The government did not take a position on the faster expropriation of land

Prague - The government today did not officially express either support or opposition to the parliamentary amendment to the expropriation law, which aims to accelerate the process of depriving private landowners of their land, primarily for the construction of roads and highways. Prime Minister Jan Fischer stated this at a press conference following the cabinet meeting. The amendment was proposed by members of the ODS and ČSSD, and the chamber is likely to decide on it in September.
According to the Prime Minister, a number of arguments for and against were raised during the government meeting; however, the proposal to reject the amendment and the counter-proposal to express support did not pass. "The government did not take a position on this, and I will inform the Chairman of the House of Representatives in this regard," said Fischer. According to Minister of Justice Daniela Kovářová, the discussion primarily revolved around whether the proposal is in conflict with the constitution or the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms.
The amendment primarily aims to abolish the automatic suspensive effect of a lawsuit on the act of expropriation. A significant portion of disputes concerns the price of the land, with the state unable to build until a final verdict is reached. According to the amendment, a lawsuit would not have an automatic suspensive effect, but the court could decide on a suspension.
It should also be possible to expropriate, for example, land that is leased, which the current regulation does not address. However, lease rights should not be extinguished by the expropriation. The amendment also deals with situations where the expropriated property is co-owned by multiple people simultaneously. In such cases, co-owners should not have a right of first refusal to the property.
The draft also addresses the problem where it is not possible to notify the landowner about the impending expropriation and propose an agreement because the address in the land registry is no longer valid, and the shipments are returned as undeliverable. It should apply that the proposal is sent to the address listed in the land registry or to another address explicitly provided by the owner.