Martinović: We will support the law on 'Swiss francs', but what if the bank retaliates with lawsuits?

Tomislav Martinović from the Croatian Club of Peoples in the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina said that this club will support today the Proposal of the law that would enable the conversion of loans from Swiss francs into euros, but that afterwards serious negotiations on this issue should begin, reports the Patria news agency.

Martinović told reporters in Sarajevo that a large number of people in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are facing problems due to loans in Swiss francs, but that in solving their problems, care must also be taken that the Federation does not get into trouble if the bank retaliates with lawsuits because of this.

Delegates of the House of Peoples of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are discussing today, under an urgent procedure, the Proposal of the law that would enable the conversion of loans from Swiss francs into euros.

Nearly six thousand citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina ran into problems after taking out loans from Hypo Alpe Adria bank in Swiss francs instead of euros. Initially, this was a more favorable loan for citizens, but the citizens' debt practically doubled overnight. Some of them are unable to repay the loan because their monthly installment has increased more than their total income.

The draft of this law was unanimously adopted two months ago by the representatives in the House of Representatives, thus supporting thousands of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina opposes this law. Minister of Finance Jelka Milićević believes that this problem is exclusively between the bank and the client, reports Patria.