02012R0648 — EN — 01.01.2020 — 015.001

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►B REGULATION (EU) No 648/2012 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 4 July 2012 on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories (Text with EEA relevance) (OJ L 201 27.7.2012, p. 1)

Amended by:





Corrected by:









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REGULATION (EU) No 648/2012 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 4 July 2012

on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories

(Text with EEA relevance)







TITLE I

SUBJECT MATTER, SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS

Article 1

Subject matter and scope

1. This Regulation lays down clearing and bilateral risk-management requirements for over-the-counter (‘OTC’) derivative contracts, reporting requirements for derivative contracts and uniform requirements for the performance of activities of central counterparties (‘CCPs’) and trade repositories.

2. This Regulation shall apply to CCPs and their clearing members, to financial counterparties and to trade repositories. It shall apply to non-financial counterparties and trading venues where so provided.

3. Title V of this Regulation shall apply only to transferable securities and money-market instruments, as defined in point (18)(a) and (b) and point (19) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2004/39/EC.

4. This Regulation shall not apply to:

(a) the members of the ESCB and other Member States’ bodies performing similar functions and other Union public bodies charged with or intervening in the management of the public debt;

(b) the Bank for International Settlements;

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(c) the central banks and public bodies charged with or intervening in the management of the public debt in the following countries:

(i) Japan;

(ii) United States of America;

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(iii) Australia;

(iv) Canada;

(v) Hong Kong;

(vi) Mexico;

(vii) Singapore;

(viii) Switzerland.

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5. With the exception of the reporting obligation under Article 9, this Regulation shall not apply to the following entities:

(a) multilateral development banks, as listed under Section 4.2 of Part 1 of Annex VI to Directive 2006/48/EC;

(b) public sector entities within the meaning of point (18) of Article 4 of Directive 2006/48/EC where they are owned by central governments and have explicit guarantee arrangements provided by central governments;

(c) the European Financial Stability Facility and the European Stability Mechanism.

6. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 82 to amend the list set out in paragraph 4 of this Article.

To that end, by 17 November 2012 the Commission shall present to the European Parliament and the Council a report assessing the international treatment of public bodies charged with or intervening in the management of the public debt and central banks.

The report shall include a comparative analysis of the treatment of those bodies and of central banks within the legal framework of a significant number of third countries, including at least the three most important jurisdictions as regards volumes of contracts traded, and the risk-management standards applicable to the derivative transactions entered into by those bodies and by central banks in those jurisdictions. If the report concludes, in particular in regard to the comparative analysis, that the exemption of the monetary responsibilities of those third-country central banks from the clearing and reporting obligation is necessary, the Commission shall add them to the list set out in paragraph 4.

Article 2

Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) ‘CCP’ means a legal person that interposes itself between the counterparties to the contracts traded on one or more financial markets, becoming the buyer to every seller and the seller to every buyer;

(2) ‘trade repository’ means a legal person that centrally collects and maintains the records of derivatives;

(3) ‘clearing’ means the process of establishing positions, including the calculation of net obligations, and ensuring that financial instruments, cash, or both, are available to secure the exposures arising from those positions;

(4) ‘trading venue’ means a system operated by an investment firm or a market operator within the meaning of Article 4(1)(1) and 4(1)(13) of Directive 2004/39/EC other than a systematic internaliser within the meaning of Article 4(1)(7) thereof, which brings together buying or selling interests in financial instruments in the system, in a way that results in a contract in accordance with Title II or III of that Directive;

(5) ‘derivative’ or ‘derivative contract’ means a financial instrument as set out in points (4) to (10) of Section C of Annex I to Directive 2004/39/EC as implemented by Article 38 and 39 of Regulation (EC) No 1287/2006;

(6) ‘class of derivatives’ means a subset of derivatives sharing common and essential characteristics including at least the relationship with the underlying asset, the type of underlying asset, and currency of notional amount. Derivatives belonging to the same class may have different maturities;

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(7) ‘OTC derivative’ or ‘OTC derivative contract’ means a derivative contract the execution of which does not take place on a regulated market within the meaning of Article 4(1)(14) of Directive 2004/39/EC or on a third-country market considered to be equivalent to a regulated market in accordance with Article 2a of this Regulation;

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(8) ‘financial counterparty’ means:

(a) an investment firm authorised in accordance with Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 );

(b) a credit institution authorised in accordance with Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 2 );

(c) an insurance undertaking or reinsurance undertaking authorised in accordance with Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 3 );

(d) a UCITS and, where relevant, its management company, authorised in accordance with Directive 2009/65/EC, unless that UCITS is set up exclusively for the purpose of serving one or more employee share purchase plans;

(e) an institution for occupational retirement provision (IORP), as defined in point (1) of Article 6 of Directive (EU) 2016/2341 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 4 );

(f) an alternative investment fund (AIF), as defined in point (a) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2011/61/EU, which is either established in the Union or managed by an alternative investment fund manager (AIFM) authorised or registered in accordance with that Directive, unless that AIF is set up exclusively for the purpose of serving one or more employee share purchase plans, or unless that AIF is a securitisation special purpose entity as referred to in point (g) of Article 2(3) of Directive 2011/61/EU, and, where relevant, its AIFM established in the Union;

(g) a central securities depository authorised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 5 );

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(9) ‘non-financial counterparty’ means an undertaking established in the Union other than the entities referred to in points (1) and (8);

(10) ‘pension scheme arrangement’ means:

(a) institutions for occupational retirement provision within the meaning of Article 6(a) of Directive 2003/41/EC, including any authorised entity responsible for managing such an institution and acting on its behalf as referred to in Article 2(1) of that Directive as well as any legal entity set up for the purpose of investment of such institutions, acting solely and exclusively in their interest;

(b) occupational retirement provision businesses of institutions referred to in Article 3 of Directive 2003/41/EC;

(c) occupational retirement provision businesses of life insurance undertakings covered by Directive 2002/83/EC, provided that all assets and liabilities corresponding to the business are ring-fenced, managed and organised separately from the other activities of the insurance undertaking, without any possibility of transfer;

(d) any other authorised and supervised entities, or arrangements, operating on a national basis, provided that:

(i) they are recognised under national law; and

(ii) their primary purpose is to provide retirement benefits;

(11) ‘counterparty credit risk’ means the risk that the counterparty to a transaction defaults before the final settlement of the transaction’s cash flows;

(12) ‘interoperability arrangement’ means an arrangement between two or more CCPs that involves a cross-system execution of transactions;

(13) ‘competent authority’ means the competent authority referred to in the legislation referred to in point (8) of this Article, the competent authority referred to in Article 10(5) or the authority designated by each Member State in accordance with Article 22;

(14) ‘clearing member’ means an undertaking which participates in a CCP and which is responsible for discharging the financial obligations arising from that participation;

(15) ‘client’ means an undertaking with a contractual relationship with a clearing member of a CCP which enables that undertaking to clear its transactions with that CCP;

(16) ‘group’ means the group of undertakings consisting of a parent undertaking and its subsidiaries within the meaning of Articles 1 and 2 of Directive 83/349/EEC or the group of undertakings referred to in Article 3(1) and Article 80(7) and (8) of Directive 2006/48/EC;

(17) ‘financial institution’ means an undertaking other than a credit institution, the principal activity of which is to acquire holdings or to carry on one or more of the activities listed in points (2) to (12) of Annex I to Directive 2006/48/EC;

(18) ‘financial holding company’ means a financial institution, the subsidiary undertakings of which are either exclusively or mainly credit institutions or financial institutions, at least one of such subsidiary undertakings being a credit institution, and which is not a mixed financial holding company within the meaning of Article 2(15) of Directive 2002/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2002 on the supplementary supervision of credit institutions, insurance undertakings and investment firms in a financial conglomerate ( 6 );

(19) ‘ancillary services undertaking’ means an undertaking the principal activity of which consists in owning or managing property, managing data-processing services, or a similar activity which is ancillary to the principal activity of one or more credit institution;

(20) ‘qualifying holding’ means any direct or indirect holding in a CCP or trade repository which represents at least 10 % of the capital or of the voting rights, as set out in Articles 9 and 10 of Directive 2004/109/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2004 on the harmonisation of transparency requirements in relation to information about issuers whose securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market ( 7 ), taking into account the conditions regarding aggregation thereof laid down in Article 12(4) and (5) of that Directive, or which makes it possible to exercise a significant influence over the management of the CCP or trade repository in which that holding subsists;

(21) ‘parent undertaking’ means a parent undertaking as described in Articles 1 and 2 of Directive 83/349/EEC;

(22) ‘subsidiary’ means a subsidiary undertaking as described in Articles 1 and 2 of Directive 83/349/EEC, including a subsidiary of a subsidiary undertaking of an ultimate parent undertaking;

(23) ‘control’ means the relationship between a parent undertaking and a subsidiary, as described in Article 1 of Directive 83/349/EEC;

(24) ‘close links’ means a situation in which two or more natural or legal persons are linked by:

(a) participation, by way of direct ownership or control, of 20 % or more of the voting rights or capital of an undertaking; or

(b) control or a similar relationship between any natural or legal person and an undertaking or a subsidiary of a subsidiary also being considered a subsidiary of the parent undertaking which is at the head of those undertakings.

