[saiya-jin]

Not true, depends on European bank. I did pay my mortgage which was originally 25 years IIRC in Czech republic fully, one time payment, with no extra fees associated to this. Whether bank was happy or wanted me to keep paying all those years is another story, but their contract specifically allowed it.

In my French mortgage, I have 25 year fixed part, no point paying down that one earlier since the fee would be the sum of all the fixed interest for 25 years (what you wrote). Then the other part is calculated every 3 months from EURIBOR (not that great now, just like elsewhere). This one I can pay partially or fully anytime without any fees.

My Swiss mortgage is completely different and unique beast (also split in 2 parts, one fixed 1 variable from Saron rate), nothing you can see anywhere else in the world IIRC. 20% cash downpayment as usually, then in next 15 years I need to pay off another 15% of the property, and rest is just interest payments. We'll never fully own the property, and its very disadvantageous tax-wise to own it(so nobody here does it if they can avoid it). Swiss invented an additional property tax (Imputed rental value) that is calculated from hypothetical rent you could extract from given property, and you are taxed also from this theoretical income, even if its your primary residence.