. The second period will last until the end of 2027 and is intended for the digitalization of building management. According to the government's plan, a completely new system is expected to start operating from January 1, 2028.