A situation in which two or more natural or legal persons are permanently linked to one and the same person by a control relationship shall also be regarded as constituting a close link between such persons.

(25) ‘capital’ means subscribed capital within the meaning of Article 22 of Council Directive 86/635/EEC of 8 December 1986 on the annual accounts and consolidated accounts of banks and other financial institutions ( 8 ) in so far it has been paid up, plus the related share premium accounts, it fully absorbs losses in going concern situations, and, in the event of bankruptcy or liquidation, it ranks after all other claims;

(26) ‘reserves’ means reserves as set out in Article 9 of Fourth Council Directive 78/660/EEC of 25 July 1978 based on Article 54(3)(g) of the Treaty on the annual accounts of certain types of companies ( 9 ) and profits and losses brought forward as a result of the application of the final profit or loss;

(27) ‘board’ means administrative or supervisory board, or both, in accordance with national company law;

(28) ‘independent member’ of the board means a member of the board who has no business, family or other relationship that raises a conflict of interests regarding the CCP concerned or its controlling shareholders, its management or its clearing members, and who has had no such relationship during the five years preceding his membership of the board;

(29) ‘senior management’ means the person or persons who effectively direct the business of the CCP or the trade repository, and the executive member or members of the board;

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(30) ‘covered bond’ means a bond meeting the requirements of Article 129 of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013;

(31) ‘covered bond entity’ means the covered bond issuer or cover pool of a covered bond.

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Article 2a

Equivalence decisions for the purposes of the definition of OTC derivatives

1. For the purposes of Article 2(7) of this Regulation, a third-country market shall be considered to be equivalent to a regulated market within the meaning of Article 4(1)(14) of Directive 2004/39/EC where it complies with legally binding requirements which are equivalent to the requirements laid down in Title III of that Directive and it is subject to effective supervision and enforcement in that third country on an ongoing basis, as determined by the Commission in accordance with the procedure referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article.

2. The Commission may adopt implementing acts determining that a third-country market complies with legally binding requirements which are equivalent to the requirements laid down in Title III of Directive 2004/39/EC and it is subject to effective supervision and enforcement in that third country on an ongoing basis for the purposes of paragraph 1.

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 86(2) of this Regulation.

3. The Commission and ESMA shall publish on their websites a list of those markets that are to be considered to be equivalent in accordance with the implementing act referred to in paragraph 2. That list shall be updated periodically.

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Article 3

Intragroup transactions

1. In relation to a non-financial counterparty, an intragroup transaction is an OTC derivative contract entered into with another counterparty which is part of the same group provided that both counterparties are included in the same consolidation on a full basis and they are subject to an appropriate centralised risk evaluation, measurement and control procedures and that counterparty is established in the Union or, if it is established in a third country, the Commission has adopted an implementing act under Article 13(2) in respect of that third country.

2. In relation to a financial counterparty, an intragroup transaction is any of the following:

(a) an OTC derivative contract entered into with another counterparty which is part of the same group, provided that the following conditions are met:

(i) the financial counterparty is established in the Union or, if it is established in a third country, the Commission has adopted an implementing act under Article 13(2) in respect of that third country;

(ii) the other counterparty is a financial counterparty, a financial holding company, a financial institution or an ancillary services undertaking subject to appropriate prudential requirements;

(iii) both counterparties are included in the same consolidation on a full basis; and

(iv) both counterparties are subject to appropriate centralised risk evaluation, measurement and control procedures;

(b) an OTC derivative contract entered into with another counterparty where both counterparties are part of the same institutional protection scheme, referred to in Article 80(8) of Directive 2006/48/EC, provided that the condition set out in point (a)(ii) of this paragraph is met;

(c) an OTC derivative contract entered into between credit institutions affiliated to the same central body or between such credit institution and the central body, as referred to in Article 3(1) of Directive 2006/48/EC; or

(d) an OTC derivative contract entered into with a non-financial counterparty which is part of the same group provided that both counterparties are included in the same consolidation on a full basis and they are subject to an appropriate centralised risk evaluation, measurement and control procedures and that counterparty is established in the Union or in a third-country jurisdiction for which the Commission has adopted an implementing act as referred to in Article 13(2) in respect of that third country.

3. For the purposes of this Article, counterparties shall be considered to be included in the same consolidation when they are both either:

(a) included in a consolidation in accordance with Directive 83/349/EEC or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adopted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 or, in relation to a group the parent undertaking of which has its head office in a third country, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of a third country determined to be equivalent to IFRS in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1569/2007 (or accounting standards of a third country the use of which is permitted in accordance with Article 4 of that Regulation); or

(b) covered by the same consolidated supervision in accordance with Directive 2006/48/EC or Directive 2006/49/EC or, in relation to a group the parent undertaking of which has its head office in a third country, the same consolidated supervision by a third-country competent authority verified as equivalent to that governed by the principles laid down in Article 143 of Directive 2006/48/EC or in Article 2 of Directive 2006/49/EC.







TITLE II

CLEARING, REPORTING AND RISK MITIGATION OF OTC DERIVATIVES

Article 4

Clearing obligation

1. Counterparties shall clear all OTC derivative contracts pertaining to a class of OTC derivatives that has been declared subject to the clearing obligation in accordance with Article 5(2), if those contracts fulfil both of the following conditions:

(a) they have been concluded in one of the following ways:

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(i) between two financial counterparties that meet the conditions set out in the second subparagraph of Article 4a(1);

(ii) between a financial counterparty that meets the conditions set out in the second subparagraph of Article 4a(1) and a non-financial counterparty that meets the conditions set out in the second subparagraph of Article 10(1);

(iii) between two non-financial counterparties that meet the conditions set out in the second subparagraph of Article 10(1);

(iv) between, on the one side, a financial counterparty that meets the conditions set out in the second subparagraph of Article 4a(1) or a non-financial counterparty that meets the conditions set out in the second subparagraph of Article 10(1), and, on the other side, an entity established in a third country that would be subject to the clearing obligation if it were established in the Union;

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(v) between two entities established in one or more third countries that would be subject to the clearing obligation if they were established in the Union, provided that the contract has a direct, substantial and foreseeable effect within the Union or where such an obligation is necessary or appropriate to prevent the evasion of any provisions of this Regulation; and

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(b) they are entered into or novated on or after the date on which the clearing obligation takes effect, provided that, on the date they are entered into or novated, both counterparties meet the conditions set out in point (a).

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2. Without prejudice to risk-mitigation techniques under Article 11, OTC derivative contracts that are intragroup transactions as described in Article 3 shall not be subject to the clearing obligation.

The exemption set out in the first subparagraph shall apply only:

(a) where two counterparties established in the Union belonging to the same group have first notified their respective competent authorities in writing that they intend to make use of the exemption for the OTC derivative contracts concluded between each other. The notification shall be made not less than 30 calendar days before the use of the exemption. Within 30 calendar days after receipt of that notification, the competent authorities may object to the use of this exemption if the transactions between the counterparties do not meet the conditions laid down in Article 3, without prejudice to the right of the competent authorities to object after that period of 30 calendar days has expired where those conditions are no longer met. If there is disagreement between the competent authorities, ESMA may assist those authorities in reaching an agreement in accordance with its powers under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010;

(b) to OTC derivative contracts between two counterparties belonging to the same group which are established in a Member State and in a third country, where the counterparty established in the Union has been authorised to apply the exemption by its competent authority within 30 calendar days after it has been notified by the counterparty established in the Union, provided that the conditions laid down in Article 3 are met. The competent authority shall notify ESMA of that decision.

3. The OTC derivative contracts that are subject to the clearing obligation pursuant to paragraph 1 shall be cleared in a CCP authorised under Article 14 or recognised under Article 25 to clear that class of OTC derivatives and listed in the register in accordance with Article 6(2)(b).

For that purpose a counterparty shall become a clearing member, a client, or shall establish indirect clearing arrangements with a clearing member, provided that those arrangements do not increase counterparty risk and ensure that the assets and positions of the counterparty benefit from protection with equivalent effect to that referred to in Articles 39 and 48.

4. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the contracts that are considered to have a direct, substantial and foreseeable effect within the Union or the cases where it is necessary or appropriate to prevent the evasion of any provision of this Regulation as referred to in paragraph 1(a)(v), and the types of indirect contractual arrangements that meet the conditions referred to in the second subparagraph of paragraph 3.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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5. Paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply with respect to OTC derivative contracts that are concluded by covered bond entities in connection with a covered bond, or by a securitisation special purpose entity in connection with a securitisation, within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/2402 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 10 ) provided that:

(a) in the case of securitisation special purpose entities, the securitisation special purpose entity shall solely issue securitisations that meet the requirements of Article 18, and of Articles 19 to 22 or 23 to 26 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2402 (the Securitisation Regulation);

(b) the OTC derivative contract is used only to hedge interest rate or currency mismatches under the covered bond or securitisation; and

(c) the arrangements under the covered bond or securitisation adequately mitigate counterparty credit risk with respect to the OTC derivative contracts concluded by the covered bond entity or securitisation special purpose entity in connection with the covered bond or securitisation.

6. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, and taking into account the need to prevent regulatory arbitrage, the ESAs shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying criteria for establishing which arrangements under covered bonds or securitisations adequately mitigate counterparty credit risk, within the meaning of paragraph 5.

The ESAs shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 18 July 2018.

Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulations (EU) No 1093/2010, (EU) No 1094/2010 or (EU) No 1095/2010.

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Article 4a

Financial counterparties that are subject to the clearing obligation

1. Every 12 months, a financial counterparty taking positions in OTC derivative contracts may calculate its aggregate month-end average position for the previous 12 months in accordance with paragraph 3.

Where a financial counterparty does not calculate its positions, or where the result of that calculation exceeds any of the clearing thresholds specified pursuant to point (b) of Article 10(4), the financial counterparty shall:

(a) immediately notify ESMA and the relevant competent authority thereof, and, where relevant, indicate the period used for the calculation;

(b) establish clearing arrangements within four months after the notification referred to in point (a) of this subparagraph; and

(c) become subject to the clearing obligation referred to in Article 4 for all OTC derivative contracts pertaining to any class of OTC derivatives which is subject to the clearing obligation entered into or novated more than four months following the notification referred to in point (a) of this subparagraph.

2. A financial counterparty that is subject to the clearing obligation referred to in Article 4 on 17 June 2019 or that becomes subject to the clearing obligation in accordance with the second subparagraph of paragraph 1, shall remain subject to that obligation and shall continue clearing until that financial counterparty demonstrates to the relevant competent authority that its aggregate month-end average position for the previous 12 months does not exceed the clearing threshold specified pursuant to point (b) of Article 10(4).

The financial counterparty shall be able to demonstrate to the relevant competent authority that the calculation of the aggregate month-end average position for the previous 12 months does not lead to a systematic underestimation of that position.

3. In calculating the positions referred to in paragraph 1, the financial counterparty shall include all OTC derivative contracts entered into by that financial counterparty or entered into by other entities within the group to which that financial counterparty belongs.

Notwithstanding the first subparagraph, for UCITS and AIFs, the positions referred to in paragraph 1 shall be calculated at the level of the fund.

UCITS management companies which manage more than one UCITSs and AIFMs which manage more than one AIF shall be able to demonstrate to the relevant competent authority that the calculation of positions at the fund level does not lead to:

(a) a systematic underestimation of the positions of any of the funds they manage or the positions of the manager; and

(b) a circumvention of the clearing obligation.

The relevant competent authorities of the financial counterparty and of the other entities within the group shall establish cooperation procedures to ensure the effective calculation of the positions at the group level.

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Article 5

Clearing obligation procedure

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1. Where a competent authority authorises a CCP to clear a class of OTC derivatives under Article 14 or 15, or where a class of OTC derivatives which a CCP intends to start clearing is covered by an existing authorisation granted in accordance with Article 14 or 15, the competent authority shall immediately notify ESMA of that authorisation or of the class of OTC derivatives which the CCP intends to start clearing.

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2. Within six months of receiving notification in accordance with paragraph 1 or accomplishing a procedure for recognition set out in Article 25, ESMA shall, after conducting a public consultation and after consulting the ESRB and, where appropriate, the competent authorities of third countries, develop and submit to the Commission for endorsement draft regulatory technical standards specifying the following:

(a) the class of OTC derivatives that should be subject to the clearing obligation referred to in Article 4;

(b) the date or dates from which the clearing obligation takes effect, including any phase in and the categories of counterparties to which the obligation applies.

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Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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In the developing of the draft regulatory technical standards under this paragraph ESMA shall not prejudice the transitional provision relating to C6 energy derivative contracts as laid down in Article 95 of Directive 2014/65/EU ( 11 ).

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3. ESMA shall, on its own initiative, after conducting a public consultation and after consulting the ESRB and, where appropriate, the competent authorities of third countries, identify, in accordance with the criteria set out in points (a), (b) and (c) of paragraph 4 and notify to the Commission the classes of derivatives that should be subject to the clearing obligation provided in Article 4, but for which no CCP has yet received authorisation.

Following the notification, ESMA shall publish a call for a development of proposals for the clearing of those classes of derivatives.

4. With the overarching aim of reducing systemic risk, the draft regulatory technical standards for the part referred to in paragraph 2(a) shall take into consideration the following criteria:

(a) the degree of standardisation of the contractual terms and operational processes of the relevant class of OTC derivatives;

(b) the volume and liquidity of the relevant class of OTC derivatives;

(c) the availability of fair, reliable and generally accepted pricing information in the relevant class of OTC derivatives.

In preparing those draft regulatory technical standards, ESMA may take into consideration the interconnectedness between counterparties using the relevant classes of OTC derivatives, the anticipated impact on the levels of counterparty credit risk between counterparties as well as the impact on competition across the Union.

In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards further specifying the criteria referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) of the first subparagraph.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt regulatory technical standards referred to in the third subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

5. The draft regulatory technical standards for the part referred to in paragraph 2(b) shall take into consideration the following criteria:

(a) the expected volume of the relevant class of OTC derivatives;

(b) whether more than one CCP already clear the same class of OTC derivatives;

(c) the ability of the relevant CCPs to handle the expected volume and to manage the risk arising from the clearing of the relevant class of OTC derivatives;

(d) the type and number of counterparties active, and expected to be active within the market for the relevant class of OTC derivatives;

(e) the period of time a counterparty subject to the clearing obligation needs in order to put in place arrangements to clear its OTC derivative contracts through a CCP;

(f) the risk management and the legal and operational capacity of the range of counterparties that are active in the market for the relevant class of OTC derivatives and that would be captured by the clearing obligation pursuant to Article 4(1).

6. If a class of OTC derivative contracts no longer has a CCP which is authorised or recognised to clear those contracts under this Regulation, it shall cease to be subject to the clearing obligation referred to in Article 4, and paragraph 3 of this Article shall apply.

Article 6

Public register

1. ESMA shall establish, maintain and keep up to date a public register in order to identify the classes of OTC derivatives subject to the clearing obligation correctly and unequivocally. The public register shall be available on ESMA’s website.

2. The register shall include:

(a) the classes of OTC derivatives that are subject to the clearing obligation pursuant to Article 4;

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(b) the CCPs that are authorised in accordance with Article 17 or recognised in accordance with Article 25 and the date of authorisation or recognition respectively, indicating the CCPs that are authorised or recognised for the purpose of the clearing obligation;

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(c) the dates from which the clearing obligation takes effect, including any phased-in implementation;

(d) the classes of OTC derivatives identified by ESMA in accordance with Article 5(3);

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(f) the CCPs that have been notified to ESMA by the competent authority for the purpose of the clearing obligation and the date of notification of each of them.

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3. Where a CCP is no longer authorised or recognised in accordance with this Regulation to clear a specific class of OTC derivatives, ESMA shall immediately remove that CCP from the public register in relation to that class of OTC derivatives.

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4. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA may develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the details to be included in the public register referred to in paragraph 1.

ESMA shall submit any such draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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Article 6a

Suspension of clearing obligation

1. ESMA may request that the Commission suspend the clearing obligation referred to in Article 4(1) for specific classes of OTC derivatives or for a specific type of counterparty, where one of the following conditions is met:

(a) the specific classes of OTC derivatives are no longer suitable for central clearing in accordance with the criteria referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 5(4) and in Article 5(5);

(b) a CCP is likely to cease clearing those specific classes of OTC derivatives and no other CCP is able to clear those specific classes of OTC derivatives without interruption;

(c) the suspension of the clearing obligation for those specific classes of OTC derivatives or for a specific type of counterparty is necessary to avoid or address a serious threat to financial stability or to the orderly functioning of financial markets in the Union and that suspension is proportionate to those aims.

