However, we were, of course, unable to foresee new burdens resulting from factors such as persistently weak economic activity and knock-on effects of the crisis further down the line. Nonperforming loans are still saddling banks in a number of member states. The level of nonperforming loans for EU banks currently stands at around € billion.
These burdens were a notable feature of the four most recent crises. Ultimately, self-healing does not happen overnight, but is often a long and arduous process. This is also true of the resolvability of credit institutions.