Eurofound study on "Household debt advisory services in the European Union"

The recent Eurofound study on "Household debt advisory services in the European Union" shows that many EU citizens are struggling to service their mortgages or consumer credit, and to pay their rent and utility bills. In 2010, more than one in four persons reported that they felt at risk of becoming over-indebted, while 11.6% were in arrears with payments related to such debts or bills (up from 9.9% in 2007).

The study identifies successful debt counselling measures and ways to improve access to services and finds that the quality of debt advisory services can be enhanced by offering tailored approaches, leaving the household in control as much as possible and building relationships of trust between all the stakeholders involved.

Full report: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef11891.htm

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