Consumer credit: new EU rules apply from 20 November, and Romania is late

When you take out a personal loan from a bank or a non-bank lender in Romania, most of the rules in your contract come from a European directive. In 2023 the European Union adopted a new version of those rules, which should apply in every Member State from 20 November 2026. Romania has not yet adopted the law that would put them into practice.

What happened

Directive (EU) 2023/2225 on credit agreements for consumers was adopted on 18 October 2023. Under Article 48, Member States had to adopt and publish the necessary national laws by 20 November 2025 and apply them from 20 November 2026.

The European Commission opened proceedings against Romania for failing to transpose the directive: a letter of formal notice was sent on 29 January 2026 and a reasoned opinion on 1 October 2026. The case number is INFR(2026)0131 and it can be found in the Commission's public database.

On 30 January 2026, Romania's Ministry of Economy published a draft emergency ordinance on consumer credit agreements for public consultation. On the date we checked, no adopted act appeared on the Ministry of Justice's legislation portal. Until one is adopted, consumer credit in Romania remains governed by Government Emergency Ordinance no. 50/2010.

What the directive requires

• A thorough creditworthiness assessment, in your interest. Before the contract, the lender must check whether you can repay, to prevent over-indebtedness. It may not use special categories of personal data, such as health data, and social networks are not considered a source of information for this assessment (Article 18).
• Fourteen days to change your mind. You can withdraw from the contract within 14 calendar days without giving any reason (Article 26).
• Forbearance before enforcement. Where appropriate, lenders must take reasonable forbearance measures for borrowers in financial difficulty before starting enforcement proceedings (Article 35).
• Debt advice. Member States must make independent debt advisory services available, at limited cost, to people who have or may have trouble meeting their financial commitments (Article 36).

What the delay means

The directive is addressed to the Member States (Article 50). For its rules to apply to contracts concluded in Romania, a Romanian legal act is needed. A reasoned opinion is the second stage of infringement proceedings. If the matter is not resolved, the Commission can refer it to the Court of Justice of the European Union under Article 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

What you can do

• Before you sign, ask for and read the pre-contractual information: the interest rate, the total cost of the credit and what happens if you miss a payment.
• If you are struggling to pay, write to your lender early and ask in writing for a restructuring solution. Keep a copy of your request and of the reply.
• If you have a problem with a lender, you can file a complaint with Romania's National Authority for Consumer Protection.
• Follow the draft ordinance on the Ministry of Economy's website and, once adopted, on legislatie.just.ro.
• If you want to raise the delay at European level, you can send a petition to the European Parliament. We explain the steps in our guide to petitions.

This article explains the situation on the date it was checked. It is not a substitute for professional advice on your own contract.