The postponement of credit payments will be on a period longer than the state of emergency, closer to six months, and all clients who request it will not have bureaucratic issues, said, on Tuesday evening, the Minister of Public Finance, Florin Citu.
"We are preparing a solution for the credit payments of Romanians. Today came the decision of the European Association of Banks which allows it. It's a first step, but it was important to come with a solution for the entire banking system, for all clients and we will adopt it Thursday [March 26, 2020 - e.n.] in the Government sessions, by Government Ordinance. The technical details are still in discussion, but a solution is delaying loan payments for a period longer than the state of emergency. I tell you that the state will be involved here and we will not discriminate. Those who request it will have access to this facility. The duration of postponement and the conditions will be put in the emergency ordinance. Those who need a postponement will not need a certificate or anything. They will be able to access this. Thursday we will come with the exact details," said Citu, at the private TV broadcaster Digi 24.
The minister said that the Government decision is a postponement, not an erasure of the payments owed to banks.
On Tuesday evening, the spokesperson of the National Bank of Romania (BNR), Dan Suciu, mentioned in an intervention for Digi 24 that "in case a payment is missed due to the COVID-19 epidemic, that credit will not be considered non-performing".
The National Bank of Romania announced, on Tuesday, that it will send letters of information to all creditors (banking institutions and non-banking financial institutions) by which they will confirm the possibility of restructuring the credits of debtors and the way to apply the rules in force.