Document 24 - Amendment to the Act on Municipalities
Summary
The amendment to the Act comprehensively regulates the status and powers of associations of municipalities, which are now becoming public authorities capable of exercising the delegated powers of state administration. Their administrative offices with officials remunerated according to the Labour Code are being introduced, and communities of municipalities can receive contributions from the state budget for the performance of administration and for their own activities. Control over their operation will be exercised by regional authorities and the Ministry of the Interior, which will supervise compliance with legal procedures and management.
The law allows communities of municipalities to establish a joint municipal police force with full powers, including holding a firearms licence and dealing with offences, and the decision on its establishment must be published in the Collection of Laws. At the same time, administrative procedures are being modernised – automated decision-making, videoconferencing and electronic communication are being introduced, which will significantly simplify citizens’ contact with the authorities. Communities of municipalities can become contact points of public administration (CzechPOINT) and participate in the creation of transport service plans.
Another part of the law focuses on the area of transport and electronic communication – it sets technical and security standards for carriers, regulates electronic signatures and seals as a full-fledged replacement for officially certified signatures. The Act on the Collection of Laws is amended so that all legal acts are published in an open, machine-readable format, with clear rules for the correction, numbering and publication of decisions of public authorities. The amendment is set to take effect on 1 July 2026, which gives municipalities time to prepare new structures and systems.
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[1/4] The bill expands the powers of the community of municipalities, which now become a public authority capable of exercising state administration and establishing its own municipal police. An office of the community of municipalities is being introduced as an administrative body with officials who will be remunerated with a salary according to the Labour Code, similarly to municipal employees.
The law allows communities of municipalities to obtain contributions from the state budget for the performance of state administration and activities, and sets out control mechanisms – the regional authority will control the performance of state administration, the Ministry of the Interior other activities. Newly, the community of municipalities can become a contact point of public administration (CzechPOINT) and draw up joint transport service plans.
The amendment also includes the modernisation of administrative proceedings – automated management and the use of videoconferencing are enabled. Amendments to the Act on the Collection of Legal Regulations and Public Administration Information Systems simplify the publication and registration of legal regulations and contact points. The law is set to come into force on 1 July 2026.
[2/4] The amendment expands the powers of the community of municipalities, which can now exercise the delegated powers of state administration, establish a joint municipal police force and be liable for damage caused in the exercise of public authority in the same way as municipalities. Regional authorities remain superior administrative bodies and control bodies vis-à-vis communities of municipalities.
The law allows communities of municipalities to establish a joint municipal police force that will have the same powers as ordinary municipal police, including holding a firearms license and dealing with offences. The decision on its establishment will be issued by the Assembly of Mayors and must be published in the Collection of Laws.
Another part of the amendment introduces the possibility of automated decision-making in administrative proceedings and the holding of oral hearings via videoconference, which supports the digitalisation of public administration. At the same time, the remuneration of employees of municipal associations is adjusted – they will now be remunerated with a salary as employees of municipalities.
The changes also affect the Act on Public Administration Information Systems, where communities of municipalities can become CzechPOINT contact points, and the Act on the Collection of Legal Regulations, which newly regulates the rules for the substitute promulgation of legal regulations and their automated numbering.
[3/4] The amendment introduces a new legal framework for the establishment, functioning and dissolution of communities of municipalities that can coordinate public services, the development of the territory and newly establish the municipal police. It sets out the conditions for their establishment, the structure of bodies, financing and control by regional authorities and the Ministry of the Interior.
The law extends the powers of the community of municipalities – they can perform administrative activities, provide public services and be contact points of public administration (Czech POINT). It also regulates the liability of the association of municipalities for damage in the exercise of public authority and their position in labour relations.
The establishment of the municipal police by a community of municipalities is newly allowed, including detailed rules for its management, financing and cooperation between municipalities. The law also modernises administrative proceedings – it allows automated actions and videoconferences, and changes the rules for the management of public administration information systems and the authorisation of contact points.
[4/4] The Act lays down the conditions for the provision of public passenger transport services, in particular the requirements for the technical, operational and quality standards of carriers. Carriers must have allocated the capacity of the transport route, the necessary licenses, vehicles, personnel and meet safety standards, including the transport of persons with reduced mobility.
Furthermore, the right to replace an officially certified signature by electronic means is regulated, which simplifies electronic communication with authorities. Electronic signatures and seals can fully replace certified signatures if they are associated with a qualified certificate or timestamp.
The Act on the Collection of Legal Regulations introduces the obligation to publish legal regulations of territorial self-governing units and administrative authorities in an open and machine-readable format. It lays down procedures for correcting errors, numbering regulations and publishing other acts, such as decisions of the Constitutional Court, crisis measures or the establishment of municipal police.