On November 16, 2016, the Council of the EU published a press release announcing that its presidency has reached a provisional agreement with representatives of the European Parliament on the proposed Regulation on Money Market Funds (“MMF Regulation“). The press release can be read in full here.

The agreement reached at the final meeting of political negotiators covers the core issues concerning the regulation of MMFs, such as liquidity and diversification requirements, assets in which MMFs can invest (including the role of government debt) and transparency. It also provides for the European Commission to produce a report on the functioning of the MMF Regulation.

Although an overall agreement has been reached at the political level, a number of technical issues relating to the MMF Regulation are yet to be finalized. Once these are resolved, the agreement will then be submitted to the Council’s Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER) for endorsement on behalf of the Council. The Parliament and the Council will then be called on to adopt the MMF Regulation at first reading.

The MMF Regulation is designed to ensure the smooth operation of the short-term funding market. It follows efforts by the G20 and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) to strengthen the oversight and regulation of the shadow banking system.