2011/542/EU: Council Implementing Decision of 2 September 2011 amending Implementing Decision 2011/77/EU on granting Union financial assistance to Ireland

16.9.2011 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 240/11
COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING DECISION
of 2 September 2011
amending Implementing Decision 2011/77/EU on granting Union financial assistance to Ireland
(2011/542/EU)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EU) No 407/2010 of 11 May 2010 establishing a European financial stabilisation mechanism (1), and in particular Article 3(2) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Whereas:
(1) Upon a request by Ireland, the Council granted financial assistance to it (Implementing Decision 2011/77/EU (2)) in support of a strong economic and financial reform programme aiming at restoring confidence, enabling the return of the economy to sustainable growth, and safeguarding financial stability in Ireland, the euro area and the Union.
(2) In line with Article 3(9) of Implementing Decision 2011/77/EU, the Commission, together with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and in liaison with the European Central Bank (ECB), has conducted the third review of the Irish authorities’ progress on the implementation of the agreed measures as well as of the effectiveness and economic and social impact of the agreed measures.
(3) Under the Commission’s current projections for nominal GDP growth (1,1 % in 2011, 2,8 % in 2012 and 3,8 % in 2013), the fiscal adjustment path is in line with the Council Recommendation to Ireland of 7 December 2010 pursuant to Article 126(7) of the Treaty and is consistent with a path for the debt-to-GDP ratio of 109,9 % in 2011, 116,2 % in 2012 and 119,4 % in 2013. The debt to GDP ratio would peak in 2013 and be placed on a declining path thereafter, assuming further progress in the reduction of the deficit. Debt dynamics are affected by several below-the-line operations, including capital injection into banks in 2011 with net debt-increasing effect of around 6 percentage points of GDP, an assumption to maintain high cash reserves, and differences between accrued and cash interest payments.
(4) The Irish authorities have indicated that there are very realistic prospects, based on the results of the Liability Management Exercises (LME) conducted thus far, to secure a further EUR 0,51 billion private sector-contribution to the recapitalisation of Bank of Ireland by 31 December 2011. In light of the already large public cost of the bank recapitalisation, and given the conservative approach used to determine Bank of Ireland’s recapitalisation need, it is now deemed unnecessary and indeed inappropriate for Ireland to inject that amount of EUR 0,51 billion in advance of the completion of further private sector-contributions in order to meet the programme deadline, as doing so would result in higher than needed fiscal cost and an unnecessarily high capital adequacy ratio for Bank of Ireland once the proceeds from the further private sector-contribution become available. The deadline for the completion of this part of the recapitalisation of Bank of Ireland has been reset to end 2011.
(5) In light of these developments, Implementing Decision 2011/77/EU should be amended,