Public Administration in the Czech Republic
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Public administration in the Czech Republic Issued by the Ministry of the Interior, Department for Strategic Development and Coordination of Public Administration with a contribution by Section for Civil Service in 2017. 2nd Edition 2018. Contents Czech Republic - Constitutional system…………………………………………………………………………….3 State administration and self-government………………………………………………….……………...…..6 Central state administration…………………………………………………………………………………………...8 Bodies of state administration with territorial jurisdiction……………………………………………..11 Territorial division of the state - history………………………………………………………………………...12 Territorial self-governing units………………………………………………………………………………….…..13 Municipalities and cities……………………………………………………………………………………..14 Self-governing Regions…………………………………………………………………………………….….19 Capital City of Prague……………………………………………………………………………………..…..21 Cohesion Regions………………………………………………………………………………………..………22 Districts…………………………………………………………………………………………………….………..23 Public law contracts…………………………………………………………………………………..………..24 Inter-municipal cooperation…………………………………………………………………….………...25 Cross-border cooperation………………………………………………………………………..………….26 Supervision and Control of Municipalities and Regions…………………………..……….….27 The electoral system……………………………………………………………………………………….…………….30 The public and public administration……………………………………………………………..………………32 Financing……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………...34 Financing of municipalities and regions……………………………………………………..………..38 Civil service………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………..42 The status of men and women ………………………………………………………………………………..…….52 Employees of municipalities and regions………………………………………………………………..……..53 Conflicts of interest and public officials………………………………………………………………..………..55 eGovernment……………………………………………………………….……………………………………………….57 Modernization of public administration…………….……………………….………………………………...62 International cooperation…………………………………………………………………….……………………….63 Czech Republic - Constitutional system Legislative power Executive Power Legislative power is exercised in The supreme body of executive power in accordance with the Constitution of the the Czech Republic is the government, Czech Republic by the Chamber of Deputies which is therefore the head of the state and the Senate, which together form the administration system. It consists of the bicameral Parliament of the Czech Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Republic. the Ministers. The Government of the Czech Republic is accountable to the The Chamber of Deputies has 200 Chamber of Deputies. Deputies, who are elected for a period of four years. The Senate consists of 81 The Government of the Czech Republic Senators, elected for six years. Every must have the confidence of the Chamber second year, one third of the senators are of Deputies throughout its duration. It is elected. therefore required to appear before the Chamber to ask for an expression of its Both chambers have a different position in trust after being appointed. the legislative process. Laws must first be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies. According to the Constitution of the Czech After approval by the Chamber of Deputies, Republic, the head of state is the President they are assigned to the Senate. Upon of the republic. The President is elected in approval by the Senate, the President of a direct two-round election by citizens of the Republic signs the approved laws, but the Czech Republic. The constitutional may use a presidential veto. A veto can be position of the President of the Republic is voted down by a simple majority of all determined by the fact that the Czech deputies. Republic is a parliamentary republic. When appointing a government, the Judicial power President of the Republic first appoints its Judicial power is exercised in the Czech Prime Minister and then other members of Republic by independent courts. A judge is the government upon his/her proposal. At only bound by law and his/her position is the proposal of the Prime Minister, the incompatible with the function of the President of the Republic appoints its President of the Republic, member of the members by the proceedings of the Parliament of the Czech Republic or with ministries or other offices. any function in public administration. The government makes decisions The judiciary can be divided into general, collectively following the principle of an administrative and constitutional. Civil and absolute majority. The government criminal matters are decided within the manages the activities of the ministries and general judiciary. These include the district, other central administrative authorities county and high courts and the Supreme and is responsible for the level of its Court. approved draft laws and government orders. The administrative judiciary is exercised by regional courts and by the Supreme The ministries and other central adminis- Administrative Court. Within the trative authorities operate in individual administrative judiciary, decisions, or other branches of state administration. They acts of public administration are reviewed control the performance of state in terms of their compliance with the law. administration in the relevant field. A ministry is headed by a minister who is a The Supreme Court and the Supreme member of the government. Other central Administrative Court issue opinions to administrative authorities are led by their ensure uniform decision-making by the head. courts. Constitutional justice is exercised by the Constitutional Court. Czech Republic - state administration and self-government State administration The system of state administration in the Czech Republic originates from a classical continental concept where the central state BASIC DATA ABOUT THE CZECH REPUBLIC administration is based on ministries. Other central administrative authorities are Capital city: Prague Area: 78,866 km2 targeted at certain specialized departments Population: 10,578,820 of state administration. Population density: 134 inhabitants / km2 In addition to the central administrative authorities, there are also administrative Language: Czech authorities of the state in the territory. State system: parliamentary republic Territorial self-governments Number of regions: 13 + capital city Prague There is a two-tier system of territorial self- government in the Czech Republic, which Number of municipalities: 6,254 consists of municipalities as basic territorial The average number of inhabitants self-governing units and regions as higher in a municipality (not including the capital): territorial self-governing units (incl. the 1,485 capital city of Prague). Independent competence means self- The median number of inhabitants government within which municipalities or in a municipality: 426 regions manage their affairs independently, Share of municipalities with up to 1,000 being bound only by laws and other legal inhabitants: 77 % regulations. The principle of subordination does not apply here. Delegated competence concerns the The performance of self-government is performance of state administration, which also based on the principle of the state does not implement directly, by decentralization in the joined model, i.e. its own bodies, but indirectly, through local self-government is not subordinate to the authorities. The principle of subordination state, and lower self-government is not applies here. subject to higher self-government. The joined model of public In the exercise of state administration, the administration principle of deconcentration in the context of so-called delegated competence is The so-called joined model of public applied in substantive terms. In the administration was chosen in the Czech implementation of delegated competence, Republic, wherein municipalities and the self-government body is subordinated regions carry out, besides self- to a higher state administration body or governmental powers, also state adminis- a higher self-government body. tration in delegated competence. The secretary of the municipal authority is There are also state administration bodies responsible for the exercise of delegated in the territory (e.g., financial adminis- competence. The performance of self- tration, social security administration), but government is entrusted to the municipal these have the character of specialized council and board. The mayor, who is bodies for individual branches or their a member of both the municipal council parts, a state administration body with and the municipal board, represents the general competence in a territory in the municipality externally. joined model does not operate. Joined model in practice State administration Self-government ID cards, travel Property management documents, driving Territorial licenses development Building authority and plan Register of cars Culture, education, Offences social care Business office Tourism Municipal Office Mayor Central state administration Central state administration has a crucial In the field of public administration, the role to play in the management of the key central state administration body is the public sector, consisting in the Ministry of the Interior, which is the development of concepts and the creation central state administration body, for of a general framework for the functioning example, in the areas of registry offices, of particular areas in society. These citizenship, identity cards, travel concepts are then implemented through documents, residence reports, territorial legislative mechanisms and coordination division