The parliamentary committee has suspended the discussion of the proposal for the abolition of the Supreme Building Authority

Prague - The parliamentary committee for public administration today suspended the discussion on the government amendment to the building law, which abolishes the establishment of the Supreme Building Authority and the subordinate system of building authorities. The committee also dealt similarly with the related draft law on a unified environmental statement, which aims to speed up and simplify the approval of construction from the perspective of environmental protection. Members will now be able to submit amendments, and they are expected to return to the drafts at the beginning of March.

Today, the MPs did not hold a debate on the drafts. The Ministry of the Environment, according to State Secretary Simeona Zikmundová, still believes that the law on unified environmental statements can pass approval in time to be effective from the planned mid-year this year. The government has proposed the same effectiveness for most changes to the building law.

This amendment abolishes the model of purely state building administration approved two years ago; building authorities are to remain within municipalities. However, it retains the Specialized and Appeals Building Authority, which will primarily be responsible for strategic constructions, such as highways or power plants. According to the Ministry of Regional Development, the draft will create a clear, modern, and predictable environment for builders and designers. However, the Czech Chamber of Architects and the Economic Chamber previously expressed reservations about the amendment to the building law and the unified environmental statement.

According to the Ministry of the Environment, the unified environmental statement will include requirements for assessing environmental impact according to up to nine applicable laws. The change is expected to bring greater clarity and comprehensibility for builders and investors and to accelerate approval processes.