Article 48 Systems resilience, circuit breakers and electronic trading
1. Member States shall require a regulated market to have in place effective systems, procedures and arrangements to ensure its trading systems are resilient, have sufficient capacity to deal with peak order and message volumes, are able to ensure orderly trading under conditions of severe market stress, are fully tested to ensure such conditions are met and are subject to effective business continuity arrangements to ensure continuity of its services if there is any failure of its trading systems. 2. Member States shall require a regulated market to have in place: (a) written agreements with all investment firms pursuing a market making strategy on the regulated market; (b) schemes to ensure that a sufficient number of investment firms participate in such agreements which require them to post firm quotes at competitive prices with the result of providing liquidity to the market on a regular and predictable basis, where such a requirement is appropriate to the nature and scale of the trading on that regulated market. 3. The written agreement referred to in paragraph 2 shall at least specify: (a) the obligations of the investment firm in relation to the provision of liquidity and where applicable any other obligation arising from participation in the scheme referred to in paragraph 2(b); (b) any incentives in terms of rebates or otherwise offered by the regulated market to an investment firm so as to provide liquidity to the market on a regular and predictable basis and, where applicable, any other rights accruing to the investment firm as a result of participation in the scheme referred to in paragraph 2(b). The regulated market shall monitor and enforce compliance by investment firms with the requirements of such binding written agreements. The regulated market shall inform the competent authority about the content of the binding written agreement and shall, upon request, provide all further information to the competent authority necessary to enable the competent authority to satisfy itself of compliance by the regulated market with this paragraph. 4. Member States shall require a regulated market to have in place effective systems, procedures and arrangements to reject orders that exceed pre-determined volume and price thresholds or are clearly erroneous. 5. Member States shall require a regulated market to be able to temporarily halt or constrain trading if there is a significant price movement in a financial instrument on that market or a related market during a short period and, in exceptional cases, to be able to cancel, vary or correct any transaction. Member States shall require a regulated market to ensure that the parameters for halting trading are appropriately calibrated in a way which takes into account the liquidity of different asset classes and sub-classes, the nature of the market model and types of users and is sufficient to avoid significant disruptions to the orderliness of trading. Member States shall ensure that a regulated market reports the parameters for halting trading and any material changes to those parameters to the competent authority in a consistent and comparable manner, and that the competent authority shall in turn report them to ESMA. Member States shall require that where a regulated market which is material in terms of liquidity in that financial instrument halts trading, in any Member State, that trading venue has the necessary systems and procedures in place to ensure that it will notify competent authorities in order for them to coordinate a market-wide response and determine whether it is appropriate to halt trading on other venues on which the financial instrument is traded until trading resumes on the original market. 6. Member States shall require a regulated market to have in place effective systems, procedures and arrangements, including requiring members or participants to carry out appropriate testing of algorithms and providing environments to facilitate such testing, to ensure that algorithmic trading systems cannot create or contribute to disorderly trading conditions on the market and to manage any disorderly trading conditions which do arise from such algorithmic trading systems, including systems to limit the ratio of unexecuted orders to transactions that may be entered into the system by a member or participant, to be able to slow down the flow of orders if there is a risk of its system capacity being reached and to limit and enforce the minimum tick size that may be executed on the market. 7. Member States shall require a regulated market that permits direct electronic access to have in place effective systems procedures and arrangements to ensure that members or participants are only permitted to provide such services if they are investment firms authorised under this Directive or credit institutions authorised under Directive 2013/36/EU, that appropriate criteria are set and applied regarding the suitability of persons to whom such access may be provided and that the member or participant retains responsibility for orders and trades executed using that service in relation to the requirements of this Directive. Member States shall also require that the regulated market set appropriate standards regarding risk controls and thresholds on trading through such access and is able to distinguish and if necessary to stop orders or trading by a person using direct electronic access separately from other orders or trading by the member or participant. The regulated market shall have arrangements in place to suspend or terminate the provision of direct electronic access by a member or participant to a client in the case of non-compliance with this paragraph. 8. Member States shall require a regulated market to ensure that its rules on co-location services are transparent, fair and non-discriminatory. 9. Member States shall require that a regulated market ensure that its fee structures including execution fees, ancillary fees and any rebates are transparent, fair and non-discriminatory and that they do not create incentives to place, modify or cancel orders or to execute transactions in a way which contributes to disorderly trading conditions or market abuse. In particular, Member States shall require a regulated market to impose market making obligations in individual shares or a suitable basket of shares in exchange for any rebates that are granted. Member States shall allow a regulated market to adjust its fees for cancelled orders according to the length of time for which the order was maintained and to calibrate the fees to each financial instrument to which they apply. Member States may allow a regulated market to impose a higher fee for placing an order that is subsequently cancelled than an order which is executed and to impose a higher fee on participants placing a high ratio of cancelled orders to executed orders and on those operating a high-frequency algorithmic trading technique in order to reflect the additional burden on system capacity. 10. Member States shall require a regulated market to be able to identify, by means of flagging from members or participants, orders generated by algorithmic trading, the different algorithms used for the creation of orders and the relevant persons initiating those orders. That information shall be available to competent authorities upon request. 11. Member States shall require that upon request by the competent authority of the home Member State of a regulated market, regulated markets make available to the competent authority data relating to the order book or give the competent authority access to the order book so that it is able to monitor trading. 12. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards further specifying: (a) the requirements to ensure trading systems of regulated markets are resilient and have adequate capacity; (b) the ratio referred to in paragraph 6, taking into account factors such as the value of unexecuted orders in relation to the value of executed transactions; (c) the controls concerning direct electronic access in such a way as to ensure that the controls applied to sponsored access are at least equivalent to those applied to direct market access; (d) the requirements to ensure that co-location services and fee structures are fair and non-discriminatory and that fee structures do not create incentives for disorderly trading conditions or market abuse; (e) the determination of where a regulated market is material in terms of liquidity in that financial instrument; (f) the requirements to ensure that market making schemes are fair and non-discriminatory and to establish minimum market making obligations that regulated markets must provide for when designing a market making scheme and the conditions under which the requirement to have in place a market making scheme is not appropriate, taking into account the nature and scale of the trading on that regulated market, including whether the regulated market allows for or enables algorithmic trading to take place through its systems; (g) the requirements to ensure appropriate testing of algorithms so as to ensure that algorithmic trading systems including high-frequency algorithmic trading systems cannot create or contribute to disorderly trading conditions on the market. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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. 13. ESMA shall, by 3 January 2016, develop guidelines on the appropriate calibration of trading halts under paragraph 5, taking into account the factors referred to in that paragraph.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 1.1. Reasons for and objectives of the proposal EU Member States have been severely affected by the economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This calls for a quick reaction to support capital markets participants. In the Communication of the Commission of 13 March 2020, entitled ‘Coordinated economic response to the COVID-19 outbreak’, the Commission highlighted the importance of ensuring the liquidity of the EU financial sector and countering a threatening recession through actions at all levels. Furthermore, on 27 May 2020, in its Communication entitled ‘Europe’s moment: Repair and Prepare for the Next Generation’ , the Commission presented key instruments supporting the recovery plan for Europe, including measures that aim at kick-starting the economy and helping private investment. This Communication also stressed that liquidity and access to finance will be a continued challenge for companies. The objective of this targeted amendment is to provide for the best possible conditions for European economies to emerge from the current COVID-19 pandemic. The rules on investments services can play a key role in promoting the recapitalisation of European companies as they emerge from the crisis. The modified commodities regime will allow companies in the real economy to react to market volatility while also enabling nascent commodity contracts, which is also important to promote the international role of the Euro. The present review is driven by two key objectives: · Facilitating investments in the real economy and · Allowing for a rapid recapit alisation of European companies. To ensure that financial institutions and intermediaries can fulfil their essential function in financing the real economy, targeted adjustments of certain requirements of Directive 2014/65/EU (‘MiFID II’) are appropriate. Already in 2019, stakeholders had warned the Commission that several aspects of the MiFID II distribution rules were either unnecessary or perceived as overly burdensome. The current COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more important to remove formal burdens where they are not strictly necessary. A more finely calibrated view of investor requirements would also leave more resources for dealing with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission therefore strives to recalibrate those areas to strike the right balance between a sufficient level of transparency towards the client, the highest standards of protection and acceptable compliance costs for firms. In that context, this amendment to MiFID II applying to investments in financial instrument has the aim of removing administrative burdens that result from documentation and disclosure rules that are not counterbalanced by corresponding increases in investor protection. It also recalibrates the position limit and corresponding hedging exemption regime to foster nascent euro denominated markets. 
Revised version (Article 48 Systems resilience, circuit breakers and electronic trading):
1. Member States shall require a regulated market to have in place effective systems, procedures and arrangements to ensure its trading systems are resilient, have sufficient capacity to deal with peak order and message volumes, are able to ensure orderly trading under conditions of severe market stress, are fully tested to ensure such conditions are met and are subject to effective business continuity arrangements to ensure continuity of its services if there is any failure of its trading systems. 2. Member States shall require a regulated market to have in place: (a) written agreements with all investment firms pursuing a market making strategy on the regulated market; (b) schemes to ensure that a sufficient number of investment firms participate in such agreements which require them to post firm quotes at competitive prices with the result of providing liquidity to the market on a regular and predictable basis, where such a requirement is appropriate to the nature and scale of the trading on that regulated market. Member States shall require a regulated market to have in place: (a) written agreements with all investment firms pursuing a market making strategy on the regulated market; (b) schemes to ensure that a sufficient number of investment firms participate in such agreements which require them to post firm quotes at competitive prices with the result of providing liquidity to the market on a regular and predictable basis, where such a requirement is appropriate to the nature and scale of the trading on that regulated market. The written agreement referred to in paragraph 2 shall at least specify: (a) the obligations of the investment firm in relation to the provision of liquidity and where applicable any other obligation arising from participation in the scheme referred to in paragraph 2(b); (b) any incentives in terms of rebates or otherwise offered by the regulated market to an investment firm so as to provide liquidity to the market on a regular and predictable basis and, where applicable, any other rights accruing to the investment firm as a result of participation in the scheme referred to in paragraph 2(b). The regulated market shall monitor and enforce compliance by investment firms with the requirements of such binding written agreements. The regulated market shall inform the competent authority about the content of the binding written agreement and shall, upon request, provide all further information to the competent authority necessary to enable the competent authority to satisfy itself of compliance by the regulated market with this paragraph. 4. Member States shall require a regulated market to have in place effective systems, procedures and arrangements to reject orders that exceed pre-determined volume and price thresholds or are clearly erroneous. 5. Member States shall require a regulated market to be able to temporarily halt or constrain trading if there is a significant price movement in a financial instrument on that market or a related market during a short period and, in exceptional cases, to be able to cancel, vary or correct any transaction. Member States shall require a regulated market to ensure that the parameters for halting trading are appropriately calibrated in a way which takes into account the liquidity of different asset classes and sub-classes, the nature of the market model and types of users and is sufficient to avoid significant disruptions to the orderliness of trading. Member States shall ensure that a regulated market reports the parameters for halting trading and any material changes to those parameters to the competent authority in a consistent and comparable manner, and that the competent authority shall in turn report them to ESMA. Member States shall require that where a regulated market which is material in terms of liquidity in that financial instrument halts trading, in any Member State, that trading venue has the necessary systems and procedures in place to ensure that it will notify competent authorities in order for them to coordinate a market-wide response and determine whether it is appropriate to halt trading on other venues on which the financial instrument is traded until trading resumes on the original market. 6. Member States shall require a regulated market to have in place effective systems, procedures and arrangements, including requiring members or participants to carry out appropriate testing of algorithms and providing environments to facilitate such testing, to ensure that algorithmic trading systems cannot create or contribute to disorderly trading conditions on the market and to manage any disorderly trading conditions which do arise from such algorithmic trading systems, including systems to limit the ratio of unexecuted orders to transactions that may be entered into the system by a member or participant, to be able to slow down the flow of orders if there is a risk of its system capacity being reached and to limit and enforce the minimum tick size that may be executed on the market. 7. Member States shall require a regulated market that permits direct electronic access to have in place effective systems procedures and arrangements to ensure that members or participants are only permitted to provide such services if they are investment firms authorised under this Directive or credit institutions authorised under Directive 2013/36/EU, that appropriate criteria are set and applied regarding the suitability of persons to whom such access may be provided and that the member or participant retains responsibility for orders and trades executed using that service in relation to the requirements of this Directive. Member States shall also require that the regulated market set appropriate standards regarding risk controls and thresholds on trading through such access and is able to distinguish and if necessary to stop orders or trading by a person using direct electronic access separately from other orders or trading by the member or participant. The regulated market shall have arrangements in place to suspend or terminate the provision of direct electronic access by a member or participant to a client in the case of non-compliance with this paragraph. 8. Member States shall require a regulated market to ensure that its rules on co-location services are transparent, fair and non-discriminatory. 9. Member States shall require that a regulated market ensure that its fee structures including execution fees, ancillary fees and any rebates are transparent, fair and non-discriminatory and that they do not create incentives to place, modify or cancel orders or to execute transactions in a way which contributes to disorderly trading conditions or market abuse. In particular, Member States shall require a regulated market to impose market making obligations in individual shares or a suitable basket of shares in exchange for any rebates that are granted. Member States shall allow a regulated market to adjust its fees for cancelled orders according to the length of time for which the order was maintained and to calibrate the fees to each financial instrument to which they apply. Member States may allow a regulated market to impose a higher fee for placing an order that is subsequently cancelled than an order which is executed and to impose a higher fee on participants placing a high ratio of cancelled orders to executed orders and on those operating a high-frequency algorithmic trading technique in order to reflect the additional burden on system capacity. 10. Member States shall require a regulated market to be able to identify, by means of flagging from members or participants, orders generated by algorithmic trading, the different algorithms used for the creation of orders and the relevant persons initiating those orders. That information shall be available to competent authorities upon request. 11. Member States shall require that upon request by the competent authority of the home Member State of a regulated market, regulated markets make available to the competent authority data relating to the order book or give the competent authority access to the order book so that it is able to monitor trading. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards further specifying: (a) the requirements to ensure trading systems of regulated markets are resilient and have adequate capacity; (b) the ratio referred to in paragraph 6, taking into account factors such as the value of unexecuted orders in relation to the value of executed transactions; (c) the controls concerning direct electronic access in such a way as to ensure that the controls applied to sponsored access are at least equivalent to those applied to direct market access; (d) the requirements to ensure that co-location services and fee structures are fair and non-discriminatory and that fee structures do not create incentives for disorderly trading conditions or market abuse; (e) the determination of where a regulated market is material in terms of liquidity in that financial instrument; (f) the requirements to ensure that market making schemes are fair and non-discriminatory and to establish minimum market making obligations that regulated markets must provide for when designing a market making scheme and the conditions under which the requirement to have in place a market making scheme is not appropriate, taking into account the nature and scale of the trading on that regulated market, including whether the regulated market allows for or enables algorithmic trading to take place through its systems; (g) the requirements to ensure appropriate testing of algorithms so as to ensure that algorithmic trading systems including high-frequency algorithmic trading systems cannot create or contribute to disorderly trading conditions on the market. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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. 13. ESMA shall, by 3 January 2016, develop guidelines on the appropriate calibration of trading halts under paragraph 5, taking into account the factors referred to in that paragraph.
