New legislation
On October 14, the Chamber of Deputies overruled President Petr Pavel’s veto and once again approved the new Civil Service Act as well as the accompanying amendment to related regulations. A total of 104 deputies voted in favor of both laws. The reform has thus completed the parliamentary phase of the legislative process and, following its publication in the Collection of Laws, is set to replace the current Civil Service Act as of November 1, 2026.
The biggest change is the very nature of civil service employment. The current public-service employment relationship is to be replaced by an employment relationship that will be governed primarily by the Labor Code, with specific rules set forth in a new law. The amendment is also intended to allow for more flexible personnel changes in the civil service, modifying the rules for competitive selection processes, performance evaluations, and termination of employment. Senior civil servants will generally serve five-year terms, and the law also establishes new conditions for their removal from office. The sponsors of the amendment cite the goal of bringing the civil service closer to standard employment relationships and facilitating its management.
The Senate initially opposed the reform, followed by the president. When vetoing the bill, Petr Pavel drew particular attention to the weakening of guarantees for a professional and politically neutral civil service and also criticized the fact that this far-reaching change originated as a parliamentary bill without undergoing the standard inter-ministerial review process. The Chamber of Deputies had previously overruled the Senate’s rejection and has now also overcome the presidential veto.
The accompanying amendment, which revokes the president’s authority to appoint and dismiss heads of the Czech Republic’s permanent missions to international organizations, also remains controversial. The president argued that such a change to his powers could be in conflict with the Constitution. Following today’s vote, the opposition announced that it would appeal to the Constitutional Court regarding the adopted amendment. However, the mere filing of a petition with the Constitutional Court does not automatically suspend the law’s effectiveness.
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