The Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic is part of the system of central government authorities of the Czech Republic in the fields delineated by relevant legal documents. It plays an important role within the State administration through the extent of its powers, competences and responsibility for the management of financial resources.
The Ministry was established effective as at 1 November, 1996 and is a central government authority in the following areas:
- Regional policy
- Housing policy
- Development of housing stock
- Letting of flats and non-residential premises
- Spatial planning
- Building rules
- Expropriation
- Investment policy
- Tourism
- Funeral services
In addition to managing the fields listed above, the Ministry of Regional Development:
- administers funding allocated for implementation of the State’s housing policy and regional policy, coordinates activities of the Ministries and other central government authorities in implementation of the State’s housing policy and regional policy,
- serves as the National Coordination Authority (NCO), which sets forth a unified framework for management and implementation of aid granted through structural funds and the Cohesion Fund in the Czech Republic,
- provides for activities related to the EU cohesion policy in the Czech Republic, which aims to reduce disparities in the development of different regions in the Czech Republic, and bring the economic level of the Czech Republic closer to that of the EU,
- ensures the Czech Republic’s participation in the EU Territorial Agenda, which serves as a strategic and action framework for Europe’s spatial development with links to national spatial development concepts,
- provides information and methodological guidance to higher territorial self-governing units, towns, municipalities and associations thereof, and secures the engagement of territorial self-governing units in European regional structures.