Article 49 Tick sizes
1. Member States shall require regulated markets to adopt tick size regimes in shares, depositary receipts, exchange-traded funds, certificates and other similar financial instruments and in any other financial instrument for which regulatory technical standards are developed in accordance with paragraph 4. 2. The tick size regimes referred to in paragraph 1 shall: (a) be calibrated to reflect the liquidity profile of the financial instrument in different markets and the average bid-ask spread, taking into account the desirability of enabling reasonably stable prices without unduly constraining further narrowing of spreads; (b) adapt the tick size for each financial instrument appropriately. 3. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify minimum tick sizes or tick size regimes for specific shares, depositary receipts, exchange-traded funds, certificates, and other similar financial instruments where necessary to ensure the orderly functioning of markets, in accordance with the factors in paragraph 2 and the price, spreads and depth of liquidity of the financial instruments. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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. 4. ESMA may develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify minimum tick sizes or tick size regimes for specific financial instruments other than those listed in paragraph 3 where necessary to ensure the orderly functioning of markets, in accordance with the factors in paragraph 2 and the price, spreads and depth of liquidity of the financial instruments. ESMA shall submit any such draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 January 2016.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 1.1. Reasons for and objectives of the proposal EU Member States have been severely affected by the economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This calls for a quick reaction to support capital markets participants. In the Communication of the Commission of 13 March 2020, entitled ‘Coordinated economic response to the COVID-19 outbreak’, the Commission highlighted the importance of ensuring the liquidity of the EU financial sector and countering a threatening recession through actions at all levels. Furthermore, on 27 May 2020, in its Communication entitled ‘Europe’s moment: Repair and Prepare for the Next Generation’ , the Commission presented key instruments supporting the recovery plan for Europe, including measures that aim at kick-starting the economy and helping private investment. This Communication also stressed that liquidity and access to finance will be a continued challenge for companies. The objective of this targeted amendment is to provide for the best possible conditions for European economies to emerge from the current COVID-19 pandemic. The rules on investments services can play a key role in promoting the recapitalisation of European companies as they emerge from the crisis. The modified commodities regime will allow companies in the real economy to react to market volatility while also enabling nascent commodity contracts, which is also important to promote the international role of the Euro. The present review is driven by two key objectives: · Facilitating investments in the real economy and · Allowing for a rapid recapit alisation of European companies. To ensure that financial institutions and intermediaries can fulfil their essential function in financing the real economy, targeted adjustments of certain requirements of Directive 2014/65/EU (‘MiFID II’) are appropriate. Already in 2019, stakeholders had warned the Commission that several aspects of the MiFID II distribution rules were either unnecessary or perceived as overly burdensome. The current COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more important to remove formal burdens where they are not strictly necessary. A more finely calibrated view of investor requirements would also leave more resources for dealing with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission therefore strives to recalibrate those areas to strike the right balance between a sufficient level of transparency towards the client, the highest standards of protection and acceptable compliance costs for firms. In that context, this amendment to MiFID II applying to investments in financial instrument has the aim of removing administrative burdens that result from documentation and disclosure rules that are not counterbalanced by corresponding increases in investor protection. It also recalibrates the position limit and corresponding hedging exemption regime to foster nascent euro denominated markets. 
Revised version (Article 49 Tick sizes):
1. Member States shall require regulated markets to adopt tick‐size regimes in shares, depositary receipts, exchange‐traded funds, certificates and other similar financial instruments and in any other financial instrument for which regulatory technical standards are developed in accordance with paragraph 4. The application of tick sizes shall not prevent regulated markets from matching orders large in scale at mid‐point within the current bid and offer prices. 2. The tick size regimes referred to in paragraph 1 shall: (a) be calibrated to reflect the liquidity profile of the financial instrument in different markets and the average bid-ask spread, taking into account the desirability of enabling reasonably stable prices without unduly constraining further narrowing of spreads; (b) adapt the tick size for each financial instrument appropriately. The tick size regimes referred to in paragraph 1 shall: (a) be calibrated to reflect the liquidity profile of the financial instrument in different markets and the average bid-ask spread, taking into account the desirability of enabling reasonably stable prices without unduly constraining further narrowing of spreads; (b) adapt the tick size for each financial instrument appropriately. 3. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify minimum tick sizes or tick size regimes for specific shares, depositary receipts, exchange-traded funds, certificates, and other similar financial instruments where necessary to ensure the orderly functioning of markets, in accordance with the factors in paragraph 2 and the price, spreads and depth of liquidity of the financial instruments. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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. 4. ESMA may develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify minimum tick sizes or tick size regimes for specific financial instruments other than those listed in paragraph 3 where necessary to ensure the orderly functioning of markets, in accordance with the factors in paragraph 2 and the price, spreads and depth of liquidity of the financial instruments. ESMA shall submit any such draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 January 2016.
Article 50 Synchronisation of business clocks
1. Member States shall require that all trading venues and their members or participants synchronise the business clocks they use to record the date and time of any reportable event. 2. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify the level of accuracy to which clocks are to be synchronised in accordance with international standards. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal Political context This proposal is part of the Listing Act package, a set of measures to make public markets more attractive to EU companies and facilitate access to capital for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). It is in line with the main aim of the Capital Markets Union (CMU) to improve access to market-based sources of financing for EU companies at each stage of their development, including for smaller companies. Listed companies, including those recently listed, often outpace privately owned companies in terms of annual revenue growth and job creation . 1 By listing on public markets, companies can diversify their investor base, reduce their dependency on bank financing, gain easier and cheaper access to additional equity capital and debt finance (through secondary offers), raise their public profile and increase brand recognition . Since the publication of the first CMU action plan in 2015, progress has been made to make it easier and cheaper for companies, in particular SMEs, to access public markets. In January 2018, the Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (MiFID II) 2 introduced a new category of multilateral trading facilities (MTFs), the SME growth markets 3 , to incentivise SMEs access to capital markets. In 2019, new EU rules were put forward under Regulation (EU) 2019/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council 4 (SME Listing Act) reduce the regulatory burden for companies listing on SME growth markets, while preserving a high level of investor protection and market integrity. Nevertheless, despite this progress, stakeholders argue that further regulatory action is needed to streamline the listing process and make it more flexible for issuers. The new CMU action plan adopted in September 2020 announced that ‘in order to promote and diversify small and innovative companies’ access to funding, the Commission will seek to simplify the listing rules for public markets’. Following up on this and building on the 2019 SME Listing Act, the Commission set up a Technical Expert Stakeholder Group (TESG) on SMEs that confirmed stakeholders’ views that further legislative action is needed to support listing of companies, especially of SMEs. In its final report 5 of May 2021, the TESG made 12 recommendations to a mend the listing framework both on regulated markets, and SME growth markets. On 15 September 2021, President Von der Leyen announced in her letter of intent 6 addressed to the Parliament and the Presidency of the Council a legislative proposal to facilitate SMEs’ access to capital, which has been included in the 2022 Commission work programme. 7 A company’s decision to list is complex and is influenced by a multitude of factors, many of which are outside the reach of regulators and therefore cannot be addressed directly by legislation. For instance, the factors that affect the cost of listing services, and more broadly geopolitical instability, Brexit, COVID-19, and inflation, have all had (and may continue to have) an impact on the decision to list, when to list, and whether to remain listed in the EU. Regulatory requirements and the associated costs and burden, however, are also a major factor in a company’s decision to list and remain listed. The Listing Act package presents a targeted set of measures aiming to: (i) reduce the regulatory burden where it is considered to be excessive (i.e. where regulation could contribute to investor protection/market integrity in a more cost efficient manner for stakeholders); (ii) and increase the flexibility given under company law to companies founders or controlling shareholders to choose how to distribute voting rights after the admission to trading of shares. The regulatory framework applying to the listing process is multifaceted. Companies must comply with regulatory requirements before, during and after the initial public offering (IPO). The proposed Directive is accompanied by two other legislative proposals, all forming part of the Listing Act package: (i) a proposal for a Regulation amending the Prospectus Regulation and Market Abuse Regulation, which aims to streamline and clarify listing requirements applying on primary and secondary markets, while maintaining an appropriate level of investor protection and market integrity; and (ii) a proposal for a Directive on multiple-vote share structures, which aims to address the regulatory barriers that emerge at the pre-IPO phase and, in particular, the unequal opportunities of companies across the EU to choose the appropriate governance structures when listing. Reason for the proposal Listed companies, especially SMEs, need to make themselves known to possible investors: the current low level of investment research on such issuers, driven by many underpinning factors, leads to their low visibility and scarce investors’ interest, further limiting the liquidity for the already listed companies. Under MiFID II and Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 8 w here the investment research is provided by third parties to investment firms in connexion with execution/brokerage services , it is not regarded as an inducement if it is received in return for: (i) a direct payment by the investment firm out of its own resources; or (ii) a payment from a separate research payment account controlled by the firm and subject to several conditions (known as “unbundling rules”). After a few years of application, the success of the unbundling rules is contestable. The unbundling rules seem to have met some of the objectives, including to better manage the conflicts of interest, to limit the over production of research on very liquid shares and to improve transparency of the costs associated to the provision of research. However, these rules have not contributed to growth of independent investment research providers. On the contrary, further to the introduction of the unbundling rules, independent research became unsustainable due to low prices charged by some larger research providers. Evidence further suggests that the unbundling rules might have impaired the overall availability of research, especially for small and medium capitalisation companies, and led to a shrinking market research infrastructure, which is detrimental to a competitive and diversified analysts’ market. EU brokers, that had in the past provided SME research as part of their “bundled” investment services, scaled back SME capacities following their decision not to pass the costs of research to their clients. The listed small and medium capitalisation companies segment was particularly affected because bundled payments allowed payments for research on large companies to be used for research on small and midcap companies. Overall, several surveys show that the SME coverage has significantly shrunk or even disappeared altogether in the years after the unbundling rules took effect. The consequence was further concentration in the “unbundled” research market and a reduction in the diversity and breadth of the research on offer. While the unbundling rules were designed to break the nexus between brokerage commissions and investment research as well as to create a “price” for investment research, unbundling has not actually allowed to independently price research and has also not opened up this market to independent (non-brokerage) providers. Most importantly, the unbundling rules have not prevented the negative trend in small and medium capitalisation companies research coverage and have not led to the emergence of independent, SME focused research providers. In 2021, the unbundling rules were first amended, as part of a more general effort under the CMRP 9 to help the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis which forced companies to rely more heavily on debt, weakening their funding structures. In circumstances, where companies needed urgent re-capitalisation, the need for more visibility of EU companies, in particular small and medium capitalisation companies , was considered fundamental and the implicit cost of not having the research coverage even higher. In that context, the CMRP, applicable since 28 February 2022, sought to improve the small and medium capitalisation companies ’ research coverage 10 by providing an exemption from the unbundling rules for investment research covering issuers whose market capitalisation does not exceed EUR 1 billion for the period of 36 months preceding the provision of the research, hence allowing in such cases for a joint payment for trade execution and research. Nevertheless, while this measure was widely welcomed, it did not sufficiently address the problem. As many investment firms and brokers offer services to companies of a varying size (and capitalisation), including those exceeding the capitalisation of EUR 1 billion set out in the CMRP, these investment firms and brokers decided against introducing two parallel systems for research invoicing, maintaining the unbundled approach for all clients. Therefore, the amendment in the CMRP did not fully reach its objective to support the production of the small and medium capitalisation companies research and a further legislative review in this context would be necessary. In addition to amendments to the research unbundling regime, the proposal introduces a limited number of amendments to the legislative framework governing the SME growth market, a category of MTFs, created under MiFID II to raise SMEs visibility and profile as well as to aid the development of common regulatory standards in the EU for markets specialised in SMEs. 11 Finally, the proposal also seeks to repeal the Listing Directive. The Listing Directive, a minimum harmonisation directive adopted in 2001, provided the basis for listing on EU markets before the adoption of the Prospectus Directive 12 and the Transparency Directive 13 , that have subsequently replaced most of the provisions harmonising the conditions for the provision of information regarding requests for the admission of securities to listing and the information on securities admitted to trading. MiFID introduced the notion ‘admission of financial instruments to trading on a regulated market’. ESMA’s Securities Markets Standing Committee analysis on the implementation of the Listing Directive found that many Member States are not applying any longer the concepts used in the Listing Directive in national law. 14 Moreover, those Member States that still apply such concepts under national law have a rather broad discretion to deviate from the rules set out in the Listing Directive to take into account specific local market conditions. Currently the two concepts ‘admission to official listing’ and ‘admission to trading on a regulated market’ are often used interchangeably in some Member States. The dual regime of admission to trading, on the one hand, and admission to official listing, on the other hand, could lead to legal uncertainty at EU level, in particular, due to the fact that the requirements on transparency and market abuse, that seek to protect investors and ensure market integrity, are not currently applied to instruments admitted to official listing, while those requirements apply to instruments admitted to trading on a regulated market. Objectives of the proposal The overall objective of this proposal is to introduce targeted adjustments to the EU rulebook in order to enhance visibility of listed companies, especially SMEs, and streamline the listing process with a view to enhancing legal clarity. The proposed targeted amendments to MiFID II seek to facilitate the development and provision