For the purposes of point (c) of the first subparagraph, prior to the request referred to in the first subparagraph, ESMA shall consult the ESRB and the competent authorities designated in accordance with Article 22.

The request referred to in the first subparagraph shall be accompanied by evidence that at least one of the conditions set out therein is met.

Where the suspension of the clearing obligation is considered by ESMA to be a material change in the criteria for the trading obligation to take effect referred to in Article 32(5) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014, the request referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph may also include a request to suspend the trading obligation laid down in Article 28(1) and (2) of that Regulation for the same specific classes of OTC derivatives that are subject to the request to suspend the clearing obligation.

2. Under the conditions set out in paragraph 1 of this Article, the competent authorities responsible for the supervision of clearing members and the competent authorities designated in accordance with Article 22 may request that ESMA submit a request for a suspension of the clearing obligation to the Commission. The request by the competent authority shall provide reasons and submit evidence showing that at least one of the conditions set out in the first subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article is met.

ESMA shall, within 48 hours of receipt of the request from the competent authority referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph, on the basis of the reasons and evidence provided by the competent authority, either request that the Commission suspend the clearing obligation referred to in Article 4(1) or reject the request referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph. ESMA shall inform the competent authority concerned of its decision. Where ESMA rejects the request by the competent authority, it shall provide reasons therefor in writing.

3. The requests referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not be made public.

4. The Commission shall, without undue delay after receipt of the request referred to in paragraph 1, on the basis of the reasons and evidence provided by ESMA, either suspend the clearing obligation for the specific classes of OTC derivatives or for the specific type of counterparty referred to in paragraph 1 by way of an implementing act, or reject the requested suspension. Where the Commission rejects the requested suspension, it shall provide reasons therefor in writing to ESMA. The Commission shall immediately inform the European Parliament and the Council thereof and forward them the reasons provided to ESMA. Such information shall not be made public.

The implementing act referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 86(3).

5. Where requested by ESMA in accordance with the fourth subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article, the implementing act suspending the clearing obligation for specific classes of OTC derivatives may also suspend the trading obligation laid down in Article 28(1) and (2) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 for the same specific classes of OTC derivatives that are subject to the suspension of the clearing obligation.

6. The suspension of the clearing obligation and, where applicable, the trading obligation shall be communicated to ESMA and shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, on the Commission's website and in the public register referred to in Article 6.

7. The suspension of the clearing obligation referred to in paragraph 4 shall be valid for an initial period of no more than three months from the date of application of that suspension.

The suspension of the trading obligation referred to in paragraph 5 shall be valid for the same initial period.

8. Where the grounds for the suspension continue to apply, the Commission may, by way of an implementing act, extend the suspension referred to in paragraph 4 for additional periods of no more than three months, with the total period of the suspension of no more than 12 months. Any extensions of the suspension shall be published in accordance with paragraph 6.

The implementing act referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 86(3).

ESMA shall, in sufficient time before the end of the suspension period referred to in paragraph 7 of this Article or of the extension period referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph, issue an opinion to the Commission on whether the grounds for the suspension continue to apply. For the purposes of point (c) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article, ESMA shall consult the ESRB and the competent authorities designated in accordance with Article 22. ESMA shall send a copy of that opinion to the European Parliament and to the Council. That opinion shall not be made public.

The implementing act extending the suspension of the clearing obligation may also extend the period of the suspension of the trading obligation referred to in paragraph 7.

The extension of the suspension of the trading obligation shall be valid for the same period as the extension of the suspension of the clearing obligation.

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Article 7

Access to a CCP

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1. A CCP that has been authorised to clear OTC derivative contracts shall accept clearing such contracts on a non-discriminatory and transparent basis, including as regards collateral requirements and fees related to access, regardless of the trading venue. This in particular shall ensure that a trading venue has the right to non-discriminatory treatment in terms of how contracts traded on that trading venue are treated in terms of:

(a) collateral requirements and netting of economically equivalent contracts, where the inclusion of such contracts in the close-out and other netting procedures of a CCP based on the applicable insolvency law would not endanger the smooth and orderly functioning, the validity or enforceability of such procedures; and

(b) cross-margining with correlated contracts cleared by the same CCP under a risk model that complies with Article 41.

A CCP may require that a trading venue comply with the operational and technical requirements established by the CCP, including the risk-management requirements.

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2. A CCP shall accede to or refuse a formal request for access by a trading venue within three months of such a request.

3. Where a CCP refuses access under paragraph 2, it shall provide the trading venue with full reasons for such refusal.

4. Save where the competent authority of the trading venue and that of the CCP refuse access, the CCP shall, subject to the second subparagraph, grant access within three months of a decision acceding to the trading venue’s formal request in accordance with paragraph 2.

The competent authority of the trading venue and that of the CCP may refuse access to the CCP following a formal request by the trading venue only where such access would threaten the smooth and orderly functioning of the markets or would adversely affect systemic risk.

5. ESMA shall settle any dispute arising from a disagreement between competent authorities in accordance with its powers under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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6. The conditions laid down in paragraph 1 regarding non-discriminatory treatment in terms of how contracts traded on that trading venue are treated in terms of collateral requirements and netting of economically equivalent contracts and cross-margining with correlated contracts cleared by the same CCP shall be further specified by the technical standards adopted pursuant to Article 35(6)(e) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 ( 12 ).

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Article 8

Access to a trading venue

1. A trading venue shall provide trade feeds on a non-discriminatory and transparent basis to any CCP that has been authorised to clear OTC derivative contracts traded on that trading venue upon request by the CCP.

2. Where a request to access a trading venue has been formally submitted to a trading venue by a CCP, the trading venue shall respond to the CCP within three months.

3. Where access is refused by a trading venue, it shall notify the CCP accordingly, providing full reasons.

4. Without prejudice to the decision by competent authorities of the trading venue and of the CCP, access shall be made possible by the trading venue within three months of a positive response to a request for access.

Access of the CCP to the trading venue shall be granted only where such access would not require interoperability or threaten the smooth and orderly functioning of markets in particular due to liquidity fragmentation and the trading venue has put in place adequate mechanisms to prevent such fragmentation.

5. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the notion of liquidity fragmentation.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

Article 9

Reporting obligation

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1. Counterparties and CCPs shall ensure that the details of any derivative contract they have concluded and of any modification or termination of the contract are reported in accordance with paragraphs 1a to 1f of this Article to a trade repository registered in accordance with Article 55 or recognised in accordance with Article 77. The details shall be reported no later than the working day following the conclusion, modification or termination of the contract.

The reporting obligation shall apply to derivative contracts which:

(a) were entered into before 12 February 2014 and remain outstanding on that date;

(b) were entered into on or after 12 February 2014.

Notwithstanding Article 3, the reporting obligation shall not apply to derivative contracts within the same group where at least one of the counterparties is a non-financial counterparty or would be qualified as a non-financial counterparty if it were established in the Union, provided that:

(a) both counterparties are included in the same consolidation on a full basis;

(b) both counterparties are subject to appropriate centralised risk evaluation, measurement and control procedures; and

(c) the parent undertaking is not a financial counterparty.

Counterparties shall notify their competent authorities of their intention to apply the exemption referred to in the third subparagraph. The exemption shall be valid unless the notified competent authorities do not agree upon fulfilment of the conditions referred to in the third subparagraph within three months of the date of notification.

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1e. Counterparties and CCPs that are required to report the details of derivative contracts shall ensure that such details are reported correctly and without duplication.

1f. Counterparties and CCPs that are subject to the reporting obligation referred to in paragraph 1 may delegate that reporting obligation.

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2. Counterparties shall keep a record of any derivative contract they have concluded and any modification for at least five years following the termination of the contract.

3. Where a trade repository is not available to record the details of a derivative contract, counterparties and CCPs shall ensure that such details are reported to ESMA.

In this case ESMA shall ensure that all the relevant entities referred to in Article 81(3) have access to all the details of derivative contracts they need to fulfil their respective responsibilities and mandates.

4. A counterparty or a CCP that reports the details of a derivative contract to a trade repository or to ESMA, or an entity that reports such details on behalf of a counterparty or a CCP shall not be considered in breach of any restriction on disclosure of information imposed by that contract or by any legislative, regulatory or administrative provision.

No liability resulting from that disclosure shall lie with the reporting entity or its directors or employees.

5. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the details and type of the reports referred to in paragraphs 1 and 3 for the different classes of derivatives.

The reports referred to in paragraphs 1 and 3 shall specify at least:

(a) the parties to the derivative contract and, where different, the beneficiary of the rights and obligations arising from it;

(b) the main characteristics of the derivative contracts, including their type, underlying maturity, notional value, price, and settlement date.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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6. To ensure uniform conditions of application of paragraphs 1 and 3, ESMA shall, in close cooperation with the ESCB, develop draft implementing technical standards specifying:

(a) the data standards and formats for the information to be reported, which shall include at least the following:

(i) global legal entity identifiers (LEIs);

(ii) international securities identification numbers (ISINs);

(iii) unique trade identifiers (UTIs);

(b) the methods and arrangements for reporting;

(c) the frequency of the reports;

(d) the date by which derivative contracts are to be reported.

In developing those draft implementing technical standards, ESMA shall take into account international developments and standards agreed upon at Union or global level, and their consistency with the reporting requirements laid down in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2015/2365 ( 13 ) and Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014.

ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 18 June 2020.

Power is conferred on the Commission to adopt the implementing technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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Article 10

Non-financial counterparties

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1. Every 12 months, a non-financial counterparty taking positions in OTC derivative contracts may calculate its aggregate month-end average position for the previous 12 months in accordance with paragraph 3.

Where a non-financial counterparty does not calculate its positions, or where the result of that calculation in respect of one or more classes of OTC derivatives exceeds the clearing thresholds specified pursuant to point (b) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 4, that non-financial counterparty shall:

(a) immediately notify ESMA and the relevant competent authority thereof, and, where relevant, indicate the period used for the calculation;

(b) establish clearing arrangements within four months of the notification referred to in point (a) of this subparagraph;

(c) become subject to the clearing obligation referred to in Article 4 for the OTC derivative contracts entered into or novated more than four months following the notification referred to in point (a) of this subparagraph that pertain to those asset classes in respect of which the result of the calculation exceeds the clearing thresholds or, where the non-financial counterparty has not calculated its position, that pertain to any class of OTC derivatives which is subject to the clearing obligation.

2. A non-financial counterparty that is subject to the clearing obligation referred to in Article 4 on 17 June 2019 or that becomes subject to the clearing obligation in accordance with the second subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article, shall remain subject to that obligation and shall continue clearing until that non-financial counterparty demonstrates to the relevant competent authority that its aggregate month-end average position for the previous 12 months does not exceed the clearing threshold specified pursuant to point (b) of paragraph 4 of this Article.

The non-financial counterparty shall be able to demonstrate to the relevant competent authority that the calculation of the aggregate month-end average position for the previous 12 months does not lead to a systematic underestimation of the position.

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2a. The relevant competent authorities of the non-financial counterparty and of the other entities within the group shall establish cooperation procedures to ensure the effective calculation of the positions at the group level.

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3. In calculating the positions referred to in paragraph 1, the non-financial counterparty shall include all the OTC derivative contracts entered into by the non-financial counterparty or by other non-financial entities within the group to which the non-financial counterparty belongs, which are not objectively measurable as reducing risks directly relating to the commercial activity or treasury financing activity of the non-financial counterparty or of that group.

4. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards, after consulting the ESRB and other relevant authorities, specifying:

(a) criteria for establishing which OTC derivative contracts are objectively measurable as reducing risks directly relating to the commercial activity or treasury financing activity referred to in paragraph 3; and

(b) values of the clearing thresholds, which are determined taking into account the systemic relevance of the sum of net positions and exposures per counterparty and per class of OTC derivatives.

After conducting an open public consultation, ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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After consulting the ESRB and other relevant authorities, ESMA shall periodically review the clearing thresholds referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph and, where necessary taking into account, in particular, the interconnectedness of financial counterparties, propose to amend the regulatory technical standards in accordance with this paragraph.

That periodic review shall be accompanied by a report by ESMA on the subject.

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5. Each Member State shall designate an authority responsible for ensuring that the obligation under paragraph 1 is met.

Article 11

Risk-mitigation techniques for OTC derivative contracts not cleared by a CCP

1. Financial counterparties and non-financial counterparties that enter into an OTC derivative contract not cleared by a CCP, shall ensure, exercising due diligence, that appropriate procedures and arrangements are in place to measure, monitor and mitigate operational risk and counterparty credit risk, including at least:

(a) the timely confirmation, where available, by electronic means, of the terms of the relevant OTC derivative contract;

(b) formalised processes which are robust, resilient and auditable in order to reconcile portfolios, to manage the associated risk and to identify disputes between parties early and resolve them, and to monitor the value of outstanding contracts.

2. Financial counterparties and non-financial counterparties referred to in Article 10 shall mark-to-market on a daily basis the value of outstanding contracts. Where market conditions prevent marking-to-market, reliable and prudent marking-to-model shall be used.

3. Financial counterparties shall have risk-management procedures that require the timely, accurate and appropriately segregated exchange of collateral with respect to OTC derivative contracts that are entered into on or after 16 August 2012. Non-financial counterparties referred to in Article 10 shall have risk-management procedures that require the timely, accurate and appropriately segregated exchange of collateral with respect to OTC derivative contracts that are entered into on or after the clearing threshold is exceeded.

4. Financial counterparties shall hold an appropriate and proportionate amount of capital to manage the risk not covered by appropriate exchange of collateral.

5. The requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article shall not apply to an intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3 that is entered into by counterparties which are established in the same Member State provided that there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between counterparties.

6. An intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3(2)(a), (b) or (c) that is entered into by counterparties which are established in different Member States shall be exempt totally or partially from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article, on the basis of a positive decision of both the relevant competent authorities, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the risk-management procedures of the counterparties are adequately sound, robust and consistent with the level of complexity of the derivative transaction;

(b) there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

If the competent authorities fail to reach a positive decision within 30 calendar days of receipt of the application for exemption, ESMA may assist those authorities in reaching agreement in accordance with its powers under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

7. An intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3(1) that is entered into by non-financial counterparties which are established in different Member States shall be exempt from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the risk-management procedures of the counterparties are adequately sound, robust and consistent with the level of complexity of the derivative transaction;

(b) there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

The non-financial counterparties shall notify their intention to apply the exemption to the competent authorities referred to in Article 10(5). The exemption shall be valid unless either of the notified competent authorities does not agree upon fulfilment of the conditions referred to in point (a) or (b) of the first subparagraph within three months of the date of the notification.

8. An intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3(2)(a) to (d) that is entered into by a counterparty which is established in the Union and a counterparty which is established in a third-country jurisdiction shall be exempt totally or partially from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article, on the basis of a positive decision of the relevant competent authority responsible for supervision of the counterparty which is established in the Union, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the risk-management procedures of the counterparties are adequately sound, robust and consistent with the level of complexity of the derivative transaction;

(b) there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

9. An intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3(1) that is entered into by a non-financial counterparty which is established in the Union and a counterparty which is established in a third-country jurisdiction shall be exempt from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the risk-management procedures of the counterparties are adequately sound, robust and consistent with the level of complexity of the derivative transaction;

(b) there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

The non-financial counterparty shall notify its intention to apply the exemption to the competent authority referred to in Article 10(5). The exemption shall be valid unless the notified competent authority does not agree upon fulfilment of the conditions referred to in point (a) or (b) of the first subparagraph within three months of the date of notification.

10. An intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3(1) that is entered into by a non-financial counterparty and a financial counterparty which are established in different Member States shall be exempt totally or partially from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article, on the basis of a positive decision of the relevant competent authority responsible for supervision of the financial counterparty, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the risk-management procedures of the counterparties are adequately sound, robust and consistent with the level of complexity of the derivative transaction;

(b) there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

The relevant competent authority responsible for supervision of the financial counterparty shall notify any such decision to the competent authority referred to in Article 10(5). The exemption is valid unless the notified competent authority does not agree upon fulfilment of the conditions referred to in point (a) or (b) of the first subparagraph. If there is disagreement between the competent authorities, ESMA may assist those authorities in reaching an agreement in accordance with its powers under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

11. The counterparty of an intragroup transaction which has been exempted from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 shall publicly disclose information on the exemption.

A competent authority shall notify ESMA of any decision adopted pursuant to paragraph 6, 8 or 10, or any notification received pursuant to paragraph 7, 9 or 10, and shall provide ESMA with the details of the intragroup transaction concerned.

12. The obligations set out in paragraphs 1 to 11 shall apply to OTC derivative contracts entered into between third country entities that would be subject to those obligations if they were established in the Union, provided that those contracts have a direct, substantial and foreseeable effect within the Union or where such obligation is necessary or appropriate to prevent the evasion of any provision of this Regulation.

