Documents and Laws in Parliament

The amendment modifies certain laws in connection with the new civil servants law and changes the rules for local government officials. The power to give consent to the appointment and dismissal of directors of regional authorities and the Prague City Council is transferred from the Minister of the Interior to the Ministry of the Interior. A five-year term of office for heads of authorities is introduced, the experience requirements are changed (now at least 4 years in the last 10 years, including 3 years in a leading position, including as a deputy or senator) and the post-tenure rules are modified. Furthermore, the system of training for officials is changed from 9 working days to 72 hours and the possibility to demonstrate cross-cutting competence for several administrative agencies is extended.

The amendment restricts the ability of a member of the Cabinet or the Head of the Cabinet Office to reserve personnel decisions for the Secretary of State. Previously, politicians could assume these powers in any circumstances; this exception is now limited to employment relationships with political associates (e.g. cabinet members, political deputies or advisers). The aim is to preserve the real personal powers of the Secretary of State over other staff of the authority and to strengthen the professionalism and depoliticisation of the civil service. This balances political responsibility for the Cabinet with independent management of the ordinary civil service.

The amendment introduces a new part of the law that establishes the Government Office as the central administrative authority for the legal relations of civil servants. The Government Office is to coordinate personnel policy, selection procedures, training, evaluation and organisational structures across administrative offices. A key role will be given to the State Secretary in the Government Office, who will coordinate the State Secretaries in the various offices and issue binding internal regulations unifying procedures in the civil service. The aim is to strengthen central management, uniform standards and apoliticality of the civil service without creating a new institution.

The amendments significantly modify the housing support system, in particular shifting a number of powers from the contact points to the Labour Office and changing the procedures for registering housing and deciding on support measures. The conditions for obtaining support are clarified, including the definition of persons without adequate housing and household income limits. The proposals also regulate administrative procedures, the digitisation of submissions and repeal some previous provisions (e.g. binding opinions or parts of the register). At the same time, it is clarified that selected groups of foreigners, including those with asylum, long-term residence or temporary protection related to the war in Ukraine, may also fall under the system.

The amendments amend the government’s reform of the fiscal rules and the budgetary framework in line with EU legislation. They clarify how the primary structural balance and expenditure frameworks are calculated, strengthen the role of the National Budget Council and set out procedures for deviations from the fiscal rules. Some of the proposals allow for increased spending, for example on defence above the limits set (e.g. up to 10% in a security crisis or above 2% of GDP) or on strategic infrastructure. Other changes increase transparency in budgetary management and regulate the financing of large projects, including the construction of low-carbon energy sources.

The Bill amends the VAT Act and introduces a new second reduced rate of 6% in addition to the existing basic rate (21%) and the first reduced rate (12%). This rate is to apply to selected essential goods, in particular basic foodstuffs, drinking water, infant and baby formula and sanitary items for women and children, to increase their affordability and mitigate the effects of inflation. The law also modifies the related provisions and annexes of the VAT law, which newly distinguish between the first and second reduced rates and precisely define the goods falling under the 6% rate. The measure is expected to reduce tax revenues of public budgets by approximately CZK 5.9 to 7.5 billion per year.

The amendment adds an explicit principle to the introductory provision of the Fiscal Responsibility Rules Act that the state and public institutions should manage responsibly and should not finance current expenditure with debt in the long term. Debt should only be allowed in exceptional circumstances or for investments with long-term benefits. The aim is to give the law a clear value framework and to emphasise that public finances should not pass on the costs of current consumption to future generations. The proposal also systematically defines the principles of the law and the remit of the budgetary institutions.

The amendment proposes to delete the part of the government proposal that amends the Act on the Rules of Budgetary Responsibility, leaving the current legislation unchanged. This would avoid the introduction of new fiscal rules and adjustments related to the government proposal. The submitter argues that the proposed changes would lead to a weakening and opacity of budgetary discipline and to greater scope for exceptions or expenditure increases. The aim is to maintain the existing, stricter and clearer rules for public finance management.

The amendment clarifies the rules for extraordinary overruns of state budget expenditure in security crisis situations. The government could exceed total expenditure by up to 10% only for defence expenditure reported according to the NATO methodology. The aim is clearly to limit the use of this exceptional budgetary measure exclusively to national defence and to prevent its use for other purposes.