of investment research on companies, especially for the small and medium capitalisation ones, and to further incentivise the attractiveness of the SME growth market regime, to ultimately ease small and medium capitalisation companies’ access to capital markets. This proposal increases the market capitalisation threshold for small and medium capitalisation companies, below which the re-bundling of trading execution fees and research fees would be possible. By increasing the current threshold of EUR 1 billion up to EUR 10 billion, the aim is to capture a broader scope of small and medium capitalisation companies, and in particular more medium size companies, that would benefit from a re-bundling regime, allowing in particular that payments for research on large companies may be used also for research on small companies”. The exemption to the unbundling regime will remove barriers to the entry to more research on small and medium capitalisation companies and globally is expected to revitalise the market for investment research. The more small and medium capitalisation companies research is made available to potential investors, the more chance those companies may have to find fundings. More investment research on those companies will bring them greater visibility and more prospect of attracting potential investors. Considering the high number of small and medium capitalisation companies in EU, it is crucial for the EU economy that those companies get access to diversified sources of fundings, including via the capital markets. Furthermore, this proposal aims to provide a framework for developing a particular type of research that is paid by the issuer (‘issuer-sponsored research’). A public consultation, exchanges with stakeholders, and different analyses, 15 showed that this type of research has developed, in particular, following the introduction of MiFID II, to compensate for the lack of the research coverage on small and medium capitalisation companies . Considering the conflicts of interest inherent in such research, it seems necessary to regulate its production to guarantee fair and accurate information for its consumers. T o promote more transparent and independent research, this proposal mandates that such research is produced following a code of conduct developed or endorsed by a market operator or a competent authority in the EU. 16 In order to make investment research labelled as issuer-sponsored research more easily accessible to the public and to promote the visibility of small and medium capitalisation companies with potential investors, the proposal mentions that Member States shall ensure that issuer s may submit the ir issuer-sponsored research to the collecti on body as defined under [Article 2 ( 2 ) of the proposal for a regulation on a European S ingle A ccess P oint ] . Once established, the European Single Access Point (ESAP), proposed by the Commission on 25 November 2021 17 and currently under interinstitutional negotiations with the EU co-legislators will provide a single point of access to public financial information on EU companies, including SMEs, and EU investment products. ESAP is designed to give EU companies, especially SMEs, greater visibility to investors and could be used to collect and disseminate issuer-sponsored research. Going forward, ESAP may be used to publish the issuers’ notifications related to issuer-sponsored research and the contents of such research. Moreover, the targeted amendments to MiFID II seek to clarify that an operator of a multilateral trading facility (MTF) can apply for a segment of the MTF to be registered as an SME growth market provided that certain requirements are complied with in respect of that segment. Furthermore, this proposal seeks to increase the harmonisation and coherence of the listing rules in the EU, in order to make the regulatory framework fit for purpose. This proposal in particular harmonises and consolidates the listing rules by repealing the Listing Directive and transferring its relevant provisions into MiFID II, in order to reduce legal uncertainty and risk of regulatory arbitrage in the EU. Those provisions concern: (i) the minimum free float requirement, which determines the portion of a company’s issued share capital that is in the hands of public investors, as opposed to company officers, directors, or shareholders that hold controlling interest; and (ii) the foreseeable market capitalisation of the shares for which admission to listing is sought or, if this cannot be assessed, the company's capital and reserves, including profit or loss, from the last financial year. The proposal also decreases the minimum free float requirement from 25% to 10% to allow for more flexibility for issuers who want to keep a large share in the company. In addition, the new minimum free float threshold of 10% will not be limited to the public in the EU/EEA. That geographical restriction of the free float requirement to the EU/EEA will not be maintained as MiFID II does not provide for such restriction for financial instruments admitted to trading.
Article 51 Admission of financial instruments to trading
1. Member States shall require that regulated markets have clear and transparent rules regarding the admission of financial instruments to trading. Those rules shall ensure that any financial instruments admitted to trading on a regulated market are capable of being traded in a fair, orderly and efficient manner and, in the case of transferable securities, are freely negotiable. 2. In the case of derivatives, the rules referred to in paragraph 1 shall ensure in particular that the design of the derivative contract allows for its orderly pricing as well as for the existence of effective settlement conditions. 3. In addition to the obligations set out in paragraphs 1 and 2, Member States shall require the regulated market to establish and maintain effective arrangements to verify that issuers of transferable securities that are admitted to trading on the regulated market comply with their obligations under Union law in respect of initial, ongoing or ad hoc disclosure obligations. Member States shall ensure that the regulated market establishes arrangements which facilitate its members or participants in obtaining access to information which has been made public under Union law. 4. Member States shall ensure that regulated markets have established the necessary arrangements to review regularly the compliance with the admission requirements of the financial instruments which they admit to trading. 5. A transferable security that has been admitted to trading on a regulated market can subsequently be admitted to trading on other regulated markets, even without the consent of the issuer and in compliance with the relevant provisions of Directive 2003/71/EC. The issuer shall be informed by the regulated market of the fact that its securities are traded on that regulated market. The issuer shall not be subject to any obligation to provide information required under paragraph 3 directly to any regulated market which has admitted the issuer’s securities to trading without its consent. 6. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards which: (a) specify the characteristics of different classes of financial instruments to be taken into account by the regulated market when assessing whether a financial instrument is issued in a manner consistent with the conditions laid down in the second subparagraph of paragraph 1 for admission to trading on the different market segments which it operates; (b) clarify the arrangements that the regulated market is required to implement so as to be considered to have fulfilled its obligation to verify that the issuer of a transferable security complies with its obligations under Union law in respect of initial, ongoing or ad hoc disclosure obligations; (c) clarify the arrangements that the regulated market has to establish pursuant to paragraph 3 in order to facilitate its members or participants in obtaining access to information which has been made public under the conditions established by Union law. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL · Reasons for and objectives of the proposal This proposal is part of a package of measures to further enable and support the potential of digital finance in terms of innovation and competition while mitigating the risks. It is in line with the Commission priorities to make Europe fit for the digital age and to build a future-ready economy that works for the people. The digital finance package includes a new Strategy on digital finance for the EU financial sector 1 with the aim to ensure that the EU embraces the digital revolution and drives it with innovative European firms in the lead, making the benefits of digital finance available to European consumers and businesses. In addition to this proposal, the package also includes a proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets 2 , a proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) 3 and a proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector 4 . The reasons for, and objectives of, the two sets of legislative measures have been set out in the explanatory memoranda of the proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for distributed ledger technology market infrastructures, proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets and proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience, respectively, and apply here as well. The particular reasons for this proposal for a directive is that, in order to provide legal certainty as regards crypto assets and achieve the objectives of strengthening digital operational resilience, it is necessary to establish a temporary exemption for multilateral trading facilities and amend or clarify certain provisions in existing EU financial services directives. · Consistency with existing provisions in the policy area This proposal, similar to the proposals for regulation it accompanies, is part of a broader ongoing work at European and international level aimed at (i) strengthening the cybersecurity in financial services and address broader operational risks, and (ii) providing a clear, proportionate and enabling EU legal framework for crypto-asset service providers. · Consistency with other Union policies As stated by President von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines, 5 and set-out in the Communication ‘Shaping Europe’s digital future’, 6 it is crucial for Europe to reap all the benefits of the digital age and to strengthen its industry and innovation capacity, within safe and ethical boundaries. As regards crypto assets, this proposal is closely linked with wider Commission policies on blockchain technology, as crypto-assets, as the main application of blockchain technologies, are inextricably linked to the promotion of blockchain technology throughout Europe. As regards operational resilience, the European strategy for data 7 sets out four pillars - data protection, fundamental rights, safety and cyber-security - as essential pre-requisites for a society empowered by the use of data. A legislative framework strengthening the digital operational resilience of the Union’s financial entities is consistent with these policy objectives. The proposal would also support policies aimed at recovering from the coronavirus, as it would ensure that increased reliance on digital finance goes hand in hand with operational resilience. Both proposals also respond to calls from the CMU High-Level Forum to establish clear rules for the use of crypto asset (recommendation 7) and to put in place new rules on cyber resilience.
Revised version (Article 51 Admission of financial instruments to trading):
1. Member States shall require that regulated markets have clear and transparent rules regarding the admission of financial instruments to trading. Those rules shall ensure that any financial instruments admitted to trading on a regulated market are capable of being traded in a fair, orderly and efficient manner and, in the case of transferable securities, are freely negotiable. 2. In the case of derivatives, the rules referred to in paragraph 1 shall ensure in particular that the design of the derivative contract allows for its orderly pricing as well as for the existence of effective settlement conditions. 3. In addition to the obligations set out in paragraphs 1 and 2, Member States shall require the regulated market to establish and maintain effective arrangements to verify that issuers of transferable securities that are admitted to trading on the regulated market comply with their obligations under Union law in respect of initial, ongoing or ad hoc disclosure obligations. Member States shall ensure that the regulated market establishes arrangements which facilitate its members or participants in obtaining access to information which has been made public under Union law. 4. Member States shall ensure that regulated markets have established the necessary arrangements to review regularly the compliance with the admission requirements of the financial instruments which they admit to trading. 5. A transferable security that has been admitted to trading on a regulated market can subsequently be admitted to trading on other regulated markets, even without the consent of the issuer and in compliance with the relevant provisions of Directive 2003/71/EC. The issuer shall be informed by the regulated market of the fact that its securities are traded on that regulated market. The issuer shall not be subject to any obligation to provide information required under paragraph 3 directly to any regulated market which has admitted the issuer’s securities to trading without its consent. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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 52 Suspension and removal of financial instruments from trading on a regulated market
1. Without prejudice to the right of the competent authority under Article 69(2) to demand suspension or removal of a financial instrument from trading, a market operator may suspend or remove from trading a financial instrument which no longer complies with the rules of the regulated market unless such suspension or removal would be likely to cause significant damage to the investors’ interests or the orderly functioning of the market. 2. Member States shall require that a market operator that suspends or removes from trading a financial instrument also suspends or removes the derivatives as referred to in points (4) to (10) of Section C of Annex I that relate or are referenced to that financial instrument where necessary to support the objectives of the suspension or removal of the underlying financial instrument. The market operator shall make public its decision on the suspension or removal of the financial instrument and of any related derivative and communicate the relevant decisions to its competent authority. The competent authority, in whose jurisdiction the suspension or removal originated, shall require that other regulated markets, MTFs, OTFs and systematic internalisers, which fall under its jurisdiction and trade the same financial instrument or derivatives as referred to in points (4) to (10) of Section C of Annex I to this Directive that relate or are referenced to that financial instrument, also suspend or remove that financial instrument or derivatives from trading, where the suspension or removal is due to suspected market abuse, a take-over bid or the non-disclosure of inside information about the issuer or financial instrument infringing Articles 7 and 17 of Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 except where such suspension or removal could cause significant damage to the investors’ interests or the orderly functioning of the market. Each notified competent authority shall communicate its decision to ESMA and other competent authorities, including an explanation if the decision was not to suspend or remove from trading the financial instrument or derivatives as referred to in points (4) to (10) of Section C of Annex I that relate or are referenced to that financial instrument. The competent authority shall immediately make public and communicate to ESMA and the competent authorities of the other Member States such a decision. The notified competent authorities of the other Member States shall require that regulated markets, other MTFs, other OTFs and systematic internalisers, which fall under their jurisdiction and trade the same financial instrument or derivatives referred to in points (4) to (10) of Section C of Annex I to this Directive that relate or are referenced to that financial instrument, also suspend or remove that financial instrument or derivatives from trading, where the suspension or removal is due to suspected market abuse, a take-over bid or the non-disclosure of inside information about the issuer or financial instrument infringing Articles 7 and 17 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 except where such suspension or removal could cause significant damage to the investors’ interests or the orderly functioning of the market. This paragraph applies also when the suspension from trading of a financial instrument or derivatives as referred to in points (4) to (10) of Section C of Annex I that relate or are referenced to that financial instrument is lifted. The notification procedure referred to in this paragraph shall also apply in the case where the decision to suspend or remove from trading a financial instrument or derivatives as referred to in points (4) to (10) of Section C of Annex I that relate or are referenced to that financial instrument is taken by the competent authority pursuant to points (m) and (n) of Article 69(2). In order to ensure that the obligation to suspend or remove from trading such derivatives is applied proportionately, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to further specify the cases in which the connection between a derivative relating or referenced to a financial instrument suspended or removed from trading and the original financial instrument implies that the derivative are also to be suspended or removed from trading, in order to achieve the objective of the suspension or removal of the underlying financial instrument. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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. 3. ESMA shall develop draft implementing technical standards to determine the format and timing of the communications and publications referred to in paragraph 2. ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 3 January 2016. 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. 4. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 89 to specify the list of circumstances constituting significant damage to the investors’ interests and the orderly functioning of the market referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2.
