Despite the billions the ECB injected into the banks, SMEs are having trouble obtaining credit. EPTV investigates the human consequences in Belgium and Italy.

Reporter: The deadly toll of the debt crisis

Despite the billions recently  injected into the banks by the ECB,

EU businesses  are having trouble obtaining credit.

EuroparlTV investigated  in Belgium and Italy,

countries where many business owners  have already committed suicide

they come from all over Italy  and met in Bologna on 4th May.

They came to support a widow  struck down by grief and distress.

They are all wives or partners  of business owners who committed suicide

as a result of their overwhelming debts.

Tiziana was the wife  of Giuseppe Campaniello,

a craftsman who set fire to himself  on 28th March outside the Italian tax office,

which had claimed around €200,000  in back payments from him.

He had become  so desperate and frightened

that clearly the only way out for him  was to take his own life.

who had understood  the situation in Italy

Since the beginning of 2012, 32 business  owners have committed suicide in Italy.

They've become extremely cautious  about lending money,

especially to business owners  in difficulty.

The credit crunch doesn't just mean  very high borrowing costs.

Nowadays it's impossible  for small businesses

to approach the credit agencies  that they previously dealt with

because of a lack of liquidity  due to late payments in particular,

but these SMEs  are the backbone of the Italian economy.

Ernesto Rinaldi has been bottling  mineral water for 50 years.

For him, the survival of SMEs  is no longer guaranteed.

If you are expecting a payment  within 120 days

but it still hasn't arrived  after 180 days,

The ECB has injected 1,000 billion euros  into the banking system at 1% interest.

Have SMEs seen any of this money  which could revitalise them?

none of it has come  anywhere near businesses.

At the Intesa Sanpaolo bank  people hold different views.

The advantage is not that I have  a 1% loan from the ECB

and I give it to you to buy  a lathe, for example.

At present I lend you money  for the lathe at 5%

instead of the 7% I'd have charged  in December.

But in view of the money  injected into EU banks,

We're off to Brussels now,  to the trading floor of an international bank.

Their spokesperson thinks the situation  should be analysed case by case.

The firms in the various states, especially  those on the edge of the eurozone,

also pay a risk premium linked  to their own country's economic situation.

This Belgian economist has  a critical view of the banking system.

He thinks banks  have taken advantage of businesses

to make up for their losses  during the financial crisis.

The banks have clearly  adopted a position

where they want  to reduce the risks they're taking

but they also want to increase  the profitability of their credit.

The profit margins for credit  to businesses have more than doubled

and obviously the reason for this is simply  because of reduced competition.

Dimitri Verboomen has paid a high price.

His marketing business  went bankrupt in March

and he had to make almost  50 people redundant.

He was also refused a long-term loan  of €400,000.

The banks asked him for significant  personal guarantees for his company.

A guarantee  to the tune of €100,000 or €200,000

is a considerable sum that  can put people in financial trouble.

If things turn out badly it can put  a business owner in difficulties

in terms of his family life  as well as professionally.

Dimitri also criticises banks  for being slow at making decisions.

He wasted six months  and his business suffered.

The ECB is now considering a new process  for distributing liquidity to banks.