The new heritage law will be next year

Prague - Two important laws being developed at the Ministry of Culture, which have been awaited for many years, will be discussed by the government only next year. The new heritage protection law and the law on public law institutions in culture are planned by the coalition in the legislative agenda for 2015. This year, Minister Daniel Herman (KDU-ČSL) intends to present a proposal to declare new cultural monuments and a draft law on culture to the government.
    The heritage protection law is a perennial issue for Czech governments. The law from 1987 has been amended numerous times. However, according to experts, it does not reflect modern times, especially in the field of archaeological research. Current standards have not responded to the construction boom that occurred after 1989 and do not provide clear rules for builders on how to handle archaeological finds on site. The new heritage protection law is also intended to improve the registration of monuments, care for them, and ease the burden on monument owners.
    The new law was closest to adoption in 2008, but the legislative council returned it at that time. Besides that, it faced criticism from experts. Last March, the government approved the general intent of the revised law, and a legislative draft was to be presented by September. "The deadline for submitting the new heritage protection law has been postponed to 2015 in line with the degree of progress of the law. Its creation is ongoing, but more time is needed than originally planned to ensure that the law is truly of high quality," said MK spokesperson Anna Ješátková to ČTK.
    The adoption of the law on public law institutions in culture, which aims to eliminate the shortcomings of current contributory organizations, depoliticize them, and ensure their stable financing, has been promised by politicians for years. It has been prepared several times; during the last discussion, it was rejected by the Association of Regions. According to Herman, its adoption is now the closest it has ever been.
    Some directors of large contributory organizations are also actively advocating for it, such as the new head of the National Theatre, Jan Burian, who began his position with the prospect of a change in the theatre's status, or Jiří Fajt, who, in current discussions with the minister about his appointment as the director of the National Gallery, also considers the prospect of changing the organization to a different legal form.
    This year's legislative agenda also includes the presentation of a draft law on culture, which was advocated by the ČSSD before the elections. It is not entirely clear what its content will be. The party stated that it should define public cultural services, but this is already defined by the law on certain types of support for culture enacted in 2006.
    This year, on the proposal of the Ministry of Culture, the government should declare new national cultural monuments (NKP). Their list could be expanded by 25 new entries; currently, there are 272. Among those proposed are many monuments of industrial architecture, mines, navigational canals, and mills.