The amendment modifies the rules for the provision of an allowance for assistance in the housing support system. It now allows, in exceptional cases, to draw assistance for up to 3 years instead of the current limit of 2 years and stipulates that the total period of drawdown may not exceed 3 years over 8 consecutive years. The change is reflected in several provisions of the Act, which regulate the conditions for granting and extending the allowance and introduce a new limitation through Section 91(3). Technical legislative changes to references and wording are also included.

The amendment modifies the rules on appeals in the housing support system. The previous provision excluded appeals against selected decisions; an exception is now introduced to allow appeals against decisions to refuse to register the need for a support measure or to not extend it. The goal is to maintain a speedy process while giving applicants a basic appeal remedy in decisions that determine their access to housing assistance.

The amendment introduces a new provision requiring the Labour Office to process applications for housing support measures in acute social situations as a matter of priority. This applies in particular to victims of domestic violence, households with dependent children at risk of losing their housing, homeless people and people leaving institutions (e.g. children’s homes, social services or prisons) without secure housing. The aim is to avoid serious social impacts caused by delays in decision-making. The proposal also allows these situations to be substantiated by various certificates or affidavits.

The amendment strengthens the protection of persons in housing need in the housing support system. The Labour Office is now to assess in particularly urgent cases whether assistance is necessary to maintain housing and to inform the applicant of this possibility. At the same time, the deadlines for submitting a new contract for assistance are extended (from 3 to 4 months and from 1 to 3 months) and an exception is introduced if the contract cannot be delivered for reasons outside the supported person. The aim is to prevent unreasonably rapid termination of tenancies and to stabilise the situation of vulnerable households.

The amendment extends the conditions for the granting of the housing allowance. The allowance may now also be granted to persons in an extremely urgent situation under Section 17a(1) without having to meet the standard conditions attached to state social assistance benefits. The amendment changes the wording of the law so that, in addition to the existing condition, there is an additional alternative for granting the aid. The aim is to make it easier and quicker to help people in the most acutely vulnerable situations.

The amendment modifies the proposed changes to the Housing Support Act so that the so-called criterion of the applicability of the apartment is completely abolished. The condition that households must have at least the minimum subsistence amount remaining after paying the housing costs in order to be eligible for support is now abolished. The aim is to allow the poorest and most vulnerable households, who would otherwise be excluded from the programme, to access support. The proposal also makes related technical adjustments to paragraph references and recorded data.

The amendment amends the income test for the granting of the housing support allowance. The new requirement is that at least half of the subsistence minimum remains after the household has paid its housing costs, whereas previously the full subsistence equivalent was required. The lowering of the threshold is intended to enable the inclusion of the poorest and most vulnerable households who would otherwise not qualify for support. The aim is to better meet the purpose of the Act - reducing housing need.

The amendment extends the range of persons who can benefit from housing advice at contact points. It now explicitly includes persons with temporary protection or special long-term residence under a law adopted in connection with the war in Ukraine. The aim is to enable refugees from Ukraine to access counselling in order to prevent them from being exploited in the housing market or falling into housing distress. At the same time, the wording of the provision is modified by deleting the original phrase ’the Republic or’ and the list of eligible persons is clarified.

The amendment stipulates that all municipal offices of municipalities with extended jurisdiction (205 in total) will be housing contact points, instead of the current system where only some municipalities were designated and others were designated by the government by decree. The Annex to the Act listing these municipalities and the Government’s power to designate additional contact points is therefore repealed, as is the relevant Government Order. The aim is to improve the availability of assistance to people in housing need throughout the country. The change is due to come into effect from 1 January 2027 and the ongoing procedure will complete the original contact points.

The amendment removes two points of the government amendment that would have narrowed the circle of persons entitled to housing counselling. The aim is to maintain a broader target group so that the advice can continue to act as a preventive tool against households falling into housing distress. The authors argue that a narrowing would significantly reduce the availability of assistance and limit the preventive effect of the service. Paradoxically, according to their analysis, it would also lead to lower long-term savings for public budgets.

The amendment expands the exceptions to the rule that an applicant for housing assistance cannot be re-enrolled if he or she has terminated it by agreement or for his or her own reasons within the last two years. It will now be possible to grant exemptions not only for health reasons but also in other cases of special consideration, provided that they are justified in writing and approved by the head of the contact point. The aim is to enable assistance, for example, for victims of domestic violence or people leaving institutions. This change is due to take effect on 1 July 2026.