Article 53 Access to a regulated market
1. Member States shall require a regulated market to establish, implement and maintain transparent and non-discriminatory rules, based on objective criteria, governing access to or membership of the regulated market. 2. The rules referred to in paragraph 1 shall specify any obligations for the members or participants arising from: (a) the constitution and administration of the regulated market; (b) rules relating to transactions on the market; (c) professional standards imposed on the staff of the investment firms or credit institutions that are operating on the market; (d) the conditions established, for members or participants other than investment firms and credit institutions, under paragraph 3; (e) the rules and procedures for the clearing and settlement of transactions concluded on the regulated market. 3. Regulated markets may admit as members or participants investment firms, credit institutions authorised under Directive 2013/36/EU and other persons who: (a) are of sufficient good repute; (b) have a sufficient level of trading ability, competence and experience; (c) have, where applicable, adequate organisational arrangements; (d) have sufficient resources for the role they are to perform, taking into account the different financial arrangements that the regulated market may have established in order to guarantee the adequate settlement of transactions. 4. Member States shall ensure that, for the transactions concluded on a regulated market, members and participants are not obliged to apply to each other the obligations laid down in Articles 24, 25, 27 and 28. However, the members or participants of the regulated market shall apply the obligations provided for in Articles 24, 25, 27 and 28 with respect to their clients when they, acting on behalf of their clients, execute their orders on a regulated market. 5. Member States shall ensure that the rules on access to or membership of or participation in the regulated market provide for the direct or remote participation of investment firms and credit institutions. 6. Member States shall, without further legal or administrative requirements, allow regulated markets from other Member States to provide appropriate arrangements on their territory so as to facilitate access to and trading on those markets by remote members or participants established in their territory. The regulated market shall communicate to the competent authority of its home Member State the Member State in which it intends to provide such arrangements. The competent authority of the home Member State shall communicate that information to the Member State in which the regulated market intends to provide such arrangements within 1 month. ESMA may request access to that information in accordance with the procedure and under the conditions set out in Article 35 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010. The competent authority of the home Member State of the regulated market shall, on the request of the competent authority of the host Member State and, without undue delay, communicate the identity of the members or participants of the regulated market established in that Member State. 7. Member States shall require the market operator to communicate, on a regular basis, the list of the members or participants of the regulated market to the competent authority of the regulated market.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL · Reasons for and objectives of the proposal This proposal is part of a package of measures to further enable and support the potential of digital finance in terms of innovation and competition while mitigating the risks. It is in line with the Commission priorities to make Europe fit for the digital age and to build a future-ready economy that works for the people. The digital finance package includes a new Strategy on digital finance for the EU financial sector 1 with the aim to ensure that the EU embraces the digital revolution and drives it with innovative European firms in the lead, making the benefits of digital finance available to European consumers and businesses. In addition to this proposal, the package also includes a proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets 2 , a proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) 3 and a proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector 4 . The reasons for, and objectives of, the two sets of legislative measures have been set out in the explanatory memoranda of the proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for distributed ledger technology market infrastructures, proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets and proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience, respectively, and apply here as well. The particular reasons for this proposal for a directive is that, in order to provide legal certainty as regards crypto assets and achieve the objectives of strengthening digital operational resilience, it is necessary to establish a temporary exemption for multilateral trading facilities and amend or clarify certain provisions in existing EU financial services directives. · Consistency with existing provisions in the policy area This proposal, similar to the proposals for regulation it accompanies, is part of a broader ongoing work at European and international level aimed at (i) strengthening the cybersecurity in financial services and address broader operational risks, and (ii) providing a clear, proportionate and enabling EU legal framework for crypto-asset service providers. · Consistency with other Union policies As stated by President von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines, 5 and set-out in the Communication ‘Shaping Europe’s digital future’, 6 it is crucial for Europe to reap all the benefits of the digital age and to strengthen its industry and innovation capacity, within safe and ethical boundaries. As regards crypto assets, this proposal is closely linked with wider Commission policies on blockchain technology, as crypto-assets, as the main application of blockchain technologies, are inextricably linked to the promotion of blockchain technology throughout Europe. As regards operational resilience, the European strategy for data 7 sets out four pillars - data protection, fundamental rights, safety and cyber-security - as essential pre-requisites for a society empowered by the use of data. A legislative framework strengthening the digital operational resilience of the Union’s financial entities is consistent with these policy objectives. The proposal would also support policies aimed at recovering from the coronavirus, as it would ensure that increased reliance on digital finance goes hand in hand with operational resilience. Both proposals also respond to calls from the CMU High-Level Forum to establish clear rules for the use of crypto asset (recommendation 7) and to put in place new rules on cyber resilience.
Revised version (Article 53 Access to a regulated market):
1. Member States shall require a regulated market to establish, implement and maintain transparent and non-discriminatory rules, based on objective criteria, governing access to or membership of the regulated market. 4. Member States shall ensure that, for the transactions concluded on a regulated market, members and participants are not obliged to apply to each other the obligations laid down in Articles 24, 25, 27 and 28. However, the members or participants of the regulated market shall apply the obligations provided for in Articles 24, 25, 27 and 28 with respect to their clients when they, acting on behalf of their clients, execute their orders on a regulated market. 5. Member States shall ensure that the rules on access to or membership of or participation in the regulated market provide for the direct or remote participation of investment firms and credit institutions. 6. Member States shall, without further legal or administrative requirements, allow regulated markets from other Member States to provide appropriate arrangements on their territory so as to facilitate access to and trading on those markets by remote members or participants established in their territory. The regulated market shall communicate to the competent authority of its home Member State the Member State in which it intends to provide such arrangements. The competent authority of the home Member State shall communicate that information to the Member State in which the regulated market intends to provide such arrangements within 1 month. ESMA may request access to that information in accordance with the procedure and under the conditions set out in Article 35 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010. The competent authority of the home Member State of the regulated market shall, on the request of the competent authority of the host Member State and, without undue delay, communicate the identity of the members or participants of the regulated market established in that Member State. 7. Member States shall require the market operator to communicate, on a regular basis, the list of the members or participants of the regulated market to the competent authority of the regulated market.
Article 54 Monitoring of compliance with the rules of the regulated market and with other legal obligations
1. Member States shall require that regulated markets establish and maintain effective arrangements and procedures including the necessary resource for the regular monitoring of the compliance by their members or participants with their rules. Regulated markets shall monitor orders sent including cancellations and the transactions undertaken by their members or participants under their systems in order to identify infringements of those rules, disorderly trading conditions or conduct that may indicate behaviour that is prohibited under Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 or system disruptions in relation to a financial instrument. 2. Member States shall require the market operators of the regulated markets to immediately inform their competent authorities of significant infringements of their rules or disorderly trading conditions or conduct that may indicate behaviour that is prohibited under Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 or system disruptions in relation to a financial instrument. The competent authorities of the regulated markets shall communicate to ESMA and to the competent authorities of the other Member States the information referred to in the first subparagraph. In relation to conduct that may indicate behaviour that is prohibited under Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, a competent authority shall be convinced that such behaviour is being or has been carried out before it notifies the competent authorities of the other Member States and ESMA. 3. Member States shall require the market operator to supply the relevant information without undue delay to the authority competent for the investigation and prosecution of market abuse on the regulated market and to provide full assistance to the latter in investigating and prosecuting market abuse occurring on or through the systems of the regulated market. 4. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 89 to determine circumstances that trigger an information requirement as referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article.
Article 55 Provisions regarding CCP and clearing and settlement arrangements
1. Without prejudice to Titles III, IV or V of Regulation (EU) No 648/2012, Member States shall not prevent regulated markets from entering into appropriate arrangements with a CCP or clearing house and a settlement system of another Member State with a view to providing for the clearing and/or settlement of some or all trades concluded by market participants under their systems. 2. Without prejudice to Titles III, IV or V of Regulation (EU) No 648/2012, the competent authority of a regulated market may not oppose the use of CCP, clearing houses and/or settlement systems in another Member State except where demonstrably necessary in order to maintain the orderly functioning of that regulated market and taking into account the conditions for settlement systems established in Article 37(2) of this Directive. In order to avoid undue duplication of control, the competent authority shall take into account the oversight/supervision of the clearing and settlement system already exercised by the central banks as overseers of clearing and settlement systems or by other supervisory authorities with competence in relation to such systems.
Article 56 List of regulated markets
Each Member State shall draw up a list of the regulated markets for which it is the home Member State and shall forward that list to the other Member States and ESMA. A similar communication shall be effected in respect of each change to that list. ESMA shall publish and keep up-to-date a list of all regulated markets on its website. That list shall contain the unique code established by ESMA in accordance with Article 65(6) identifying the regulated markets for use in reports in accordance with point (g) of Article 65(1) and point (g) of Article 65(2) of this Directive and with Articles 6, 10 and 26 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014.
