The Czech parliament appears to be serious about passing a law that would speed up the planning process for certain key infrastructure investments. If passed, the law would enable state bureaucrats to issue a temporary decision that would give the state two months to complete planning documentation on land it hasn’t bought yet. It could then begin construction work on the land, even as the problem of arriving at a price for the land with the original owner was being worked out. Legislators from all parties have expressed support for the bill, though some individual law makers see the change as an excessive violation of the property rights of citizens. The bill includes an expansion of the original list of strategic infrastructure projects to include the Prague metro, a new runway at the Prague – Ruzyně airport and the Brno by-pass. It could be passed by the parliament within two weeks.
