Opposition Pirates called on the government to withdraw the amendment to the building law

Prague - Opposition Pirates today called on the government to withdraw the amendments to the building law from the Chamber of Deputies. The proposal was described by the chairman of the Pirates, Zdeněk Hřib, at a press conference today as a travesty and an experiment on people. The party also repeated its call for the resignation of the Minister for Regional Development, Zuzana Mrázová (ANO), who, according to them, should resign due to living in a municipal apartment or because she has buildings on land in Bílina that contradict the city’s zoning plan. Both cases were highlighted by the server Seznam Zprávy.

"This proposal is criticized by practically everyone - experts, officials, architects, trade unionists, local governments and many others. Yet, Minister Mrázová arrogantly ignores all of this and is trying to push this travesty through as quickly as possible," said Hřib. He warned that instead of the promised acceleration, further delays could occur, among other reasons, due to the departures of officials.

According to Hřib, Mrázová wants to push the law through as soon as possible so that the government can check off a fulfilled point of its program declaration. "But that's not how you discuss a law that is meant to affect the lives of practically every one of us," he stated. The Pirates want the coalition to withdraw the proposal and revise it. Then it should undergo the standard feedback process.

The Pirates plan to propose amendments. According to MP Veronika Kovářová, this includes, for example, zones for faster construction. "They allow building housing in larger cities and well-accessible locations quickly and predictably so that housing grows and is created where it respects the quality of life and residents," she said. Other proposals will aim at preserving the system of affordable rental housing.

Since Tuesday, the party has been calling for Mrázová's resignation due to information from the Seznam Zprávy server that she has been using a municipal apartment in Bílina since 2009, where she was mayor until she obtained a parliamentary mandate last year. According to the website, Mrázová paid a monthly rent of about 4,500 crowns for the 130-square-meter apartment in Bílina's town square until 2024. The Pirates also point out today’s findings from the server that the minister has buildings on her land that contradict the city’s zoning plan. Mrázová claims that she acquired the land already with buildings and was unaware that they were unauthorized.

The website connects the matter with the fact that the Chamber of Deputies is discussing an amendment to the building law, which is intended to ease the rules for subsequent approvals of constructions. "The law is written in such a way that these rules, which are supposed to apply to everyone, can be circumvented by the high-ranking officials who do not adhere to those rules," stated Hřib. According to him, Mrázová should take the law and go into oblivion with it, or Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) should dismiss her as soon as possible.

The amendment primarily anticipates the establishment of a central state construction administration. It declares mass housing constructions to be of public interest, which could facilitate the expropriation of land. It anticipates the introduction of the principle of a single construction procedure at one authority with one stamp. Only institutions for the protection of monuments and the protection of specially protected areas and the statements of firefighters for fire-hazardous buildings should remain separate. Territorial planning is to be fully within the jurisdiction of municipalities and regions.