Article 57 Position limits and position management controls in commodity derivatives
1. Member States shall ensure that competent authorities, in line with the methodology for calculation determined by ESMA, establish and apply position limits on the size of a net position which a person can hold at all times in commodity derivatives traded on trading venues and economically equivalent OTC contracts. The limits shall be set on the basis of all positions held by a person and those held on its behalf at an aggregate group level in order to: (a) prevent market abuse; (b) support orderly pricing and settlement conditions, including preventing market distorting positions, and ensuring, in particular, convergence between prices of derivatives in the delivery month and spot prices for the underlying commodity, without prejudice to price discovery on the market for the underlying commodity. Position limits shall not apply to positions held by or on behalf of a non-financial entity and which are objectively measurable as reducing risks directly relating to the commercial activity of that non-financial entity. 2. Position limits shall specify clear quantitative thresholds for the maximum size of a position in a commodity derivative that persons can hold. 3. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to determine the methodology for calculation that competent authorities are to apply in establishing the spot month position limits and other months’ position limits for physically settled and cash settled commodity derivatives based on the characteristics of the relevant derivative. The methodology for calculation shall take into account at least the following factors: (a) the maturity of the commodity derivative contracts; (b) the deliverable supply in the underlying commodity; (c) the overall open interest in that contract and the overall open interest in other financial instruments with the same underlying commodity; (d) the volatility of the relevant markets, including substitute derivatives and the underlying commodity markets; (e) the number and size of the market participants; (f) the characteristics of the underlying commodity market, including patterns of production, consumption and transportation to market; (g) the development of new contracts. ESMA shall take into account experience regarding the position limits of investment firms or market operators operating a trading venue and of other jurisdictions. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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. 4. A competent authority shall set limits for each contract in commodity derivatives traded on trading venues based on the methodology for calculation determined by ESMA in accordance with paragraph 3. That position limit shall include economically equivalent OTC contracts. A competent authority shall review position limits where there is a significant change in deliverable supply or open interest or any other significant change on the market, based on its determination of deliverable supply and open interest and reset the position limit in accordance with the methodology for calculation developed by ESMA. 5. Competent authorities shall notify ESMA of the exact position limits they intend to set in accordance with the methodology for calculation established by ESMA under paragraph 3. Within two months following receipt of the notification, ESMA shall issue an opinion to the competent authority concerned assessing the compatibility of position limits with the objectives of paragraph 1 and with the methodology for calculation established by ESMA under paragraph 3. ESMA shall publish the opinion on its website. The competent authority concerned shall modify the position limits in accordance with ESMA’s opinion, or provide ESMA with justification why the change is considered to be unnecessary. Where a competent authority imposes limits contrary to an ESMA opinion, it shall immediately publish on its website a notice fully explaining its reasons for doing so. Where ESMA determines that a position limit is not in line with the methodology for calculation in paragraph 3, it shall take action in accordance with its powers under Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010. 6. Where the same commodity derivative is traded in significant volumes on trading venues in more than one jurisdiction, the competent authority of the trading venue where the largest volume of trading takes place (the central competent authority) shall set the single position limit to be applied on all trading in that contract. The central competent authority shall consult the competent authorities of other trading venues on which that derivative is traded in significant volumes on the single position limit to be applied and any revisions to that single position limit. Where competent authorities do not agree, they shall state in writing the full and detailed reasons why they consider that the requirements laid down in paragraph 1 are not met. 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. The competent authorities of the trading venues where the same commodity derivative is traded and the competent authorities of position holders in that commodity derivative shall put in place cooperation arrangements including exchange of relevant data with each other in order to enable the monitoring and enforcement of the single position limit. 7. ESMA shall monitor at least once a year the way competent authorities have implemented the position limits set in accordance with the methodology for calculation established by ESMA under paragraph 3. In doing so, ESMA shall ensure that a single position limit effectively applies to the same contract irrespective of where it is traded in line with paragraph 6. 8. Member States shall ensure that an investment firm or a market operator operating a trading venue which trades commodity derivatives apply position management controls. Those controls shall include at least, the powers for the trading venue to: (a) monitor the open interest positions of persons; (b) access information, including all relevant documentation, from persons about the size and purpose of a position or exposure entered into, information about beneficial or underlying owners, any concert arrangements, and any related assets or liabilities in the underlying market; (c) require a person to terminate or reduce a position, on a temporary or permanent basis as the specific case may require and to unilaterally take appropriate action to ensure the termination or reduction if the person does not comply; and (d) where appropriate, require a person to provide liquidity back into the market at an agreed price and volume on a temporary basis with the express intent of mitigating the effects of a large or dominant position. 9. The position limits and position management controls shall be transparent and non-discriminatory, specifying how they apply to persons and taking account of the nature and composition of market participants and of the use they make of the contracts submitted to trading. 10. The investment firm or market operator operating the trading venue shall inform the competent authority of the details of position management controls. The competent authority shall communicate the same information as well as the details of the position limits it has established to ESMA, which shall publish and maintain on its website a database with summaries of the position limits and position management controls. 11. The position limits of paragraph 1 shall be imposed by competent authorities pursuant to point (p) of Article 69(2). 12. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to determine: (a) the criteria and methods for determining whether a position qualifies as reducing risks directly relating to commercial activities; (b) the methods to determine when positions of a person are to be aggregated within a group; (c) the criteria for determining whether a contract is an economically equivalent OTC contract to that traded on a trading venue, referred to in paragraph 1, in a way that facilitates the reporting of positions taken in equivalent OTC contracts to the relevant competent authority as determined in Article 58(2); (d) the definition of what constitutes the same commodity derivative and significant volumes under paragraph 6 of this Article; (e) the methodology for aggregating and netting OTC and on-venue commodity derivatives positions to establish the net position for purposes of assessing compliance with the limits. Such methodologies shall establish criteria to determine which positions may be netted against one another and shall not facilitate the build-up of positions in a manner inconsistent with the objectives set out in paragraph 1 of this Article; (f) the procedure setting out how persons may apply for the exemption under the second subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article and how the relevant competent authority will approve such applications; (g) the method for calculation to determine the venue where the largest volume of trading in a commodity derivative takes place and significant volumes under paragraph 6 of this Article. Power shall be 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. 13. Competent authorities shall not impose limits which are more restrictive than those adopted pursuant to paragraph 1 except in exceptional cases where they are objectively justified and proportionate taking into account the liquidity of the specific market and the orderly functioning of that market. Competent authorities shall publish on their website the details of the more restrictive position limits they decide to impose, which shall be valid for an initial period not exceeding six months from the date of their publication on the website. The more restrictive position limits may be renewed for further periods not exceeding six months at a time if the grounds for the restriction continue to be applicable. If not renewed after that six-month period, they shall automatically expire. Where competent authorities decide to impose more restrictive position limits, they shall notify ESMA. The notification shall include a justification for the more restrictive position limits. ESMA shall, within 24 hours, issue an opinion on whether it considers that the more restrictive position limits are necessary to address the exceptional case. The opinion shall be published on ESMA’s website. Where a competent authority imposes limits contrary to an ESMA opinion, it shall immediately publish on its website a notice fully explaining its reasons for doing so. 14. Member States shall provide that competent authorities can apply their powers to impose sanctions under this Directive for the infringements of position limits set in accordance with this Article to: (a) positions held by persons situated or operating in its territory or abroad which exceed the limits on commodity derivative contracts the competent authority has set in relation to contracts on trading venues situated or operating in its territory or economically equivalent OTC contracts; (b) positions held by persons situated or operating in its territory which exceed the limits on commodity derivative contracts set by competent authorities in other Member States.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 1.1. Reasons for and objectives of the proposal EU Member States have been severely affected by the economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This calls for a quick reaction to support capital markets participants. In the Communication of the Commission of 13 March 2020, entitled ‘Coordinated economic response to the COVID-19 outbreak’, the Commission highlighted the importance of ensuring the liquidity of the EU financial sector and countering a threatening recession through actions at all levels. Furthermore, on 27 May 2020, in its Communication entitled ‘Europe’s moment: Repair and Prepare for the Next Generation’ , the Commission presented key instruments supporting the recovery plan for Europe, including measures that aim at kick-starting the economy and helping private investment. This Communication also stressed that liquidity and access to finance will be a continued challenge for companies. The objective of this targeted amendment is to provide for the best possible conditions for European economies to emerge from the current COVID-19 pandemic. The rules on investments services can play a key role in promoting the recapitalisation of European companies as they emerge from the crisis. The modified commodities regime will allow companies in the real economy to react to market volatility while also enabling nascent commodity contracts, which is also important to promote the international role of the Euro. The present review is driven by two key objectives: · Facilitating investments in the real economy and · Allowing for a rapid recapit alisation of European companies. To ensure that financial institutions and intermediaries can fulfil their essential function in financing the real economy, targeted adjustments of certain requirements of Directive 2014/65/EU (‘MiFID II’) are appropriate. Already in 2019, stakeholders had warned the Commission that several aspects of the MiFID II distribution rules were either unnecessary or perceived as overly burdensome. The current COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more important to remove formal burdens where they are not strictly necessary. A more finely calibrated view of investor requirements would also leave more resources for dealing with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission therefore strives to recalibrate those areas to strike the right balance between a sufficient level of transparency towards the client, the highest standards of protection and acceptable compliance costs for firms. In that context, this amendment to MiFID II applying to investments in financial instrument has the aim of removing administrative burdens that result from documentation and disclosure rules that are not counterbalanced by corresponding increases in investor protection. It also recalibrates the position limit and corresponding hedging exemption regime to foster nascent euro denominated markets. 
Revised version (Article 57 Position limits and position management controls in commodity derivatives):
1. Member States shall ensure that competent authorities, in line with the methodology for calculation determined by ESMA, establish and apply position limits on the size of a net position which a person can hold at all times in commodity derivatives traded on trading venues and economically equivalent OTC contracts. The limits shall be set on the basis of all positions held by a person and those held on its behalf at an aggregate group level in order to: (a) prevent market abuse; (b) support orderly pricing and settlement conditions, including preventing market distorting positions, and ensuring, in particular, convergence between prices of derivatives in the delivery month and spot prices for the underlying commodity, without prejudice to price discovery on the market for the underlying commodity. Member States shall ensure that competent authorities, in line with the methodology for calculation determined by ESMA, establish and apply position limits on the size of a net position which a person can hold at all times in commodity derivatives traded on trading venues and economically equivalent OTC contracts. The limits shall be set on the basis of all positions held by a person and those held on its behalf at an aggregate group level in order to: (a) prevent market abuse; (b) support orderly pricing and settlement conditions, including preventing market distorting positions, and ensuring, in particular, convergence between prices of derivatives in the delivery month and spot prices for the underlying commodity, without prejudice to price discovery on the market for the underlying commodity. Position limits shall not apply to positions held by or on behalf of a non-financial entity and which are objectively measurable as reducing risks directly relating to the commercial activity of that non-financial entity. 2. Position limits shall specify clear quantitative thresholds for the maximum size of a position in a commodity derivative that persons can hold. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to determine the methodology for calculation that competent authorities are to apply in establishing the spot month position limits and other months’ position limits for physically settled and cash settled commodity derivatives based on the characteristics of the relevant derivative. The methodology for calculation shall take into account at least the following factors: (a) the maturity of the commodity derivative contracts; (b) the deliverable supply in the underlying commodity; (c) the overall open interest in that contract and the overall open interest in other financial instruments with the same underlying commodity; (d) the volatility of the relevant markets, including substitute derivatives and the underlying commodity markets; (e) the number and size of the market participants; (f) the characteristics of the underlying commodity market, including patterns of production, consumption and transportation to market; (g) the development of new contracts. ESMA shall take into account experience regarding the position limits of investment firms or market operators operating a trading venue and of other jurisdictions. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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. 4. A competent authority shall set limits for each contract in commodity derivatives traded on trading venues based on the methodology for calculation determined by ESMA in accordance with paragraph 3. That position limit shall include economically equivalent OTC contracts. A competent authority shall review position limits where there is a significant change in deliverable supply or open interest or any other significant change on the market, based on its determination of deliverable supply and open interest and reset the position limit in accordance with the methodology for calculation developed by ESMA. 5. Competent authorities shall notify ESMA of the exact position limits they intend to set in accordance with the methodology for calculation established by ESMA under paragraph 3. Within two months following receipt of the notification, ESMA shall issue an opinion to the competent authority concerned assessing the compatibility of position limits with the objectives of paragraph 1 and with the methodology for calculation established by ESMA under paragraph 3. ESMA shall publish the opinion on its website. The competent authority concerned shall modify the position limits in accordance with ESMA’s opinion, or provide ESMA with justification why the change is considered to be unnecessary. Where a competent authority imposes limits contrary to an ESMA opinion, it shall immediately publish on its website a notice fully explaining its reasons for doing so. Where ESMA determines that a position limit is not in line with the methodology for calculation in paragraph 3, it shall take action in accordance with its powers under Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010. 6. Where the same commodity derivative is traded in significant volumes on trading venues in more than one jurisdiction, the competent authority of the trading venue where the largest volume of trading takes place (the central competent authority) shall set the single position limit to be applied on all trading in that contract. The central competent authority shall consult the competent authorities of other trading venues on which that derivative is traded in significant volumes on the single position limit to be applied and any revisions to that single position limit. Where competent authorities do not agree, they shall state in writing the full and detailed reasons why they consider that the requirements laid down in paragraph 1 are not met. 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. The competent authorities of the trading venues where the same commodity derivative is traded and the competent authorities of position holders in that commodity derivative shall put in place cooperation arrangements including exchange of relevant data with each other in order to enable the monitoring and enforcement of the single position limit. 7. ESMA shall monitor at least once a year the way competent authorities have implemented the position limits set in accordance with the methodology for calculation established by ESMA under paragraph 3. In doing so, ESMA shall ensure that a single position limit effectively applies to the same contract irrespective of where it is traded in line with paragraph 6. 8. Member States shall ensure that an investment firm or a market operator operating a trading venue which trades commodity derivatives apply position management controls. Those controls shall include at least, the powers for the trading venue to: (a) monitor the open interest positions of persons; (b) access information, including all relevant documentation, from persons about the size and purpose of a position or exposure entered into, information about beneficial or underlying owners, any concert arrangements, and any related assets or liabilities in the underlying market; (c) require a person to terminate or reduce a position, on a temporary or permanent basis as the specific case may require and to unilaterally take appropriate action to ensure the termination or reduction if the person does not comply; and (d) where appropriate, require a person to provide liquidity back into the market at an agreed price and volume on a temporary basis with the express intent of mitigating the effects of a large or dominant position. 9. The position limits and position management controls shall be transparent and non-discriminatory, specifying how they apply to persons and taking account of the nature and composition of market participants and of the use they make of the contracts submitted to trading. 10. The investment firm or market operator operating the trading venue shall inform the competent authority of the details of position management controls. The competent authority shall communicate the same information as well as the details of the position limits it has established to ESMA, which shall publish and maintain on its website a database with summaries of the position limits and position management controls. 11. The position limits of paragraph 1 shall be imposed by competent authorities pursuant to point (p) of Article 69(2). ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to determine: (a) the criteria and methods for determining whether a position qualifies as reducing risks directly relating to commercial activities; (b) the methods to determine when positions of a person are to be aggregated within a group; (c) the criteria for determining whether a contract is an economically equivalent OTC contract to that traded on a trading venue, referred to in paragraph 1, in a way that facilitates the reporting of positions taken in equivalent OTC contracts to the relevant competent authority as determined in Article 58(2); (d) the definition of what constitutes the same commodity derivative and significant volumes under paragraph 6 of this Article; (e) the methodology for aggregating and netting OTC and on-venue commodity derivatives positions to establish the net position for purposes of assessing compliance with the limits. Such methodologies shall establish criteria to determine which positions may be netted against one another and shall not facilitate the build-up of positions in a manner inconsistent with the objectives set out in paragraph 1 of this Article; (f) the procedure setting out how persons may apply for the exemption under the second subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article and how the relevant competent authority will approve such applications; (g) the method for calculation to determine the venue where the largest volume of trading in a commodity derivative takes place and significant volumes under paragraph 6 of this Article. Power shall be 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. 13. Competent authorities shall not impose limits which are more restrictive than those adopted pursuant to paragraph 1 except in exceptional cases where they are objectively justified and proportionate taking into account the liquidity of the specific market and the orderly functioning of that market. Competent authorities shall publish on their website the details of the more restrictive position limits they decide to impose, which shall be valid for an initial period not exceeding six months from the date of their publication on the website. The more restrictive position limits may be renewed for further periods not exceeding six months at a time if the grounds for the restriction continue to be applicable. If not renewed after that six-month period, they shall automatically expire. Where competent authorities decide to impose more restrictive position limits, they shall notify ESMA. The notification shall include a justification for the more restrictive position limits. ESMA shall, within 24 hours, issue an opinion on whether it considers that the more restrictive position limits are necessary to address the exceptional case. The opinion shall be published on ESMA’s website. Where a competent authority imposes limits contrary to an ESMA opinion, it shall immediately publish on its website a notice fully explaining its reasons for doing so. 14. Member States shall provide that competent authorities can apply their powers to impose sanctions under this Directive for the infringements of position limits set in accordance with this Article to: (a) positions held by persons situated or operating in its territory or abroad which exceed the limits on commodity derivative contracts the competent authority has set in relation to contracts on trading venues situated or operating in its territory or economically equivalent OTC contracts; (b) positions held by persons situated or operating in its territory which exceed the limits on commodity derivative contracts set by competent authorities in other Member States. Member States shall provide that competent authorities can apply their powers to impose sanctions under this Directive for the infringements of position limits set in accordance with this Article to: (a) positions held by persons situated or operating in its territory or abroad which exceed the limits on commodity derivative contracts the competent authority has set in relation to contracts on trading venues situated or operating in its territory or economically equivalent OTC contracts; (b) positions held by persons situated or operating in its territory which exceed the limits on commodity derivative contracts set by competent authorities in other Member States.
