Policy Should Focus on the Need to Overcome Private Indebtedness

Abstract

The author emphasizes the need to address private indebtedness as the main cause of the problem which manifests itself in a huge amount of non-performing loans following the bail-in of deposits of 2013. The focus should not be on how to compensate depositors or bond holders or even shareholders of the affected banks. It should be on how the over-indebted businesses and households can lighten their debt burden and be in a position to engage in normal economic activity in a stable and sustainable manner