Staněk does not anticipate changes in the current structure of heritage preservation

Prague - Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) does not anticipate legislative changes in the current structure of heritage protection. During today's parliamentary interpellations, he stated that the ministry should adhere to the plan and submit a draft of the new heritage law to the government by the end of September.

"The Ministry of Culture is basing the draft law on the protection of the heritage fund on the existing model of public administration in the field of heritage protection," Staněk replied to Pirate MP Lukáš Černohorský's question about whether the draft would lead to simplification, and thus the abolition of the so-called duality in heritage care.

The minister recalled the current state, where public administration is mainly carried out by municipal offices with extended powers and regional offices, while oversight is handled by the heritage inspection and the expert component is the National Heritage Institute. "The Ministry of Culture therefore does not expect changes to the original structure of heritage protection nor the establishment of new offices in the field of heritage protection," he added.

In the previous electoral term, the then Minister Daniel Herman (KDU-ČSL) encountered resistance in the Chamber of Deputies with his draft of a new heritage law. Some MPs criticized the proposal, among other things, for not bringing systemic changes, while instead preserving the current concept and failing to address the criticized duality in heritage care.