Article 58 Position reporting by categories of position holders
1. Member States shall ensure that an investment firm or a market operator operating a trading venue which trades commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof: (a) make public a weekly report with the aggregate positions held by the different categories of persons for the different commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof traded on their trading venue, specifying the number of long and short positions by such categories, changes thereto since the previous report, the percentage of the total open interest represented by each category and the number of persons holding a position in each category in accordance with paragraph 4 and communicate that report to the competent authority and to ESMA; ESMA shall proceed to a centralised publication of the information included in those reports; (b) provide the competent authority with a complete breakdown of the positions held by all persons, including the members or participants and the clients thereof, on that trading venue, at least on a daily basis. The obligation laid down in point (a) shall only apply when both the number of persons and their open positions exceed minimum thresholds. 2. Member States shall ensure that investment firms trading in commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof outside a trading venue provide the competent authority of the trading venue where the commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof are traded or the central competent authority where the commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof are traded in significant volumes on trading venues in more than one jurisdiction at least on a daily basis with a complete breakdown of their positions taken in commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof traded on a trading venue and economically equivalent OTC contracts, as well as of those of their clients and the clients of those clients until the end client is reached, in accordance with Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 and, where applicable, of Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011. 3. In order to enable monitoring of compliance with Article 57(1), Member States shall require members or participants of regulated markets, MTFs and clients of OTFs to report to the investment firm or market operator operating that trading venue the details of their own positions held through contracts traded on that trading venue at least on a daily basis, as well as those of their clients and the clients of those clients until the end client is reached. 4. Persons holding positions in a commodity derivative or emission allowance or derivative thereof shall be classified by the investment firm or market operator operating that trading venue according to the nature of their main business, taking account of any applicable authorisation, as either: (a) investment firms or credit institutions; (b) investment funds, either an undertaking for collective investments in transferable securities (UCITS) as defined in Directive 2009/65/EC, or an alternative investment fund manager as defined in Directive 2011/61/EC; (c) other financial institutions, including insurance undertakings and reinsurance undertakings as defined in Directive 2009/138/EC, and institutions for occupational retirement provision as defined in Directive 2003/41/EC; (d) commercial undertakings; (e) in the case of emission allowances or derivatives thereof, operators with compliance obligations under Directive 2003/87/EC. The reports referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 shall specify the number of long and short positions by category of persons, any changes thereto since the previous report, percent of total open interest represented by each category, and the number of persons in each category. The reports referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 and the breakdowns referred to in paragraph 2 shall differentiate between: (a) positions identified as positions which in an objectively measurable way reduce risks directly relating to commercial activities; and (b) other positions. 5. ESMA shall develop draft implementing technical standards to determine the format of the reports referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 and of the breakdowns referred to in paragraph 2. ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 3 January 2016. 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. In the case of emission allowances or derivatives thereof, the reporting shall not prejudice the compliance obligations under Directive 2003/87/EC. 6. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 89 to specify the thresholds referred to in the second subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article, having regard to the total number of open positions and their size and the total number of persons holding a position. 7. ESMA shall develop draft implementing technical standards to specify the measures to require all reports referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 to be sent to ESMA at a specified weekly time, for their centralised publication by the latter.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 1.1. Reasons for and objectives of the proposal EU Member States have been severely affected by the economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This calls for a quick reaction to support capital markets participants. In the Communication of the Commission of 13 March 2020, entitled ‘Coordinated economic response to the COVID-19 outbreak’, the Commission highlighted the importance of ensuring the liquidity of the EU financial sector and countering a threatening recession through actions at all levels. Furthermore, on 27 May 2020, in its Communication entitled ‘Europe’s moment: Repair and Prepare for the Next Generation’ , the Commission presented key instruments supporting the recovery plan for Europe, including measures that aim at kick-starting the economy and helping private investment. This Communication also stressed that liquidity and access to finance will be a continued challenge for companies. The objective of this targeted amendment is to provide for the best possible conditions for European economies to emerge from the current COVID-19 pandemic. The rules on investments services can play a key role in promoting the recapitalisation of European companies as they emerge from the crisis. The modified commodities regime will allow companies in the real economy to react to market volatility while also enabling nascent commodity contracts, which is also important to promote the international role of the Euro. The present review is driven by two key objectives: · Facilitating investments in the real economy and · Allowing for a rapid recapit alisation of European companies. To ensure that financial institutions and intermediaries can fulfil their essential function in financing the real economy, targeted adjustments of certain requirements of Directive 2014/65/EU (‘MiFID II’) are appropriate. Already in 2019, stakeholders had warned the Commission that several aspects of the MiFID II distribution rules were either unnecessary or perceived as overly burdensome. The current COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more important to remove formal burdens where they are not strictly necessary. A more finely calibrated view of investor requirements would also leave more resources for dealing with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission therefore strives to recalibrate those areas to strike the right balance between a sufficient level of transparency towards the client, the highest standards of protection and acceptable compliance costs for firms. In that context, this amendment to MiFID II applying to investments in financial instrument has the aim of removing administrative burdens that result from documentation and disclosure rules that are not counterbalanced by corresponding increases in investor protection. It also recalibrates the position limit and corresponding hedging exemption regime to foster nascent euro denominated markets. 
Revised version (Article 58 Position reporting by categories of position holders):
1. Member States shall ensure that an investment firm or a market operator operating a trading venue which trades commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof: (a) make public a weekly report with the aggregate positions held by the different categories of persons for the different commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof traded on their trading venue, specifying the number of long and short positions by such categories, changes thereto since the previous report, the percentage of the total open interest represented by each category and the number of persons holding a position in each category in accordance with paragraph 4 and communicate that report to the competent authority and to ESMA; ESMA shall proceed to a centralised publication of the information included in those reports; (b) provide the competent authority with a complete breakdown of the positions held by all persons, including the members or participants and the clients thereof, on that trading venue, at least on a daily basis. Member States shall ensure that an investment firm or a market operator operating a trading venue which trades commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof: (a) make public a weekly report with the aggregate positions held by the different categories of persons for the different commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof traded on their trading venue, specifying the number of long and short positions by such categories, changes thereto since the previous report, the percentage of the total open interest represented by each category and the number of persons holding a position in each category in accordance with paragraph 4 and communicate that report to the competent authority and to ESMA; ESMA shall proceed to a centralised publication of the information included in those reports; (b) provide the competent authority with a complete breakdown of the positions held by all persons, including the members or participants and the clients thereof, on that trading venue, at least on a daily basis. The obligation laid down in point (a) shall only apply when both the number of persons and their open positions exceed minimum thresholds. 2. Member States shall ensure that investment firms trading in commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof outside a trading venue provide the competent authority of the trading venue where the commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof are traded or the central competent authority where the commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof are traded in significant volumes on trading venues in more than one jurisdiction at least on a daily basis with a complete breakdown of their positions taken in commodity derivatives or emission allowances or derivatives thereof traded on a trading venue and economically equivalent OTC contracts, as well as of those of their clients and the clients of those clients until the end client is reached, in accordance with Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 and, where applicable, of Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011. 3. In order to enable monitoring of compliance with Article 57(1), Member States shall require members or participants of regulated markets, MTFs and clients of OTFs to report to the investment firm or market operator operating that trading venue the details of their own positions held through contracts traded on that trading venue at least on a daily basis, as well as those of their clients and the clients of those clients until the end client is reached. 4. Persons holding positions in a commodity derivative or emission allowance or derivative thereof shall be classified by the investment firm or market operator operating that trading venue according to the nature of their main business, taking account of any applicable authorisation, as either: (a) investment firms or credit institutions; (b) investment funds, either an undertaking for collective investments in transferable securities (UCITS) as defined in Directive 2009/65/EC, or an alternative investment fund manager as defined in Directive 2011/61/EC; (c) other financial institutions, including insurance undertakings and reinsurance undertakings as defined in Directive 2009/138/EC, and institutions for occupational retirement provision as defined in Directive 2003/41/EC; (d) commercial undertakings; (e) in the case of emission allowances or derivatives thereof, operators with compliance obligations under Directive 2003/87/EC. The reports referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 shall specify the number of long and short positions by category of persons, any changes thereto since the previous report, percent of total open interest represented by each category, and the number of persons in each category. The reports referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 and the breakdowns referred to in paragraph 2 shall differentiate between: (a) positions identified as positions which in an objectively measurable way reduce risks directly relating to commercial activities; and (b) other positions. 5. ESMA shall develop draft implementing technical standards to determine the format of the reports referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 and of the breakdowns referred to in paragraph 2. ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 3 January 2016. 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. In the case of emission allowances or derivatives thereof, the reporting shall not prejudice the compliance obligations under Directive 2003/87/EC. 6. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 89 to specify the thresholds referred to in the second subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article, having regard to the total number of open positions and their size and the total number of persons holding a position. 7. ESMA shall develop draft implementing technical standards to specify the measures to require all reports referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 to be sent to ESMA at a specified weekly time, for their centralised publication by the latter.
Article 59 Requirement for authorisation
1. Member States shall require that the provision of data reporting services described in Annex I, Section D as a regular occupation or business be subject to prior authorisation in accordance with this Section. Such authorisation shall be granted by the home Member State competent authority designated in accordance with Article 67. 2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, Member States shall allow an investment firm or a market operator operating a trading venue to operate the data reporting services of an APA, a CTP and an ARM, subject to the prior verification of their compliance with this Title. Such a service shall be included in their authorisation. 3. Member States shall register all data reporting services providers. The register shall be publicly accessible and shall contain information on the services for which the data reporting services provider is authorised. It shall be updated on a regular basis. Every authorisation shall be notified to ESMA. ESMA shall establish a list of all data reporting services providers in the Union. The list shall contain information on the services for which the data reporting services provider is authorised and it shall be updated on a regular basis. ESMA shall publish and keep up-to-date that list on its website. Where a competent authority has withdrawn an authorisation in accordance with Article 62, that withdrawal shall be published on the list for a period of 5 years. 4. Member States shall require data reporting services providers to provide their services under the supervision of the competent authority. Member States shall ensure that competent authorities keep under regular review the compliance of data reporting services providers with this Title. They shall also ensure that competent authorities monitor that data reporting services providers comply at all times with the conditions for initial authorisation established under this Title.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL · Reasons for and objectives of the proposal This proposal is part of a package of measures to further enable and support the potential of digital finance in terms of innovation and competition while mitigating the risks. It is in line with the Commission priorities to make Europe fit for the digital age and to build a future-ready economy that works for the people. The digital finance package includes a new Strategy on digital finance for the EU financial sector 1 with the aim to ensure that the EU embraces the digital revolution and drives it with innovative European firms in the lead, making the benefits of digital finance available to European consumers and businesses. In addition to this proposal, the package also includes a proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets 2 , a proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) 3 and a proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector 4 . The reasons for, and objectives of, the two sets of legislative measures have been set out in the explanatory memoranda of the proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for distributed ledger technology market infrastructures, proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets and proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience, respectively, and apply here as well. The particular reasons for this proposal for a directive is that, in order to provide legal certainty as regards crypto assets and achieve the objectives of strengthening digital operational resilience, it is necessary to establish a temporary exemption for multilateral trading facilities and amend or clarify certain provisions in existing EU financial services directives. · Consistency with existing provisions in the policy area This proposal, similar to the proposals for regulation it accompanies, is part of a broader ongoing work at European and international level aimed at (i) strengthening the cybersecurity in financial services and address broader operational risks, and (ii) providing a clear, proportionate and enabling EU legal framework for crypto-asset service providers. · Consistency with other Union policies As stated by President von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines, 5 and set-out in the Communication ‘Shaping Europe’s digital future’, 6 it is crucial for Europe to reap all the benefits of the digital age and to strengthen its industry and innovation capacity, within safe and ethical boundaries. As regards crypto assets, this proposal is closely linked with wider Commission policies on blockchain technology, as crypto-assets, as the main application of blockchain technologies, are inextricably linked to the promotion of blockchain technology throughout Europe. As regards operational resilience, the European strategy for data 7 sets out four pillars - data protection, fundamental rights, safety and cyber-security - as essential pre-requisites for a society empowered by the use of data. A legislative framework strengthening the digital operational resilience of the Union’s financial entities is consistent with these policy objectives. The proposal would also support policies aimed at recovering from the coronavirus, as it would ensure that increased reliance on digital finance goes hand in hand with operational resilience. Both proposals also respond to calls from the CMU High-Level Forum to establish clear rules for the use of crypto asset (recommendation 7) and to put in place new rules on cyber resilience.
