Pan-European private placement (PEPP)

European Commission Requests the EIOPA Advise on PEPP Regulation Delegated Acts

 

On August 5, the Council of the EU published a cover note, which attaches a call for advice from the European Commission to the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) (dated July 31) on possible delegated acts concerning the Regulation on a Pan-European Personal Pension Product (PEPP Regulation) ((EU) 2019/1238).

The Commission requests advice relating to:

  • The criteria and factors to determine when there is a significant PEPP saver protection concern under Article 64(9).
  • The specification of additional information for supervisory reporting under Article 40(9) of the PEPP Regulation.

The PEPP Regulation was published in the Official Journal of the EU on July 25.

The Commission requests the final version of the advice by August 14, 2020.

European Commission Mid-Term Review of CMU Action Plan: Financial Services Aspects

 

On June 8, 2017, the European Commission published a communication on the mid-term review of the capital markets union (“CMU“) action plan (COM(2017) 292). This follows the action plan published by the Commission in September 2015, which set out its proposed initiatives relating to the establishment of the CMU, and the consultation paper published by the Commission in January 2017, which sought targeted input on revisions to the CMU action plan that would feed in to its mid-term review of the action plan.

The purpose of the mid-term review is to set out an additional set of actions that complement the initiatives laid down in the action plan that have not yet been completed. It consists of:

  • Initiatives that follow on from completed work announced in the action plan:
    • The Commission has confirmed that it intends to proceed with legislative proposals on (i) the Pan-European Personal Pension Product (PEPP); (ii) conflict of laws rules for third-party effects of transaction and securities and claims; and (iii) an EU framework for covered bonds.
    • The Commission also intends to proceed with further work on initiatives relating to commitments announced in the action plan, including (i) amendments to the Solvency II Delegated Regulation ((EU) 2015/35); (ii) recommendations on private placements; (iii) communication on a roadmap for removing barriers to post-trade market infrastructure; and (iv) communication on corporate bond markets.
  • New priority initiatives intended to strengthen the CMU action plan:
    • The initiatives relate to issues including (i) the functioning of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs); (ii) prudential treatment of investment firms; (iii) Fin Tech; (iv) non-performing loans (NPLs); and (v) cross-border investment funds.

The Annex to the mid-term review contains a consolidated list of the CMU initiatives and the proposed timings for those initiatives.

ICMA Publishes a Guide to the Pan-European Private Placement Market

On February 11, the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) published a guide on common market standards and best practices for the development of Pan-European private placement (PEPP) transactions. The guide is intended to be a foundation for a truly pan-European private placement market.

The guide states the market characteristics of a PEPP transaction and includes a guide to negotiation and documentation, emphasizing the utility of the Loan Market Association’s standard documents which were issued in January 2015. The guide further explains the roles of the parties in a PEPP transaction and gives an indicative timetable.

ICMA states that the guide is intended as guidance only and that negotiation of the contractual terms for each document in a PEPP transaction is essential. The guide will be updated and supplemented as the PEPP market and corresponding practice develops throughout the Member States of the European Union.  Guide.