DAN SUCIU: "The government did not send the law of giving in payment to the Romanian Constitutional Court and has not discussed the matter"

The government did not send the law of giving in payment to the Romanian Constitutional Court (CCR) nor has it discussed doing it, Dan Suciu, spokesperson of the Government assured us yesterday.

According to lawyer Gheorghe Piperea, who drew up the legislative text, yesterday was the last day when the Government could have disputed the law with the Romanian Constitutional Court.

Today, the law of giving in payment should have arrived in on the president's desk, and he is required to promulgate it within ten days. Klaus Iohannis can not send the law back to the Parliament a second time, but has the possibility to send it to the Constitutional Court, five days after he receives it, said Mr. Piperea, who says that the president isn't going to do that.

After a year of debates and statements in favor and against it, last week deputies voted on the Law of giving in payment, with an overwhelming majority (207 votes in favor, one against and one abstention).

The law was passed with a few amendments, including the following: the effects of the law would not apply to the First Home program; the cap on the borrowed amount has been set at 250,000 Euros, up from 150,000 Euros initially; the new regulations will also apply to the debtors that have already been foreclosed on; all the mortgage loans taken out for the making of a home, regardless of whether they have been guaranteed with a plot of land or not, will fall under the auspices of the legislative draft.

Meanwhile, some of the banks have increased the downpayment for mortgages, and other financial institutions have announced that if the Law of giving in payment gets passed, they will tighten the lending conditions.

Liberal deputy Daniel Cătălin Zamfir, who promoted the law told us, at the end of last week, that he is working on a similar law dedicated to loans taken out through the First Home program.