Czech MPs revisit bill to liberalise civil service appointments amid constitutional challenge

Members of the Czech Chamber of Deputies are set to vote again on a proposal that would simplify the turnover of state officials, a move presented as a step toward a more efficient bureaucracy. Pirates' deputy chair Kateřina Stojanová stressed the goal of professionalising the administration and avoiding its use as a patronage tool, noting that politicians from TOP 09 and STAN will join the constitutional complaint. President Pavel, echoing opposition concerns, warned that the bill could undermine the independence of senior civil servants.

The governing coalition, which includes ANO, SPD and the Motorist party, wants to scrap the existing civil-service law that was introduced to satisfy EU requirements, arguing it has made the sector rigid and unattractive to younger workers. SPD MP Libor Vondráček framed the amendment as ending a twelve-year experiment that has “concretised” the public administration, while STAN leader Vít Rakušan warned the government seeks to place officials under its political will. The dispute over the amendment’s constitutionality will be settled by the Constitutional Court.