At selected building authorities, a so-called technological bypass has been launched according to the MMR.

bypass

Prague - The Ministry of Regional Development (MMR) has today deployed a so-called technological bypass in building permit procedures at selected offices, the list of which has not been made public. Within this framework, officials will be able to utilize interlinked original building process systems with new digital ones. All building authorities should be able to connect to the interface by early February, the MMR stated in a press release. Most building authorities contacted by ČTK had not yet set up the new interface, with exceptions such as Rokycany. Minister for Regional Development Petr Kulhánek (for STAN) stated on social media X that he wants to use ten days to address potential shortcomings and gather feedback from officials.

The digitalization of building procedures was launched in the Czech Republic with the implementation of the new building law on July 1 of last year. From the beginning, both employees of building authorities and related bodies, as well as designers and builders, experienced problems with the digital systems. Due to these issues, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) removed Ivan Bartoš (Pirates) from the position of Minister for Regional Development and Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization in October, which ultimately led to the departure of the Pirates from the government.

The technological bypass will connect the information system used by officials with local systems at building authorities, which had been traditionally used before last July. Connecting to the bypass is voluntary for the authorities, and employees will be able to choose which procedures they will carry out in the new or original building process system.

"For many of them, this represents a return to an environment they know well, so an acceleration of building process procedures can be expected. To ensure the transition is as smooth as possible, we regularly discuss the state of digitalization with all building authorities at our online meetings," added the Minister for Regional Development.

The linking between original and digital systems is currently being implemented by Rokycany in the Plzeň region. The head of the local building office, Radka Janová, told ČTK that the system needs to be tested in the coming days, which is why it is not currently functional and cannot be worked on. "It's hard to expect anyone to focus on it today. Today is a working day and we still have a lot of applications from last June," she stated. However, she considers the system integration feasible.

According to Zdeněk Maršálek, an IT specialist at the Rokycany municipal office, the integration at all offices in the Czech Republic will not be a problem starting in February. "It's not demanding; it can be set up in a few days. It only requires minor adjustments from the system administrator, but for the average user, the way of working will only change slightly. I'm confident that it will work," he said.

In the contacted city districts of Prague, in the South Bohemia region, in Zlín, or in Hradec Králové, a pilot version of the system was not set up. The selected offices did not include Cheb either. However, the head of its building department, Jaroslav Šinka, told ČTK that his office does not plan to work in the original system even after the bypass. "Applications received from June 30 are processed in the original systems, and at this moment, no more than ten have been processed. Other applications received since July are at various stages of development, depending on the content and quality of the applications; about 100 applications are on hold waiting for supplementation. They are being processed in the new system," Šinka shared.

MMR previously contacted all suppliers of the original local building process systems, namely the companies Vita, Vera, and Marbes. According to Kulhánek, their approaches were different, and the ministry progressed furthest in negotiations with the company Vita.

According to the new building law, applications could only be approved through a digital information system for building procedures. A recently approved amendment to the law, referred to as a "legislative bypass," legally allows officials to assist in the processing of building permits by using the original systems without risking non-compliance with regulations.

The transition period will last until the end of 2027. The MMR must implement a new contract for the establishment of a building process digitalization system that should be fully operational by no later than January 1, 2028. The office is currently working on the assignment and compiling requirements for the system. Kulhánek reiterated that the contract will have to be completed by the new government formed after the autumn elections to the Chamber of Deputies.