13. ESMA shall regularly monitor the activity in derivatives not eligible for clearing in order to identify cases where a particular class of derivatives may pose systemic risk and to prevent regulatory arbitrage between cleared and non-cleared derivative transactions. In particular, ESMA shall, after consulting the ESRB, take action in accordance with Article 5(3) or review the regulatory technical standards on margin requirements laid down in paragraph 14 of this Article and in Article 41.

14. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall draft regulatory technical standards specifying:

(a) the procedures and arrangements referred to in paragraph 1;

(b) the market conditions that prevent marking-to-market and the criteria for using marking-to-model referred to in paragraph 2;

(c) the details of the exempted intragroup transactions to be included in the notification referred to in paragraphs 7, 9 and 10;

(d) the details of the information on exempted intragroup transactions referred to in paragraph 11;

(e) the contracts that are considered to have a direct, substantial and foreseeable effect within the Union or the cases where it is necessary or appropriate to prevent the evasion of any provision of this Regulation as referred to in paragraph 12;

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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15. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, the ESAs shall develop common draft regulatory technical standards specifying:

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(a) the risk-management procedures, including the levels and type of collateral and segregation arrangements referred to in paragraph 3;

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(aa) the supervisory procedures to ensure initial and ongoing validation of those risk-management procedures;

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(b) the procedures for the counterparties and the relevant competent authorities to be followed when applying exemptions under paragraphs 6 to 10;

(c) the applicable criteria referred to in paragraphs 5 to 10 including in particular what is to be considered as a practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds and repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

The level and type of collateral required with respect to OTC derivative contracts that are concluded by covered bond entities in connection with a covered bond, or by a securitisation special purpose entity in connection with a securitisation within the meaning of this Regulation and meeting the conditions of Article 4(5) of this Regulation and the requirements set out in Article 18, and in Articles 19 to 22 or 23 to 26 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2402 (the Securitisation Regulation) shall be determined taking into account any impediments faced in exchanging collateral with respect to existing collateral arrangements under the covered bond or securitisation.

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The ESAs shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards, except for those referred to in point (aa) of the first subparagraph, to the Commission by 18 July 2018.

EBA, in cooperation with ESMA and EIOPA, shall submit the draft regulatory technical standards referred to in point (aa) of the first subparagraph to the Commission by 18 June 2020.

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Depending on the legal nature of the counterparty, power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulations (EU) No 1093/2010, (EU) No 1094/2010 or (EU) No 1095/2010.

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Article 12

Penalties

1. Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the rules under this Title and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. Those penalties shall include at least administrative fines. The penalties provided for shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

2. Member States shall ensure that the competent authorities responsible for the supervision of financial, and, where appropriate, non-financial counterparties disclose every penalty that has been imposed for infringements of Articles 4, 5 and 7 to 11 to the public, unless such disclosure would seriously jeopardise the financial markets or cause disproportionate damage to the parties involved. Member States shall, at regular intervals, publish assessment reports on the effectiveness of the penalty rules being applied. Such disclosure and publication shall not contain personal data within the meaning of Article 2(a) of Directive 95/46/EC.

By 17 February 2013, the Member States shall notify the rules referred to in paragraph 1 to the Commission. They shall notify the Commission of any subsequent amendment thereto without delay.

3. An infringement of the rules under this Title shall not affect the validity of an OTC derivative contract or the possibility for the parties to enforce the provisions of an OTC derivative contract. An infringement of the rules under this Title shall not give rise to any right to compensation from a party to an OTC derivative contract.

Article 13

Mechanism to avoid duplicative or conflicting rules

1. The Commission shall be assisted by ESMA in monitoring and preparing reports to the European Parliament and to the Council on the international application of principles laid down in Articles 4, 9, 10 and 11, in particular with regard to potential duplicative or conflicting requirements on market participants, and recommend possible action.

2. The Commission may adopt implementing acts declaring that the legal, supervisory and enforcement arrangements of a third country:

(a) are equivalent to the requirements laid down in this Regulation under Articles 4, 9, 10 and 11;

(b) ensure protection of professional secrecy that is equivalent to that set out in this Regulation; and

(c) are being effectively applied and enforced in an equitable and non-distortive manner so as to ensure effective supervision and enforcement in that third country.

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 86(2).

3. An implementing act on equivalence as referred to in paragraph 2 shall imply that counterparties entering into a transaction subject to this Regulation shall be deemed to have fulfilled the obligations contained in Articles 4, 9, 10 and 11 where at least one of the counterparties is established in that third country.

4. The Commission shall, in cooperation with ESMA, monitor the effective implementation by third countries, for which an implementing act on equivalence has been adopted, of the requirements equivalent to those laid down in Articles 4, 9, 10 and 11 and regularly report, at least on an annual basis, to the European Parliament and the Council. Where the report reveals an insufficient or inconsistent application of the equivalent requirements by third country authorities, the Commission shall, within 30 calendar days of the presentation of the report, withdraw the recognition as equivalent of the third country legal framework in question. Where an implementing act on equivalence is withdrawn, counterparties shall automatically be subject again to all requirements laid down in this Regulation.







TITLE III

AUTHORISATION AND SUPERVISION OF CCPs







CHAPTER 1

Conditions and procedures for the authorisation of a CCP

Article 14

Authorisation of a CCP

1. Where a legal person established in the Union intends to provide clearing services as a CCP, it shall apply for authorisation to the competent authority of the Member State where it is established (the CCP’s competent authority), in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 17.

2. Once authorisation has been granted in accordance with Article 17, it shall be effective for the entire territory of the Union.

3. Authorisation referred to in paragraph 1 shall be granted only for activities linked to clearing and shall specify the services or activities which the CCP is authorised to provide or perform including the classes of financial instruments covered by such authorisation.

4. A CCP shall comply at all times with the conditions necessary for authorisation.

A CCP shall, without undue delay, notify the competent authority of any material changes affecting the conditions for authorisation.

5. Authorisation referred to in paragraph 1 shall not prevent Member States from adopting or continuing to apply, in respect of CCPs established in their territory, additional requirements including certain requirements for authorisation under Directive 2006/48/EC.

Article 15

Extension of activities and services

1. A CCP wishing to extend its business to additional services or activities not covered by the initial authorisation shall submit a request for extension to the CCP’s competent authority. The offering of clearing services for which the CCP has not already been authorised shall be considered to be an extension of that authorisation.

The extension of authorisation shall be made in accordance with the procedure set out under Article 17.

2. Where a CCP wishes to extend its business into a Member State other than that where it is established, the CCP’s competent authority shall immediately notify the competent authority of that other Member State.

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3. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall, in cooperation with the ESCB, develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the conditions under which additional services or activities to which a CCP wishes to extend its business are not covered by the initial authorisation and therefore require an extension of authorisation in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article and also specifying the procedure for consulting the college established in accordance with Article 18 on whether or not those conditions are met.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 2 January 2021.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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Article 16

Capital requirements

1. A CCP shall have a permanent and available initial capital of at least EUR 7,5 million to be authorised pursuant to Article 14.

2. A CCP’s capital, including retained earnings and reserves, shall be proportionate to the risk stemming from the activities of the CCP. It shall at all times be sufficient to ensure an orderly winding-down or restructuring of the activities over an appropriate time span and an adequate protection of the CCP against credit, counterparty, market, operational, legal and business risks which are not already covered by specific financial resources as referred to in Articles 41 to 44.

3. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, EBA shall, in close cooperation with the ESCB and after consulting ESMA, develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying requirements regarding the capital, retained earnings and reserves of a CCP referred to in paragraph 2.

EBA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010.

Article 17

Procedure for granting and refusing authorisation

1. The applicant CCP shall submit an application for authorisation to the competent authority of the Member State where it is established.

2. The applicant CCP shall provide all information necessary to satisfy the competent authority that the applicant CCP has established, at the time of authorisation, all the necessary arrangements to meet the requirements laid down in this Regulation. The competent authority shall immediately transmit all the information received from the applicant CCP to ESMA and the college referred to in Article 18(1).

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3. Within 30 working days of receipt of the application, the competent authority shall assess whether the application is complete. Where the application is not complete, the competent authority shall set a deadline by which the applicant CCP has to provide additional information. Upon receipt of such additional information, the competent authority shall immediately transmit it to ESMA and the college established in accordance with Article 18(1). After assessing that an application is complete, the competent authority shall notify the applicant CCP and the members of the college and ESMA accordingly.

