Zagreb - A package of free banking services linked to a payment account into which consumers receive regular income has been taken up by 70,000 citizens, Finance Ministry State Secretary Tereza Rogić Lugarić said on Tuesday in the Parliament during a debate on the final bill of the Credit Institutions Act.
There are currently 70,000 such accounts and 10,000 basic accounts, with numbers continuing to rise, which she described as encouraging.
She noted that the Ministry had reminded the Croatian Banking Association that banks must actively encourage consumers, not discourage them, from opening these accounts, and must properly inform and educate both citizens and staff.
The Croatian National Bank is monitoring the situation, and the number of complaints is falling.
Rogić Lugarić explained that the Act regulated the establishment and operation of credit institutions in Croatia and aligned national law with new EU rules. Its aim is to boost the resilience of the banking system and improve oversight of branches from third countries.
Banks will also be required to develop internal methodologies for determining fee structures, while unified rules are introduced for EU branches of third-country banks.
Dalibor Paus (IDS) asked whether the law would lead to cheaper banking services and more accessible loans. Rogić Lugarić replied that it was expected to produce a range of positive effects, particularly through stronger supervision of banks, alongside the already adopted legislation on free service packages.
Damir Barbir (Centre) raised the issue of mortgage interest rates, to which the State Secretary said that rates in Croatia were significantly lower than in most other EU member states, reassuring citizens on that front.
Bridge MP Božo Petrov called for the publication of a monthly, bank-by-bank "traffic light" system of customer complaints, as well as public disclosure of how the Croatian National Bank responds to irregularities.
He argued that this would represent reputational capital for well-run banks and a reputational risk for poorly performing ones.
He also advocated publishing a standardised, comparable table of all bank fees to enable informed consumer choice.
Marijana Puljak (Centre) supported the law but felt it should have gone further by requiring greater transparency, including public data on banks' lending to SMEs, innovation and regional development.
Speaking for the HDZ parliamentary group, Sanda Livia Maduna described the bill as a modern and comprehensive proposal that marks an important step towards strengthening financial stability and protecting service users.