The socialist proposal was approved and will lead to an extension of the suspension of commission charges until the end of 2025.
The Assembly of the Republic approved this Wednesday, at the second attempt, the extension of suspension of the early repayment commission of real estate credit with variable rates, such as those associated with Euribor, until December 31, 2025.
The measure, which expired at the end of this month, generated controversy due to the intention of some banks to apply the commission to orders made this year, but which were only completed in January.
The proposal was presented by the PS after the failure in make the suspension permanent within the scope of the State Budget for 2025. It was approved by the Budget, Finance and Public Administration Committee with the decisive abstention of the PSD and Chega’s vote against, says .
The proposal took advantage of an ongoing legislative change to transpose community regulations, which the PSD classified as a “Trojan horse“, criticizing the lack of consultation with the remaining parliamentary groups.
Hugo Carneiro, PSD deputy, justified the abstention by the persistence of high Euribor rates, but highlighted his displeasure at the lack of changes to commissions on fixed rate loans, something included in a previous PS proposal.
Socialists, however, undertake to insist on the definitive suspension of the commission of 0.5% for variable rate credits and the reduction of the 2% commission applied to fixed rate contracts, which they consider excessive.
The measure has the support from the governor of the Bank of PortugalMário Centeno, who pointed out the benefits of the suspension in promoting competition between banks, allowing borrowers to transfer loans more easily. However, Centeno defended a different approach to fixed-rate credits, given the need for banks to contract financial instruments to cover the contracts.
Entities such as Deco Proteste warned about practices by some banks that only recognize the amortization dateand not that of the request, as a reference for the application of the commission. Banco de Portugal confirmed this interpretation, reinforcing that the suspension applies to the date of effective reimbursement.