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4. The competent authority shall grant authorisation only where it is fully satisfied that the applicant CCP complies with all the requirements laid down in this Regulation and that the CCP is notified as a system pursuant to Directive 98/26/EC.

The competent authority shall duly consider the opinion of the college reached in accordance with Article 19. Where the CCP’s competent authority does not agree with a positive opinion of the college, its decision shall contain full reasons and an explanation of any significant deviation from that positive opinion.

The CCP shall not be authorised where all the members of the college, excluding the authorities of the Member State where the CCP is established, reach a joint opinion by mutual agreement, pursuant to Article 19(1), that the CCP not be authorised. That opinion shall state in writing the full and detailed reasons why the college consider that the requirements laid down in this Regulation or other Union law are not met.

Where a joint opinion by mutual agreement as referred to in the third subparagraph has not been reached and a majority of two-thirds of the college have expressed a negative opinion, any of the competent authorities concerned, based on that majority of two-thirds of the college, may, within 30 calendar days of the adoption of that negative opinion, refer the matter to ESMA in accordance with Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

The referral decision shall state in writing the full and detailed reasons why the relevant members of the college consider that the requirements laid down in this Regulation or other parts of Union law are not met. In that case the CCP’s competent authority shall defer its decision on authorisation and await any decision on authorisation that ESMA may take in accordance with Article 19(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010, The competent authority shall take its decision in conformity with ESMA’s decision. The matter shall not be referred to ESMA after the end of the 30-day period referred to in the fourth subparagraph.

Where all the members of the college, excluding the authorities of the Member State where the CCP is established, reach a joint opinion by mutual agreement, pursuant to Article 19(1), that the CCP not be authorised, the CCP’s competent authority may refer the matter to ESMA in accordance with Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

The competent authority of the Member State where the CCP is established shall transmit the decision to the other competent authorities concerned.

5. ESMA shall act in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 in the event that the CCP’s competent authority has not applied the provisions of this Regulation, or has applied them in a way which appears to be in breach of Union law.

ESMA may investigate an alleged breach or non-application of Union law upon request from any member of the college or on its own initiative, after having informed the competent authority.

6. While performing their duties, any action taken by any member of the college shall not, directly or indirectly, discriminate against any Member State or group of Member States as a venue for clearing services in any currency.

7. Within six months of the submission of a complete application, the competent authority shall inform the applicant CCP in writing, with a fully reasoned explanation, whether authorisation has been granted or refused.

Article 18

College

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1. Within 30 calendar days of the submission of a complete application in accordance with Article 17, the CCP's competent authority shall establish, manage and chair a college to facilitate the exercise of the tasks referred to in Articles 15, 17, 30, 31, 32, 35, 49, 51 and 54.

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2. The college shall consist of:

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(a) the Chair or any of the independent members of the CCP Supervisory Committee referred to in points (a) and (b) of Article 24a(2);

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(b) the CCP’s competent authority;

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(c) the competent authorities responsible for the supervision of the clearing members of the CCP which are established in the three Member States with the largest contributions to the default fund of the CCP referred to in Article 42 of this Regulation on an aggregate basis over a one-year period, including, where relevant, the ECB in the framework of the tasks concerning the prudential supervision of credit institutions within the single supervisory mechanism conferred upon it in accordance with Council Regulation (EU) No 1024/2013 ( 14 );

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(ca) the competent authorities responsible for the supervision of clearing members of the CCP, other than those referred to in point (c), subject to the consent of the CCP's competent authority. Those competent authorities shall request the consent of the CCP's competent authority to participate in the college, justifying the request based on their assessment of the impact that the CCP's financial distress could have on the financial stability of their respective Member State. Where the CCP's competent authority does not grant the request, it shall provide full and detailed reasons in writing;

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(d) the competent authorities responsible for the supervision of trading venues served by the CCP;

(e) the competent authorities supervising CCPs with which interoperability arrangements have been established;

(f) the competent authorities supervising central securities depositories to which the CCP is linked;

(g) the relevant members of the ESCB responsible for the oversight of the CCP and the relevant members of the ESCB responsible for the oversight of the CCPs with which interoperability arrangements have been established;

(h) the central banks of issue of the most relevant Union currencies of the financial instruments cleared;

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(i) the central banks of issue of the Union currencies of the financial instruments cleared or to be cleared by the CCP other than those referred to in point (h), subject to the consent of the CCP's competent authority. Those central banks of issue shall request the consent of the CCP's competent authority to participate in the college, justifying the request based on their assessment of the impact that the CCP's financial distress could have on their respective currency of issue. Where the CCP's competent authority does not grant the request, the CCP's competent authority shall provide full and detailed reasons in writing.

The CCP's competent authority shall publish on its website a list of the members of the college. That list shall be updated by the CCP's competent authority without undue delay after any change to the composition of the college. The CCP's competent authority shall notify that list to ESMA within 30 calendar days of the college's establishment or change in its composition. Upon reception of the notification by the CCP's competent authority, ESMA shall publish on its website without undue delay the list of the members of that college.

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3. The competent authority of a Member State which is not a member of the college may request from the college any information relevant for the performance of its supervisory duties.

4. The college shall, without prejudice to the responsibilities of competent authorities under this Regulation, ensure:

(a) the preparation of the opinion referred to in Article 19;

(b) the exchange of information, including requests for information pursuant to Article 84;

(c) agreement on the voluntary entrustment of tasks among its members;

(d) the coordination of supervisory examination programmes based on a risk assessment of the CCP; and

(e) the determination of procedures and contingency plans to address emergency situations, as referred to in Article 24.

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In order to facilitate the performance of the tasks assigned to colleges pursuant to the first subparagraph, members of the college referred to in paragraph 2 shall be entitled to contribute to the setting of the agenda of the college meetings, in particular by adding points to the agenda of a meeting.

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5. The establishment and functioning of the college shall be based on a written agreement between all its members.

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That agreement shall determine the practical arrangements for the functioning of the college, including detailed rules on:

(i) voting procedures as referred to in Article 19(3);

(ii) the procedures for setting the agenda of college meetings;

(iii) the frequency of the college meetings;

(iv) the format and scope of the information to be provided by the CCP's competent authority to the college members, especially with regard to the information to be provided in accordance with Article 21(4);

(v) the appropriate minimum timeframes for the assessment of the relevant documentation by the college members;

(vi) the modalities of communication between college members;

The agreement may also determine tasks to be entrusted to the CCP's competent authority or another member of the college.

6. In order to ensure the consistent and coherent functioning of colleges across the Union, ESMA shall, in cooperation with the ESCB, develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the conditions under which the Union currencies referred to in point (h) of paragraph 2 are to be considered as the most relevant and the details of the practical arrangements referred to in paragraph 5.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 2 January 2021.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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Article 19

Opinion of the college

1. Within four months of the submission of a complete application by the CCP in accordance with Article 17, the CCP’s competent authority shall conduct a risk assessment of the CCP and submit a report to the college.

Within 30 calendar days of receipt, and on the basis of the findings in, that report, the college shall reach a joint opinion determining whether the applicant CCP complies with all the requirements laid down in this Regulation.

Without prejudice to the fourth subparagraph of Article 17(4) and if no joint opinion is reached in accordance with the second subparagraph, the college shall adopt a majority opinion within the same period.

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1a. Where the college gives an opinion pursuant to this Regulation, at the request of any member of the college and upon adoption by a majority of the college in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article, that opinion may include, in addition to the determination of whether the CCP complies with this Regulation, recommendations aimed at addressing shortcomings in the CCP's risk management and increasing its resilience.

Where the college may give an opinion, any central bank of issue, which is a member of the college pursuant to points (h) and (i) of Article 18(2), may adopt recommendations relating to the currency it issues.

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2. ESMA shall facilitate the adoption of the joint opinion in accordance with its general coordination function under Article 31 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

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3. A majority opinion of the college shall be adopted on the basis of a simple majority of its members.

For colleges up to and including 12 members, a maximum of two college members belonging to the same Member State shall have a vote and each voting member, shall have one vote. For colleges with more than 12 members, a maximum of three members belonging to the same Member State shall have a vote and each voting member shall have one vote.

Where the ECB is a member of the college pursuant to points (c) and (h) of Article 18(2), it shall have two votes.

The members of the college referred to in points (a), (ca) and (i) of Article 18(2) shall have no voting rights on the opinions of the college.

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4. Without prejudice to the procedure prescribed in Article 17, the competent authority shall duly consider the opinion of the college reached in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article, including any possible recommendations aimed at addressing shortcomings in the CCP's risk management and increasing its resilience. Where the CCP's competent authority does not agree with an opinion of the college, including any recommendations contained therein aimed at addressing shortcomings in the CCP's risk management procedures and increasing its resilience, its decision shall contain full reasons and an explanation of any significant deviation from that opinion or recommendations.

