Consumer protection for online loans should be better

However, Malte Gallée is not completely satisfied. The MEP is angry that member states have refused to harmonize penalties for breaches of the consumer credit directive. According to the Bavarian, the Greens had demanded fines amounting to at least four percent of the creditor’s turnover. “The compromise simply states that member states must ensure that appropriate administrative measures or sanctions are applied,” says Gallée. Furthermore, it was not possible to commit to binding cost ceilings for the whole of the EU. This was originally proposed by the Commission. “Instead, the compromise leaves enough leeway for member states to rely on usury laws rather than an effective limit, as is the case in Germany, for example,” says Malte Gallée.