European Commission

European Commission Publishes Communication on Equivalence Policy With Non-EU Countries

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On July 29, the European Commission published a communication (and annex) on equivalence in the area of financial services. The Commission highlights recent improvements to the design of EU equivalence regimes and notes that significant changes have been introduced to the equivalence regimes in a number of legislative amendments relating to the proposed:

  • Omnibus Regulation relating to the powers, governance and funding of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) – where the role of each ESA in monitoring equivalent third countries is strengthened;
  • Regulation amending the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) supervisory regime for EU and third-country central counterparties (CCPs) (EMIR 2.2) – where a more risk-sensitive and proportionate approach for third-country regimes is being introduced; and
  • Investment Firms Directive (IFD) – where new assessment criteria, safeguards and reporting obligations for third-country firms are being created.

In relation to making equivalence assessments, the Commission emphasizes that decisions are not taken in isolation and proportionality is very important, and it notes that the Commission is concerned about identifying risks to the EU financial system.

The communication also summarizes equivalence decisions adopted since January 2018 and sets out its priorities for 2019 and 2020, including:

  • continuing work on equivalence assessments, especially relating to the Regulation on indices used as benchmarks in financial instruments and financial contracts or to measure the performance of investment funds;
  • repealing existing decisions where the third-country framework no longer delivers the necessary outcomes (for example, under the CRA Regulation);
  • focusing on high-impact areas and third countries (EMIR (Regulation 64/2012) is specifically mentioned);
  • areas where there is an impending review or expiration of an equivalence deadline (the Capital Requirements Regulation (575/2013) is specifically mentioned); and
  • examining market segments that are undergoing dynamic or structural changes (the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (Regulation 600/2014) (MiFIR) is specifically mentioned).
  • The communication included the communication itself, an annex and a press release.

European Commission Publishes Report on Group Supervision Provisions Under Solvency II Directive

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On June 27, the European Commission published a report (COM(2019) 292 final) on the group supervision and capital management provisions under the Solvency II Directive (2009/138/EC).

In the report, addressed to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, the Commission assesses the benefit of enhancing the Solvency II Directive provisions on group supervision and capital management within a group.

The Commission considers that some areas of the prudential group supervision framework may not ensure harmonized implementation of the rules by groups and national supervisors. This has the potential to have an impact on both the level playing field and capital management strategies.

The Commission has identified some legal uncertainties and diverging supervisory practices that can have a significant impact on group solvency. They concern group own funds, the group solvency capital requirement (SCR) and the group minimum capital requirement (MCR). The use of group internal models may raise additional issues. The Commission has also found a wide variety of interpretations of the group governance provisions.

The Commission has found that diverging implementation of the group supervision provisions may be detrimental to policyholder protection, depending on how national supervisors determine the scope of supervision, and exercise supervision at the level of parent holding companies. In addition, in light of the wide differences between the supervisory powers of different national supervisors, the Commission believes it is necessary to assess the appropriateness of the early intervention powers embedded in the Solvency II regime.

The Commission recognizes that it has identified a number of important issues that may need to be addressed, possibly including by way of legislative changes. However, further analysis is needed on the impact of the potential changes on the existing requirements. Therefore, the Commission deems it appropriate to include group supervision in the scope of its 2020 general review of the Solvency II Directive. As part of the 2020 review, the Commission has invited the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) to provide technical advice on the issues identified in the report, as well as other related issues that may be detrimental to policyholder protection.

European Commission Consults on Effectiveness of DMD

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The European Commission has launched a consultation relating to its evaluation of the Distance Marketing of Financial Services Directive (2002/65/EC) (DMD).

The DMD provides details on the information that a consumer should receive about a financial service and the financial services provider before concluding a distance contract. Among other things, it also gives consumers a 14-day withdrawal period for certain financial services contracts, and bans services and communications from suppliers that a consumer has not solicited or consented to.

