Paris (AFP)
Companies will have the "right" to benefit from their bank for an additional year to start repaying state guaranteed loans (PGE) taken out to deal with the crisis, the Minister of the Economy announced on Thursday. and Finance Bruno Le Maire.
By setting up the EMP at the start of the health crisis, the state had introduced a one-year period before banks could demand repayment of loans.
This deadline was therefore due to expire at the end of March for some companies, while many of them are still experiencing financial difficulties.
"Some see the first deadline for repayment of their capital approaching with great concern," said the minister.
Bruno Le Maire indicated that he had obtained from the French Banking Federation that "all companies, whatever their sector of activity, and whatever their size", will be able to benefit, "by right", from a "deferred repayment an additional year ".
Bruno Le Maire "thus" invites "all companies to contact their banker, their bank branch now, to define the terms of amortization of their loans, taking into account this additional grace period granted to them".
On Monday, the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CPME) regretted the "reluctance" of certain banks to grant companies a postponement of an additional year for the start of reimbursement of PGEs.
The hotel and catering industry is the second sector in terms of the number of PGEs subscribed, behind car repair companies, according to the report on January 1 published by the Ministry of the Economy.
In total, more than 638,000 PGEs have been granted by the banks, for an amount of approximately 130 billion euros.
In addition, concerning other bank loans, Bruno Le Maire announced that "the banks have undertaken to favorably examine any request for a moratorium or postponement of maturity for the companies which are most affected by the crisis, on a personalized basis. ".
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