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Article 20

Withdrawal of authorisation

1. Without prejudice to Article 22(3), the CCP’s competent authority shall withdraw authorisation where the CCP:

(a) has not made use of the authorisation within 12 months, expressly renounces the authorisation or has provided no services or performed no activity for the preceding six months;

(b) has obtained authorisation by making false statements or by any other irregular means;

(c) is no longer in compliance with the conditions under which authorisation was granted and has not taken the remedial action requested by the CCP’s competent authority within a set time frame;

(d) has seriously and systematically infringed any of the requirements laid down in this Regulation.

2. Where the CCP’s competent authority considers that one of the circumstances referred to in paragraph 1 applies, it shall, within five working days, notify ESMA and the members of college accordingly.

3. The CCP’s competent authority shall consult the members of the college on the necessity to withdraw the authorisation of the CCP, except where a decision is required urgently.

4. Any member of the college may, at any time, request that the CCP’s competent authority examine whether the CCP remains in compliance with the conditions under which authorisation was granted.

5. The CCP’s competent authority may limit the withdrawal to a particular service, activity, or class of financial instruments.

6. The CCP’s competent authority shall send ESMA and the members of the college its fully reasoned decision, which shall take into account the reservations of the members of the college.

7. The decision on the withdrawal of authorisation shall take effect throughout the Union.

Article 21

Review and evaluation

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1. Without prejudice to the role of the college, the competent authorities referred to in Article 22 shall review the arrangements, strategies, processes and mechanisms implemented by CCPs to comply with this Regulation and evaluate the risks, including at least financial and operational risks, to which CCPs are, or might be, exposed.

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2. The review and evaluation referred to in paragraph 1 shall cover all the requirements on CCPs laid down in this Regulation.

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3. The competent authorities shall establish the frequency and depth of the review and evaluation referred to in paragraph 1, having particular regard to the size, systemic importance, nature, scale, complexity of the activities and interconnectedness with other financial market infrastructures of the CCPs concerned. The review and evaluation shall be updated at least on an annual basis.

CCPs shall be subject to on-site inspections. Upon ESMA's request, competent authorities may invite ESMA staff to participate in on-site inspections.

The competent authority may forward to ESMA any information received from the CCPs during or in relation to on-site inspections.

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4. The competent authorities shall regularly, and at least annually, inform the college of the results of the review and evaluation as referred to in paragraph 1, including any remedial action taken or penalty imposed.

5. The competent authorities shall require any CCP that does not meet the requirements laid down in this Regulation to take the necessary action or steps at an early stage to address the situation.

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6. By 2 January 2021, in order to ensure consistency in the format, frequency and depth of the review carried out by the national competent authorities in accordance with this Article, ESMA shall issue guidelines in accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 to specify further, in a manner that is appropriate to the size, the structure and the internal organisation of CCPs and the nature, scope and complexity of their activities, the common procedures and methodologies for the supervisory review and evaluation process referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 and in the first subparagraph of paragraph 3 of this Article.

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CHAPTER 2

Supervision and oversight of CCPs

Article 22

Competent authority

1. Each Member State shall designate the competent authority responsible for carrying out the duties resulting from this Regulation for the authorisation and supervision of CCPs established in its territory and shall inform the Commission and ESMA thereof.

Where a Member State designates more than one competent authority, it shall clearly determine the respective roles and shall designate a single authority to be responsible for coordinating cooperation and the exchange of information with the Commission, ESMA, other Member States’ competent authorities, EBA and the relevant members of the ESCB, in accordance with Articles 23, 24, 83 and 84.

2. Each Member State shall ensure that the competent authority has the supervisory and investigatory powers necessary for the exercise of its functions.

3. Each Member State shall ensure that appropriate administrative measures, in conformity with national law, can be taken or imposed against the natural or legal persons responsible for non-compliance with this Regulation.

Those measures shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive and may include requests for remedial action within a set time frame.

4. ESMA shall publish on its website a list of the competent authorities designated in accordance with paragraph 1.







CHAPTER 3

Cooperation

Article 23

Cooperation between authorities

1. Competent authorities shall cooperate closely with each other, with ESMA and, if necessary, with the ESCB.

2. Competent authorities shall, in the exercise of their general duties, duly consider the potential impact of their decisions on the stability of the financial system in all other Member States concerned, in particular the emergency situations referred to in Article 24, based on the available information at the time.

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Article 23a

Supervisory cooperation between competent authorities and ESMA with regards to authorised CCPs

1. ESMA shall fulfil a coordination role between competent authorities and across colleges with a view to building a common supervisory culture and consistent supervisory practices, ensuring uniform procedures and consistent approaches, and strengthening consistency in supervisory outcomes, especially with regard to supervisory areas which have a cross-border dimension or a possible cross-border impact.

2. Competent authorities shall submit their draft decisions to ESMA before adopting any act or measure pursuant to Articles 7, 8, 14, 15, 29 to 33, 35, 36 and 54.

Competent authorities may also submit draft decisions to ESMA before adopting any other act or measure in accordance with their duties under Article 22(1).

3. Within 20 working days of receipt of a draft decision submitted in accordance with paragraph 2 in relation to a specific Article ESMA shall provide an opinion on that draft decision to the competent authority where necessary to promote a consistent and coherent application of that Article.

Where the draft decision submitted to ESMA in accordance with paragraph 2 shows a lack of convergence or coherence in the application of this Regulation, ESMA shall issue guidelines or recommendations to promote the necessary consistency or coherence in the application of this Regulation pursuant to Article 16 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

4. Where ESMA adopts an opinion in accordance with paragraph 3, the competent authority shall give it due consideration and shall inform ESMA of any subsequent action or inaction thereto. Where the competent authority does not agree with an opinion of ESMA, it shall provide comments to ESMA on any significant deviation from that opinion.

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Article 24

Emergency situations

The CCP's competent authority or any other relevant authority shall inform ESMA, the college, the relevant members of the ESCB and other relevant authorities without undue delay of any emergency situation relating to a CCP, including developments in financial markets, which may have an adverse effect on market liquidity, the transmission of monetary policy, the smooth operation of payment systems or the stability of the financial system in any of the Member States where the CCP or one of its clearing members are established.

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CHAPTER 3A

CCP Supervisory Committee

Article 24a

CCP Supervisory Committee

1. ESMA shall establish a permanent internal committee pursuant to Article 41 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 for the purposes of preparing draft decisions for adoption by the Board of Supervisors and carrying out the tasks set out in paragraphs 7, 9 and 10 of this Article (‘CCP Supervisory Committee’).

2. The CCP Supervisory Committee shall be composed of:

(a) the Chair, who shall be voting;

(b) two independent members, who shall be voting;

(c) the competent authorities of Member States referred to in Article 22 of this Regulation with an authorised CCP, who shall be voting; where a Member State has designated several competent authorities, each of the designated competent authorities of this Member State may decide to appoint one representative for the purposes of participation pursuant to this point, however, for the voting procedures set out in Article 24c, the representatives of the respective Member State shall together be considered as one voting member;

(d) The following central banks of issue:

(i) where the CCP Supervisory Committee convenes in relation to third-country CCPs, in respect of the preparation of all decisions pertaining to Articles referred to in paragraph 10 of this Article in relation to Tier 2 CCPs and to Article 25(2a), the central banks of issue referred to in point (f) of Article 25(3) that have requested membership of the CCP Supervisory Committee, who shall be non-voting;

(ii) where the CCP Supervisory Committee convenes in relation to CCPs authorised in accordance with Article 14, in the context of discussions pertaining to point (b) and subpoint (iv) of point (c) of paragraph 7 of this Article, the central banks of issue of the Union currencies of the financial instruments cleared by authorised CCPs that have requested membership of the CCP Supervisory Committee, who shall be non-voting.

Membership for the purpose of subpoints (i) and (ii) shall be granted automatically upon a one-off written request addressed to the Chair.

3. The Chair may invite as observers to the meetings of the CCP Supervisory Committee, where appropriate and necessary, members of the colleges referred to in Article 18.

4. Meetings of the CCP Supervisory Committee shall be convened by its Chair at his or her own initiative or at the request of any of its voting members. The CCP Supervisory Committee shall meet at least five times a year.

5. The Chair and the independent members of the CCP Supervisory Committee shall be full-time, independent professionals. They shall be appointed by the Board of Supervisors on the basis of merit, skills, knowledge of clearing, post-trading, pru