Czech courts are increasingly confronted with enforcement proceedings concerning small debts or cases that have remained unsuccessful for years. A new regulation has led to many of these cases being discontinued, significantly increasing the administrative burden.
The courts in the Czech Republic are increasingly dealing with enforcement proceedings related to small debts or cases that have dragged on for a long time without leading to a result. Hundreds of thousands of applications to discontinue such proceedings last year have substantially increased the administrative burden. Until August of the previous year, bailiffs were required to discontinue less serious or unenforceable cases due to a new regulation.
‘We had a total of 51,000 suspended enforcements, 43,000 of which were hopeless and 1,000 of which were dubious,’ Petra Láníčková, spokeswoman for the Brno Municipal Court (Městský soud v Brně), told Czech news channel ČT24.
This includes debts of up to CZK 1,500 or cases in which no amounts have been recovered from debtors in the last six to twelve years. In total, more than half of the employees of the Brno Municipal Court are involved in dealing with irrecoverable and unsuccessful enforcement proceedings. The Chamber of Executors in the Czech Republic (Exekutorská komora) assumes that up to 750,000 cases could be halted. According to the Chamber of Executors, most foreclosures occur in the Karlovy Vary, Ústecký kraj, and Brno regions.
However, the Chamber of Executors emphasises that the suspension of enforcement does not cancel the debt. Creditors still have the option of submitting a new application.
Overall, the number of people affected by enforcement proceedings fell by more than 30,000 last year compared to the previous year. Around 615,000 people were affected by foreclosures in 2024.
