One of the countries with the longest construction proceedings in the world - an unflattering name under which investors have known Slovakia for years. On average, you will have to wait about 300 days to decide whether you can start building here. The length of permitting procedures plays an important role in investors' decisions about which country to (not) invest in. At the same time, lengthy construction procedures exacerbate the problems of building civic infrastructure, slow down and limit the introduction of new technologies, and pay less for the less developed regions of Slovakia. The length of permitting procedures is just one of many problems of the current building law, which was adopted in 1976. Despite the fact that it has been amended more than forty times in the last almost fifty years, it has not yet effectively solved the long-term and fundamental problems of the Slovak construction industry. At the same time, the cities and municipalities themselves are largely responsible for the current unfavorable situation and the often unjustified prolongation of construction proceedings. They have long and intensively resisted any changes in order to retain the privilege of deciding in construction proceedings.
Employers point out that a modern, dynamic and competitive 21st century country must be able to respond flexibly to new challenges and adapt to new trends - including through appropriate building law legislation. They support the adoption of the amendment to the Building Act, which was approved by the government. According to them, it meets all the prerequisites to build a country from Slovakia with a modern, flexible and dynamic construction market, from which the economy, households and domestic companies will benefit. "This is the third attempt to replace the current building law in the last six years. These proposals reflect the real needs of the Slovak construction industry and at the same time finally represent concrete solutions to the problems that this sector has been drawing attention to for years, " claims the president of NUE, Miroslav Kiraľvarga.
For years, the current building law has not addressed the issue of buildings built illegally, ie without a building permit. "It is bizarre that it even allows them to be legalized relatively easily," notes Pavol Kováčik, president of ACES and member of the Supervisory Board of NUE. He also explains: “In practice, we often encounter shortcomings in the quality and safety of buildings, chaos in land use plans, systemic bias or almost zero digitization of processes and a low level of expertise of individual building authorities. On the other hand, the proposals for both laws regarding the permitting and implementation of quality and safe constructions are progressive and will transfer construction legislation into the 21st century. "
Employers call on the deputies of the National Council of the Slovak Republic to support the submitted bills, as they are for the benefit of our entire country. According to employers' organizations, they will support not only the construction of flats, which have been in short supply in Slovakia for a long time, but also the construction of infrastructure or the reduction of regional disparities. According to them, the dynamization and shortening of construction procedures can significantly increase investors' interest in our country. "Slovakia has all the prerequisites to make it interesting for investors - we mainly benefit from its advantageous geographical location. However, he does not make use of this possibility to the extent that he could. The order in fragmented and confusing zoning plans, together with the shortening of permitting processes, is a key prerequisite for investors to start building in less developed regions of Slovakia, create new jobs and contribute to their development, " concludes Miroslav Kiraľvarga, president of NUE.
