Organisation of the state, territorial self-government and public administration
State administration
State administration is performed by the Government, ministries, other central administrative offices and their territorial units. Act No. 2/1969 Sb., the competence law, establishes the ministries and defines their fields. A ministry may issue generally binding regulations only within the limits of a statute (Art. 79 Constitution). Other central bodies (e.g. the Office for Personal Data Protection, the Czech Statistical Office) are created by separate statutes.
Territorial self-government
The Constitution (Art. 99–105) guarantees municipalities (obce) and regions (kraje) as territorial self-governing units. There are 14 regions, including the capital Prague, which is both a municipality and a region. Regions have a zastupitelstvo (assembly), rada (board), hejtman (governor) and krajský úřad (regional office). Municipalities have a zastupitelstvo, rada, starosta (mayor) and obecní úřad. Bodies are elected; the hejtman and starosta are elected by the assembly from its members, not appointed by the state. Statutory cities are municipalities with a special internal organisation.
Independent and delegated competence
Self-government exercises independent competence (samostatná působnost) in its own interest and delegated competence (přenesená působnost) where a statute entrusts it with state administration. In delegated competence the municipality acts as a state administration body and its decisions are reviewable under the Code of Administrative Procedure; the regional office supervises delegated competence, while the Ministry of the Interior supervises independent competence only for legality. State intervention in self-government is possible only where a statute allows it and only in a proportionate way.
Worked example
A municipality refuses to register a citizen’s permanent residence. This is delegated state administration. The applicant may appeal to the regional office; if the municipality is inactive, the regional office may take over. If the same municipality refuses to provide a local service in its independent competence, the remedy is different: a legality complaint to the Ministry of the Interior, not an ordinary administrative appeal.
Traps
Do not treat regions and municipalities as mere local offices of the state. Do not say the hejtman is appointed by the Government. Remember Prague’s dual status. Distinguish independent from delegated competence before choosing the remedy; the label determines the supervisory body and the procedure.