The new Building Act (Act No. 25/2025 Coll.), effective from April 1, 2025, has replaced not only the original 1976 Building Act, but also the 2022 Construction Act enacted to reform the building legislation and which never became effective. According to the Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic (the proponent of the new Building Act), the 2022 Construction Act was unenforceable.

The adopted Building Act abandons the existing two-stage decision-making (planning decision and building permit) and introduces one-stage proceedings on a building plan, the outcome of which is a (dis)approval decision of the competent building authority about the proposed construction activity.

The new Building Act aims to strengthen the position of real estate owners and their right to a building as to construct a building on land is part of the constitutionally protected right to use and enjoy own property.

At the same time, the new Building Act introduces an additional procedure in relation to unauthorized buildings constructed before April 1, 2025, in order to ensure that these buildings are not considered permanently unauthorized and not finally approved, despite being freely used.

According to the explanatory memorandum, the main purpose of the new Building Act is to create a legal framework that facilitates construction and to reduce the administrative burden of authorization procedures.

On November 27, 2024, the National Council of the Slovak Republic (parliament) approved an amendment to Act No. 297/2008 Coll. on Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, as amended (the “Amendment“).

Pursuant to the explanatory memorandum, the main objective of the amendment is the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 2023/1113 on information accompanying transfers of funds and certain crypto-assets. Under the Amendment, the list of ‘obliged entities’ now includes crypto-asset service providers, replacing virtual currency wallet service providers and virtual currency exchange service providers. The Amendment also introduces a new concept of crypto-assets, replacing the concept of virtual currency.

It also expands the definition of ‘ultimate beneficial owner’ in relation to, among others, a trust established under the law of another country. Trustees of such a fund are now required to comply with certain obligations set out in the law.

The Amendment introduces also certain changes in relation to customer due diligence performed by an obliged entity, an obliged entity’s program of own activities (AML compliance program), risk assessment, etc.

The Amendment amends also other legal regulations, reflecting the European Commission’s objections to incorrect or insufficient transposition of the European laws.  

The Amendment became effective on January 15, 2025.