Although it’s been almost a month since the entry into force of the new planning and construction law, municipalities don’t issue new building permits. They say they don’t have a main architect to approve projects, nor do they know under which regulations it would be done, since the deadline for drafting bylaws is one year. Asked whether this means that moratorium on new construction is unofficially in force, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (MORT) denied it.
As far as the main town architects are concerned, the ministry says that 23 municipalities are given a deadline by mid-January for their appointment. Until then, the chief state architect should take over their jobs, but he/she still hasn’t been appointed, either. There is a solution in the law for this situation, which says that if no one replies to an applicant within 15 days, a request will be considered approved.
The minimum sum for professional responsibility insurance has increased from €5,000 to €100,000 and €200,000 for project designers, and auditors. The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (MORT) explained that this did not mean that the monthly insurance instalment would be 20 times greater or that architects and builders would increase their fees twenty-fold, but that they would be able to increase third-party claims by this much.
Premium amounts will depend on each insurance company, factoring in specific conditions, whether insurance is part of an individual or collective package, and whether the insured wishes to participate in damage and by what percentage, among other things. All domestic firms that worked with foreign companies, at the request of these companies, obtained insurance coverage of a minimum of €1m, MORT informed.
