1.

Does the use in contracts for long-term mortgage loans at a variable interest rate of one of the reference indices existing on the market, which has been officially published by the Banco de España (Bank of Spain), preclude the examination of the use of that index from the perspective of transparency, including where an index expressly permitted under the specific legislation has been used, if that legislation allows the parties to choose the index and that Bank used one of those indices without informing the customer of the existence of other applicable indices which are more favourable to consumers?

2.

In so far as that legislation permits the applicable reference index to be chosen from those provided for, can national legislation like that applicable in the main proceedings (namely, inter alia and primarily, the Orden de 5 de mayo de 1994 sobre transparencia de las condiciones financieras de los préstamos hipotecarios (Order of 5 May 1994 on transparency of the financial terms of mortgage loans), Orden EHA/2899/2011, de 28 de octubre, de transparencia y protección del cliente de servicios bancarios (Order EHA/2899/2011 of 28 October on transparency and the protection of banking services customers), Circular 5/2012, de 27 de junio, del Banco de España, a entidades de crédito y proveedores de servicios de pago, sobre transparencia de los servicios bancarios y responsabilidad en la concesión de préstamos (Bank of Spain Notice 5/2012 of 27 June to credit institutions and payment services providers on the transparency of banking services and responsible lending, implementing [Ley] 10/2014, de 26 de junio, de ordenación, supervisión y solvencia de entidades de crédito (Law 10/2014 of 26 June on the organisation, supervision and solvency of credit institutions) or its predecessor, Article 48 of Ley 26/1988, de 29 de julio, sobre Disciplina e Intervención de las Entidades de Crédito (Law 26/1988 of 29 July on supervision and control of credit institutions)) be regarded as ‘mandatory statutory or regulatory provisions’ for the purpose of contracts for long-term mortgage loans at a variable interest rate, within the meaning of Article 1(2) of Directive 93/13/EEC? ( 1 )