Article 60 Scope of authorisation
1. The home Member State shall ensure that the authorisation specifies the data reporting service which the data reporting services provider is authorised to provide. A data reporting services provider seeking to extend its business to additional data reporting services shall submit a request for extension of its authorisation. 2. The authorisation shall be valid for the entire Union and shall allow a data reporting services provider to provide the services, for which it has been authorised, throughout the Union.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL · Reasons for and objectives of the proposal This proposal is part of a package of measures to further enable and support the potential of digital finance in terms of innovation and competition while mitigating the risks. It is in line with the Commission priorities to make Europe fit for the digital age and to build a future-ready economy that works for the people. The digital finance package includes a new Strategy on digital finance for the EU financial sector 1 with the aim to ensure that the EU embraces the digital revolution and drives it with innovative European firms in the lead, making the benefits of digital finance available to European consumers and businesses. In addition to this proposal, the package also includes a proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets 2 , a proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) 3 and a proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector 4 . The reasons for, and objectives of, the two sets of legislative measures have been set out in the explanatory memoranda of the proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for distributed ledger technology market infrastructures, proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets and proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience, respectively, and apply here as well. The particular reasons for this proposal for a directive is that, in order to provide legal certainty as regards crypto assets and achieve the objectives of strengthening digital operational resilience, it is necessary to establish a temporary exemption for multilateral trading facilities and amend or clarify certain provisions in existing EU financial services directives. · Consistency with existing provisions in the policy area This proposal, similar to the proposals for regulation it accompanies, is part of a broader ongoing work at European and international level aimed at (i) strengthening the cybersecurity in financial services and address broader operational risks, and (ii) providing a clear, proportionate and enabling EU legal framework for crypto-asset service providers. · Consistency with other Union policies As stated by President von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines, 5 and set-out in the Communication ‘Shaping Europe’s digital future’, 6 it is crucial for Europe to reap all the benefits of the digital age and to strengthen its industry and innovation capacity, within safe and ethical boundaries. As regards crypto assets, this proposal is closely linked with wider Commission policies on blockchain technology, as crypto-assets, as the main application of blockchain technologies, are inextricably linked to the promotion of blockchain technology throughout Europe. As regards operational resilience, the European strategy for data 7 sets out four pillars - data protection, fundamental rights, safety and cyber-security - as essential pre-requisites for a society empowered by the use of data. A legislative framework strengthening the digital operational resilience of the Union’s financial entities is consistent with these policy objectives. The proposal would also support policies aimed at recovering from the coronavirus, as it would ensure that increased reliance on digital finance goes hand in hand with operational resilience. Both proposals also respond to calls from the CMU High-Level Forum to establish clear rules for the use of crypto asset (recommendation 7) and to put in place new rules on cyber resilience.
Article 61 Procedures for granting and refusing requests for authorisation
1. The competent authority shall not grant authorisation unless and until such time as it is fully satisfied that the applicant complies with all requirements under the provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive. 2. The data reporting services provider shall provide all information, including a programme of operations setting out, inter alia, the types of services envisaged and the organisational structure, necessary to enable the competent authority to satisfy itself that the data reporting services provider has established, at the time of initial authorisation, all the necessary arrangements to meet its obligations under the provisions of this Title. 3. An applicant shall be informed, within six months of the submission of a complete application, whether or not authorisation has been granted. 4. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to determine: (a) the information to be provided to the competent authorities under paragraph 2, including the programme of operations; (b) the information included in the notifications under Article 63(3). ESMA shall submit the draft regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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. 5. ESMA shall develop draft implementing technical standards to determine standard forms, templates and procedures for the notification or provision of information provided for in paragraph 2 of this Article and in Article 63(4). ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 3 January 2016. 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.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL · Reasons for and objectives of the proposal This proposal is part of a package of measures to further enable and support the potential of digital finance in terms of innovation and competition while mitigating the risks. It is in line with the Commission priorities to make Europe fit for the digital age and to build a future-ready economy that works for the people. The digital finance package includes a new Strategy on digital finance for the EU financial sector 1 with the aim to ensure that the EU embraces the digital revolution and drives it with innovative European firms in the lead, making the benefits of digital finance available to European consumers and businesses. In addition to this proposal, the package also includes a proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets 2 , a proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) 3 and a proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector 4 . The reasons for, and objectives of, the two sets of legislative measures have been set out in the explanatory memoranda of the proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for distributed ledger technology market infrastructures, proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets and proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience, respectively, and apply here as well. The particular reasons for this proposal for a directive is that, in order to provide legal certainty as regards crypto assets and achieve the objectives of strengthening digital operational resilience, it is necessary to establish a temporary exemption for multilateral trading facilities and amend or clarify certain provisions in existing EU financial services directives. · Consistency with existing provisions in the policy area This proposal, similar to the proposals for regulation it accompanies, is part of a broader ongoing work at European and international level aimed at (i) strengthening the cybersecurity in financial services and address broader operational risks, and (ii) providing a clear, proportionate and enabling EU legal framework for crypto-asset service providers. · Consistency with other Union policies As stated by President von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines, 5 and set-out in the Communication ‘Shaping Europe’s digital future’, 6 it is crucial for Europe to reap all the benefits of the digital age and to strengthen its industry and innovation capacity, within safe and ethical boundaries. As regards crypto assets, this proposal is closely linked with wider Commission policies on blockchain technology, as crypto-assets, as the main application of blockchain technologies, are inextricably linked to the promotion of blockchain technology throughout Europe. As regards operational resilience, the European strategy for data 7 sets out four pillars - data protection, fundamental rights, safety and cyber-security - as essential pre-requisites for a society empowered by the use of data. A legislative framework strengthening the digital operational resilience of the Union’s financial entities is consistent with these policy objectives. The proposal would also support policies aimed at recovering from the coronavirus, as it would ensure that increased reliance on digital finance goes hand in hand with operational resilience. Both proposals also respond to calls from the CMU High-Level Forum to establish clear rules for the use of crypto asset (recommendation 7) and to put in place new rules on cyber resilience.
Article 62 Withdrawal of authorisations
The competent authority may withdraw the authorisation issued to a data reporting services provider where the provider: (a) does not make use of the authorisation within 12 months, expressly renounces the authorisation or has provided no data reporting services for the preceding six months, unless the Member State concerned has provided for authorisation to lapse in such cases; (b) has obtained the authorisation by making false statements or by any other irregular means; (c) no longer meets the conditions under which authorisation was granted; (d) has seriously and systematically infringed the provisions of this Directive or of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL · Reasons for and objectives of the proposal This proposal is part of a package of measures to further enable and support the potential of digital finance in terms of innovation and competition while mitigating the risks. It is in line with the Commission priorities to make Europe fit for the digital age and to build a future-ready economy that works for the people. The digital finance package includes a new Strategy on digital finance for the EU financial sector 1 with the aim to ensure that the EU embraces the digital revolution and drives it with innovative European firms in the lead, making the benefits of digital finance available to European consumers and businesses. In addition to this proposal, the package also includes a proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets 2 , a proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) 3 and a proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector 4 . The reasons for, and objectives of, the two sets of legislative measures have been set out in the explanatory memoranda of the proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for distributed ledger technology market infrastructures, proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets and proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience, respectively, and apply here as well. The particular reasons for this proposal for a directive is that, in order to provide legal certainty as regards crypto assets and achieve the objectives of strengthening digital operational resilience, it is necessary to establish a temporary exemption for multilateral trading facilities and amend or clarify certain provisions in existing EU financial services directives. · Consistency with existing provisions in the policy area This proposal, similar to the proposals for regulation it accompanies, is part of a broader ongoing work at European and international level aimed at (i) strengthening the cybersecurity in financial services and address broader operational risks, and (ii) providing a clear, proportionate and enabling EU legal framework for crypto-asset service providers. · Consistency with other Union policies As stated by President von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines, 5 and set-out in the Communication ‘Shaping Europe’s digital future’, 6 it is crucial for Europe to reap all the benefits of the digital age and to strengthen its industry and innovation capacity, within safe and ethical boundaries. As regards crypto assets, this proposal is closely linked with wider Commission policies on blockchain technology, as crypto-assets, as the main application of blockchain technologies, are inextricably linked to the promotion of blockchain technology throughout Europe. As regards operational resilience, the European strategy for data 7 sets out four pillars - data protection, fundamental rights, safety and cyber-security - as essential pre-requisites for a society empowered by the use of data. A legislative framework strengthening the digital operational resilience of the Union’s financial entities is consistent with these policy objectives. The proposal would also support policies aimed at recovering from the coronavirus, as it would ensure that increased reliance on digital finance goes hand in hand with operational resilience. Both proposals also respond to calls from the CMU High-Level Forum to establish clear rules for the use of crypto asset (recommendation 7) and to put in place new rules on cyber resilience.
Article 63 Requirements for the management body of a data reporting services provider
1. Member States shall require that all members of the management body of a data reporting services provider shall at all times be of sufficiently good repute, possess sufficient knowledge, skills and experience and commit sufficient time to perform their duties. The management body shall possess adequate collective knowledge, skills and experience to be able to understand the activities of the data reporting services provider. Each member of the management body shall act with honesty, integrity and independence of mind to effectively challenge the decisions of the senior management where necessary and to effectively oversee and monitor management decision-making where necessary. Where a market operator seeks authorisation to operate an APA, a CTP or an ARM and the members of the management body of the APA, the CTP or the ARM are the same as the members of the management body of the regulated market, those persons are deemed to comply with the requirement laid down in the first subparagraph. 2. ESMA shall, by 3 January 2016, develop guidelines for the assessment of the suitability of the members of the management body described in paragraph 1, taking into account different roles and functions carried out by them and the need to avoid conflicts of interest between members of the management body and users of the APA, CTP or ARM. 3. Member States shall require the data reporting services provider to notify the competent authority of all members of its management body and of any changes to its membership, along with all information needed to assess whether the entity complies with paragraph 1. 4. Member States shall ensure that the management body of a data reporting services provider defines and oversees the implementation of the governance arrangements that ensure effective and prudent management of an organisation including the segregation of duties in the organisation and the prevention of conflicts of interest, and in a manner that promotes the integrity of the market and the interest of its clients. 5. The competent authority shall refuse authorisation if it is not satisfied that the person or the persons who shall effectively direct the business of the data reporting services provider are of sufficiently good repute, or if there are objective and demonstrable grounds for believing that proposed changes to the management of the provider pose a threat to its sound and prudent management and to the adequate consideration of the interest of its clients and the integrity of the market.
Article 64 Organisational requirements
1. The home Member State shall require an APA to have adequate policies and arrangements in place to make public the information required under Articles 20 and 21 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as close to real time as is technically possible, on a reasonable commercial basis. The information shall be made available free of charge 15 minutes after the APA has published it. The home Member State shall require the APA to be able to efficiently and consistently disseminate such information in a way that ensures fast access to the information, on a non-discriminatory basis and in a format that facilitates the consolidation of the information with similar data from other sources. 2. The information made public by an APA in accordance with paragraph 1 shall include, at least, the following details: (a) the identifier of the financial instrument; (b) the price at which the transaction was concluded; (c) the volume of the transaction; (d) the time of the transaction; (e) the time the transaction was reported; (f) the price notation of the transaction; (g) the code for the trading venue the transaction was executed on, or where the transaction was executed via a systematic internaliser the code ‘SI’ or otherwise the code ‘OTC’; (h) if applicable, an indicator that the transaction was subject to specific conditions. 3. The home Member State shall require the APA to operate and maintain effective administrative arrangements designed to prevent conflicts of interest with its clients. In particular, an APA who is also a market operator or investment firm shall treat all information collected in a non-discriminatory fashion and shall operate and maintain appropriate arrangements to separate different business functions. 4. The home Member State shall require the APA to have sound security mechanisms in place designed to guarantee the security of the means of transfer of information, minimise the risk of data corruption and unauthorised access and to prevent information leakage before publication. The APA shall maintain adequate resources and have back-up facilities in place in order to offer and maintain its services at all times. 5. The home Member State shall require the APA to have systems in place that can effectively check trade reports for completeness, identify omissions and obvious errors and request re-transmission of any such erroneous reports. 6. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to determine common formats, data standards and technical arrangements facilitating the consolidation of information as referred to in paragraph 1. ESMA shall submit the draft regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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. 7. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 89 clarifying what constitutes a reasonable commercial basis to make information public as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article. 8. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying: (a) the means by which an APA may comply with the information obligation referred to in paragraph 1; (b) the content of the information published under paragraph 1, including at least the information referred to in paragraph 2 in such a way as to enable the publication of information required under Article 64; (c) the concrete organisational requirements laid down in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015.
