Photo: vlada.cz
(www.vlada.cz) Faster construction of new nuclear units and easier licensing processes for the introduction of small modular reactors are the main points of the amendment to the Atomic Act, the draft of which was approved by the government of Petro Fiala at a meeting on Tuesday 7 May 2024. It also approved draft amendments to the laws on budgeting of taxes, on social services or on sickness insurance, as well as the text of a completely new law on the National Budget Bank. It also discussed the aid for frost-stricken fruit growers and another anti-bureaucratic package.
Proposal amendments to the Atomic Energy Act reflects the current situation as well as new trends in the nuclear power industry, which mainly concern the use of small modular reactors. "It's important. Without this legislation it would be difficult to build and start up new nuclear units in 2036. We are also responding to the current technological developments that we see, for example, in small modular reactors." explained the Prime Minister Petr Fialawho submitted the draft amendment to the Government together with the Chair of the State Institute for Nuclear Safety, Dana Drábová.
The amendment to the Atomic Energy Act shortens and simplifies the licensing processes for the construction of new nuclear power plants and introduces some new institutes that bring, for example, a higher level of legal certainty regarding regulatory requirements. "It's all about making permitting processes shorter and more efficient while maintaining all safety standards," stressed the Prime Minister Fiala.
The government also discussed a new Act on the National Development Bank. The latter should be exempted from the regulatory framework governing the activities of banks under European Union rules because of their specific status as public interest entities. The rules for its activities where they deviate from the general law on banks, and thus from the activities of commercial banks, will be set by a special law.
"This is a law that is also very important for strategic investments and for the development of the Czech Republic. The proposed amendment will enable the state to invest much better in strategic projects," said Prime Minister Fiala. This is another step in the process of merging the National Development Bank with the Czech Export Bank. "We are thus fulfilling our programme declaration, in which we committed to involve the National Development Bank more in the financial provision of local projects, whose importance we want to strengthen according to Western European models," reminded the Prime Minister Petr Fiala. For example, the state will be able to provide guarantees for some of the debts of the National Development Bank, which will have easier access to additional financial resources from abroad, which can be used to support projects through repayable loan financing instead of the current state subsidies. Further information in the press release of the Ministry of Finance.
The government has already addressed the third anti-bureaucratic package. The previous two contained a total of 43 measures aimed at removing unnecessary bureaucratic regulations and red tape. The third package focuses on so-called self-reporting obligations, which either do not make sense or can be replaced by digital or electronic tools.
"It includes, for example, the abolition of the obligation to report in writing to the labour authorities the proportion of persons with disabilities for those who employ more than fifty percent of such persons, the possibility for employers to send certain documents, such as wage slips, to employees electronically, the abolition of the need to supply a physical photograph when applying for a disabled person's card, and a number of similar things that in practice prove unnecessary and burdensome, but nevertheless the state has required this obligation so far." calculated the Prime Minister Fiala.
The Cabinet also looked at ways to to help fruit growers, nurserymen or winegrowers to bridge the difficult period they have entered after up to 100 per cent of their future crops were burnt by the two-week frost in April in some areas. Due to this natural disaster, the Czech Republic has already applied to the European Commission for support from the EU's €100 million crisis package, and the Ministry of Agriculture has also notified a Framework Programme for Risk and Crisis Management in Agriculture, which has currently been notified to the Commission until the end of 2028, to compensate for part of the damage caused to farmers by very adverse climatic events. Another option is to use operating loans through the Support, Guarantee and Agricultural Fund to support the reduction of the principal of operating loans granted by commercial financial institutions. The specific forms of assistance will be discussed by the Government at a future meeting. Read more press release from the Ministry of Agriculture.
The government also discussed a proposal Amendments to the Act on Budgetary Determination of Taxes. The changes it contains are based on a majority consensus within the Association of Regions of the Czech Republic and concern a gradual increase in the allocation of the tax shares of the regions in the national gross revenue from shared taxes from the current value of 9.76 % to 10.26 % with effect from 1 January 2027. The new model sets a total of eight objective criteria with a specific percentage weighting on the total amount. The calculation will be updated each year based on specific statistical data, such as the population of the county, the number of kilometres of county roads or the number of children, pupils and students in schools established by the county. Details in the press release of the Ministry of Finance.
The ministers also approved a proposal amendments to the Acts on Social Services, on Health Services and on Public Health Insurancewhich aim to enable providers in selected types of social service facilities to also provide so-called social-health services, i.e. to combine a social service with a health service. While social services would continue to be covered as before, health care for clients in need would be covered by health insurance companies. For more information, see in the press release of the Ministry of Health.
The government also wants to amend the Sickness Insurance Act. The main objective of the changes is to further advance the digitalisation of related agendas. Following the example of the already functioning e-sick leave, which electronically manages all the agenda related to temporary incapacity for work, the amendment should enable the digitisation of the processes for other sickness insurance benefits, i.e. cash maternity allowance, nursing allowance and long-term nursing allowance, paternity allowance and compensatory allowance in pregnancy and maternity. The proposal also legally enshrines the creation of a new comprehensive Integrated Information System of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, which will incorporate the existing individual information systems of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs as well as those of other ministerial organisations. More information in the press release of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
The Cabinet also discussed a proposal amendments to the Veterinary Act and related legal norms, which responds to new European regulations and knowledge from practice in the areas of veterinary hygiene, animal health and control of import, transit and export of controlled goods. One of the proposed changes is, for example, a new obligation in the law on the protection of animals against cruelty to introduce camera systems in slaughterhouses as a prevention against inappropriate treatment of slaughtered animals. Details in the press release of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Full results of the government meeting
government.cz/gnews.cz-JaV_07
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