Development Minister Nikolaos Dendias said that Greece’s government is to draft a new legal framework for restructuring non-performing loans. The issue is a priority for the ministry and the government, said the minister speaking to the press.

The law will be put to vote if it receives the go-ahead of the troika, however the law doesn’t immediately pardon people who strategically default. “People who intentionally default on their debts should not expect to be pardoned by this law,” said Dendias. He also said that the government’s proposals for handling bad loans won’t affect the capital position of Greek lenders. As a result, the plans shouldn’t affect the ongoing European stress tests conducted by the European Central Bank.

After six years of recession that has led to the shrinkage of 25 percent of the Greek economy bad loans have escalated to 77 billion euros ($103 billion). They make up more than 40% of Greece’s GDP.