The European Commission published a new webpage announcing a consultation relating to its evaluation of the Distance Marketing of Financial Services Directive (2002/65/EC) (DMD). The Commission explains that, since the DMD came into force, the retail financial sector has gone increasingly digital, with new products and actors available on the market, and new sales channels being used. Also, several EU laws relating to financial services have been adopted or updated. As a result, the Commission has launched an evaluation of the DMD to assess whether it is still fit for purpose.

The aim of the consultation is to ensure that all relevant stakeholders have the opportunity to express their views on the relevance, effectiveness, pertinence and coherence of the DMD. The Commission particularly wants to hear from consumers, retail financial services providers and authorities responsible for supervising and enforcing compliance with the DMD’s provisions.

Responses to the consultation can be made by completing an online questionnaire, which is linked to from the consultation webpage. Comments can be made on the consultation until 2 July 2019. The Commission expects to publish the conclusions of the evaluation exercise by the end of 2019.

European Commission Adopts New Delegated Regulation Identifying High-Risk Third Countries under MLD4

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On February 13, the European Commission adopted a Delegated Regulation (C(2019) 1326 final) which supplements the Fourth Money Laundering Directive ((EU) 2015/849) (“MLD4“) by identifying 23 high-risk third countries with strategic deficiencies. The Delegated Regulation will repeal Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 which currently lists 16 countries as high-risk. READ MORE →

European Commission Adopts Delegated Regulation Supplementing EuVECA Regulation

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On February 4, the European Commission adopted a Delegated Regulation supplementing the European Venture Capital Funds (“EuVECA“) Regulation (345/2013) with regard to conflicts of interest (C(2019) 664 final).

The Delegated Regulation specifies the types of conflicts of interest, referred to in Article 9 of the EuVECA Regulation, and the steps that managers of EuVECA funds need to take to identify, prevent, manage, monitor and disclose conflicts.

The Delegated Regulation will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. It will apply six months after its entry into force. The next step is for the Delegated Regulation to be considered by the European Parliament and Council of the EU. Delegated Regulation.

ECA Publishes a Communication on Access to ECB Banking Supervision Documents and Information

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On January 14, the European Court of Auditors (“ECA“) published a communication to the European Parliament on the European Central Bank’s (“ECB“) position on the ECA’s access to audit documents and information relating to its banking supervision role under the single supervisory mechanism (“SSM“). READ MORE →

Joint Committee of ESAs Publishes Report on Regulatory Sandboxes and Innovation Hubs

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On January 7, the Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (“ESAs“) (that is, the EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) published a report (JC 2018 74) on regulatory sandboxes and innovation hubs.

The ESAs set out in the report a comparative analysis of the innovation facilitators established to date within the EU, further to the mandate specified in the European Commission’s FinTech action plan, which was published in March 2018. READ MORE →

European Commission 2019 Work Program: Financial Services Aspects

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On October 23, the European Commission published a communication outlining its work program for 2019. There are a number of priority-pending financial services legislative proposals which the Commission wants the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to take swift action on. The proposals include:

  • Sustainable finance
  • Cross-border investment funds
  • Crowdfunding services
  • The pan-European pension product (“PEPP“)
  • Banking
  • Recovery and resolution on central counterparties (“CPPs“)
  • The European deposit insurance schemes (“EDIS“)
  • Anti-money laundering

The full communication can be found here. The Annexes were published separately, alongside a Q&As document and a factsheet.

Provision of Microcredit in Europe: Commission to Update European Good Code of Conduct

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The European Commission (Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) published a press release informing readers that it is updating the European good code of conduct for microcredit provision. The publication can he found here.

Originally launched in 2011, the code’s aim was to provide a common set of standards relating to management, governance, risk management, reporting and consumer and investor relations for the EU microfinance sector.

The purpose of the update is to reflect market changes and the diversity of the microfinance sector. The updates are expected to be in place over the next 12 months.