Article 65 Organisational requirements
1. The home Member State shall require a CTP to have adequate policies and arrangements in place to collect the information made public in accordance with Articles 6 and 20 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014, consolidate it into a continuous electronic data stream and make the information available to the public as close to real time as is technically possible, on a reasonable commercial basis. That information shall include, at least, the following details: (a) the identifier of the financial instrument; (b) the price at which the transaction was concluded; (c) the volume of the transaction; (d) the time of the transaction; (e) the time the transaction was reported; (f) the price notation of the transaction; (g) the code for the trading venue the transaction was executed on, or where the transaction was executed via a systematic internaliser the code ‘SI’ or otherwise the code ‘OTC’; (h) where applicable, the fact that a computer algorithm within the investment firm was responsible for the investment decision and the execution of the transaction; (i) if applicable, an indicator that the transaction was subject to specific conditions; (j) if the obligation to make public the information referred to in Article 3(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 was waived in accordance with point (a) or (b) of Article 4(1) of that Regulation, a flag to indicate which of those waivers the transaction was subject to. The information shall be made available free of charge 15 minutes after the CTP has published it. The home Member State shall require the CTP to be able to efficiently and consistently disseminate such information in a way that ensures fast access to the information, on a non-discriminatory basis and in formats that are easily accessible and utilisable for market participants. 2. The home Member State shall require a CTP to have adequate policies and arrangements in place to collect the information made public in accordance with Articles 10 and 21 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014, consolidate it into a continuous electronic data stream and make following information available to the public as close to real time as is technically possible, on a reasonable commercial basis including, at least, the following details: (a) the identifier or identifying features of the financial instrument; The information shall be made available free of charge 15 minutes after the CTP has published it. The home Member State shall require the CTP to be able to efficiently and consistently disseminate such information in a way that ensures fast access to the information, on a non-discriminatory basis and in generally accepted formats that are interoperable and easily accessible and utilisable for market participants. 3. The home Member State shall require the CTP to ensure that the data provided is consolidated from all the regulated markets, MTFs, OTFs and APAs and for the financial instruments specified by regulatory technical standards under point (c) of paragraph 8. 4. The home Member State shall require the CTP to operate and maintain effective administrative arrangements designed to prevent conflicts of interest. In particular, a market operator or an APA, who also operate a consolidated tape, shall treat all information collected in a non-discriminatory fashion and shall operate and maintain appropriate arrangements to separate different business functions. 5. The home Member State shall require the CTP to have sound security mechanisms in place designed to guarantee the security of the means of transfer of information and to minimise the risk of data corruption and unauthorised access. The home Member State shall require the CTP to maintain adequate resources and have back-up facilities in place in order to offer and maintain its services at all times. 6. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to determine data standards and formats for the information to be published in accordance with Articles 6, 10, 20 and 21 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014, including financial instrument identifier, price, quantity, time, price notation, venue identifier and indicators for specific conditions the transactions was subject to as well as technical arrangements promoting an efficient and consistent dissemination of information in a way ensuring for it to be easily accessible and utilisable for market participants as referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, including identifying additional services the CTP could perform which increase the efficiency of the market. ESMA shall submit the draft regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph to the Commission by 3 July 2015 in respect of information published in accordance with Articles 6 and 20 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 and by 3 July 2015 in respect of information published in accordance with Articles 10 and 21 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014. 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. 7. The Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 89 clarifying what constitutes a reasonable commercial basis to provide access to data streams as referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article. 8. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying: (a) the means by which the CTP may comply with the information obligation referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2; (b) the content of the information published under paragraphs 1 and 2; (c) the financial instruments data of which must be provided in the data stream and for non-equity instruments the trading venues and APAs which need to be included; (d) other means to ensure that the data published by different CTPs is consistent and allows for comprehensive mapping and cross-referencing against similar data from other sources, and is capable of being aggregated at Union level; (e) the concrete organisational requirements laid down in paragraphs 4 and 5. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal Broadening access to market-based sources of financing for European companies at each stage of their development is at the heart of the Capital Markets Union (CMU). Since the launch of the Capital Markets Union Action Plan, the EU has made considerable progress to increase the sources of funding as firms gradually scale up, and make market-based finance more widely available across the EU. New rules are already in place to boost EU venture capital funds’ (EuVECA) investment in start-ups and medium-sized companies. Together with the European Investment Fund, the Commission has also launched a Pan-European Venture Capital Funds-of-Funds programme (VentureEU) to boost investment in innovative start-up and scale-up companies across Europe. New rules on prospectuses have already been adopted to support companies raising money on public markets for equity and debt. For small companies and mid-caps wishing to raise money across the EU, a new EU growth prospectus is being created. In addition, to increase access to finance for start-ups and entrepreneurs, the Commission has proposed a European label for investment-based and lending-based crowdfunding platforms ('European Crowdfunding Service Providers for Business'). However, more needs to be done to develop a more conducive regulatory framework supporting access to public funding for Small and Mid-sized Enterprises ( SMEs). This should be achieved in particular by promoting the SME Growth Market label created by the Markets in Financial Instrument Directive II (MiFID II) 1 and striking the right balance between investor protection and market integrity on the one hand, and avoiding unnecessary administrative burdens on the other. In the Mid-term Review of the Capital Markets Union Action Plan 2 of June 2017, the Commission strengthened the focus on SME access to public markets. In this context, the Commission committed to publishing 'an impact assessment that will explore whether targeted amendments to relevant EU legislation could deliver a more proportionate regulatory environment to support SME listing on public markets' . Newly listed Small and Mid-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are a key motor of investment and job creation. Recently listed companies often outstrip privately-owned companies in terms of annual growth and workforce increase. Listed companies are less dependent on bank financing and benefit from a more diversified investment-base, easier access to additional equity capital and debt finance (through secondary offers), and a higher public profile and brand recognition. However, despite the benefits, EU public markets for SMEs are struggling to attract new issuers. The number of Initial Public Offerings on SME-dedicated markets steeply declined in the European Union in the wake of the crisis, and did not significantly pick up since. As a result, Europe is producing only half of the SME Initial Public Offerings that it generated before the financial crisis (478 Initial Public Offerings on average per year in 2006-2007 vs. 218 between 2009 and 2017 on EU SME MTFs). Between 2006 and 2007, an average of EUR 13.8 billion was raised annually on European SME-dedicated MTFs through Initial Public Offerings. This amount fell to EUR 2.55 billion on average from 2009 to 2017. There are many factors driving SMEs' decision to go public and investors' decision to invest in SME financial instruments. The impact assessment 3 shows that public markets for SMEs face two groups of regulatory challenges: (i) on the supply side, issuers face high compliance costs to list on public markets; (ii) on the demand side, insufficient liquidity can weigh on issuers (due to higher costs of capital), on investors (that can be reluctant to invest in SME in the first place due to low liquidity levels and related volatility risks) and on market intermediaries (whose business models rely on customers order flow in liquid markets). Scope of the initiative: SME Growth Markets This initiative is strictly confined to SME Growth Markets 4 and companies listed on those trading venues. SME Growth Markets are a new category of multilateral trading venues (MTFs) that were introduced by the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II in January 2018. When assessing whether SME issuers admitted to trading on regulated markets should benefit from equivalent regulatory alleviations, the decision was made to limit the beneficiaries of the relief to issuers admitted to trading on SME Growth Markets. Requirements imposed on regulated market issuers should apply in a similar way regardless of the size of the company. Different requirements for SMEs compared to large caps are likely to confuse stakeholders (in particular investors). Current regulatory context Companies listed on an SME Growth Market are required to comply with some EU rules, especially the Market Abuse Regulation 5 (MAR) and the Prospectus Regulation 6 . Since its entry into application on 1 July 2016, the Market Abuse Regulation has been extended to MTFs, including SME Growth Markets. This regulation aims to increase market integrity and investor confidence. It prohibits from: (i) engaging or attempting to engage in insider dealing; (ii) recommending that another person engage in insider dealing or induce another person to engage in insider dealing; (iii) unlawfully disclosing inside information 7 ; or (iv) engaging in or attempting to engage in market manipulation. Issuers are also subject to several disclosure and record-keeping obligations under the regulation. In particular, concerned issuers are under a general obligation to disclose inside information to the public as soon as possible. By strengthening market integrity and by extending the market abuse regime to MTFs, the Market Abuse Regulation was crucial in restoring investor confidence in financial markets. However, this piece of legislation is a 'one-size-fits-all' regulation. Almost all its requirements apply in the same manner to all issuers irrespective of their size or the trading venues where their financial instruments are admitted to trading. The regulation contains only two limited adaptations to issuers listed on SME Growth Markets. The first allows trading venues operating an SME Growth Market to post inside information on the trading venue's website (instead of the issuer's website). The second allows issuers listed on SME Growth Markets to produce insider lists only upon request from a national competent authority (NCA). However, the effect of this alleviation is limited because companies are still required to gather and store all relevant information to be able to produce insider lists on request. A prospectus is a legally required document presenting information about a company when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market. Under the CMU Action Plan, the European Union has already made it easier and cheaper for smaller companies to access public markets, notably with the creation of the alleviated 'EU Growth Prospectus' in the revised Prospectus Regulation. An issuer may seek an admission to trading on a regulated market after having floated its shares on an SME Growth Market for a few years. It may do so to benefit from greater liquidity and a larger investor pool. However, if that issuer wants to transfer its shares from an SME Growth Market to a regulated market, it needs to produce a full prospectus as no alleviated prospectus schedule is available for companies in such a situation. The take-up of the SME Growth Market 'brand' is constrained by the limited number of alleviations currently envisaged in EU legislation for the issuers listed on this new type of trading venues. The overall objectives of this initiative is therefore to introduce technical adjustments to the EU rulebook in order to: (i) reduce the administrative burden and the regulatory compliance costs faced by SMEs when their financial instruments are admitted to trading on an SME Growth Market, while ensuring a high level of investor protection and market integrity; and (ii) increase the liquidity of equity instruments listed on SME Growth Markets. These targeted regulatory changes foreseen in this proposal will not fully revive access to public markets for SMEs on their own. Nevertheless, they address regulatory barriers flagged by various stakeholders as inhibiting capital-raising by SMEs on public markets. They do so whilst preserving the highest standards of investor protection and market integrity . Any changes should therefore be understood as a first step in the right direction, and not as a single remedy in itself. Besides, this proposal for a Regulation is not an overhaul of the Market Abuse Regulation (which has been into application for less than two years) or the Prospectus Regulation (which has been recently agreed by the co-legislators and which will enter into application as of July 2019). This proposal (together with the modifications envisaged in the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/565) only brings technical amendments to make the EU legal framework applying to listed SMEs more proportionate. It will ensure that the 'SME Growth Market' label, created by MiFID II as of January 2018, is used by the various MTFs with a focus on SMEs across the EU. 
Revised version (Article 65 Organisational requirements):
1. The home Member State shall require a CTP to have adequate policies and arrangements in place to collect the information made public in accordance with Articles 6 and 20 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014, consolidate it into a continuous electronic data stream and make the information available to the public as close to real time as is technically possible, on a reasonable commercial basis. That information shall include, at least, the following details: (a) the identifier of the financial instrument; (b) the price at which the transaction was concluded; (c) the volume of the transaction; (d) the time of the transaction; (e) the time the transaction was reported; (f) the price notation of the transaction; (g) the code for the trading venue the transaction was executed on, or where the transaction was executed via a systematic internaliser the code ‘SI’ or otherwise the code ‘OTC’; (h) where applicable, the fact that a computer algorithm within the investment firm was responsible for the investment decision and the execution of the transaction; (i) if applicable, an indicator that the transaction was subject to specific conditions; The information shall be made available free of charge 15 minutes after the CTP has published it. The home Member State shall require the CTP to be able to efficiently and consistently disseminate such information in a way that ensures fast access to the information, on a non-discriminatory basis and in formats that are easily accessible and utilisable for market participants. 2. The home Member State shall require a CTP to have adequate policies and arrangements in place to collect the information made public in accordance with Articles 10 and 21 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014, consolidate it into a continuous electronic data stream and make following information available to the public as close to real time as is technically possible, on a reasonable commercial basis including, at least, the following details: (a) the identifier or identifying features of the financial instrument; The information shall be made available free of charge 15 minutes after the CTP has published it. The home Member State shall require the CTP to be able to efficiently and consistently disseminate such information in a way that ensures fast access to the information, on a non-discriminatory basis and in generally accepted formats that are interoperable and easily accessible and utilisable for market participants. 3. The home Member State shall require the CTP to ensure that the data provided is consolidated from all the regulated markets, MTFs, OTFs and APAs and for the financial instruments specified by regulatory technical standards under point (c) of paragraph 8. 4. The home Member State shall require the CTP to operate and maintain effective administrative arrangements designed to prevent conflicts of interest. In particular, a market operator or an APA, who also operate a consolidated tape, shall treat all information collected in a non-discriminatory fashion and shall operate and maintain appropriate arrangements to separate different business functions. 5. The home Member State shall require the CTP to have sound security mechanisms in place designed to guarantee the security of the means of transfer of information and to minimise the risk of data corruption and unauthorised access. The home Member State shall require the CTP to maintain adequate resources and have back-up facilities in place in order to offer and maintain its services at all times. 6. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to determine data standards and formats for the information to be published in accordance with Articles 6, 10, 20 and 21 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014, including financial instrument identifier, price, quantity, time, price notation, venue identifier and indicators for specific conditions the transactions was subject to as well as technical arrangements promoting an efficient and consistent dissemination of information in a way ensuring for it to be easily accessible and utilisable for market participants as referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, including identifying additional services the CTP could perform which increase the efficiency of the market. ESMA shall submit the draft regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph to the Commission by 3 July 2015 in respect of information published in accordance with Articles 6 and 20 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 and by 3 July 2015 in respect of information published in accordance with Articles 10 and 21 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014. 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. 7. The Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 89 clarifying what constitutes a reasonable commercial basis to provide access to data streams as referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article. 8. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying: (a) the means by which the CTP may comply with the information obligation referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2; (b) the content of the information published under paragraphs 1 and 2; (c) the financial instruments data of which must be provided in the data stream and for non-equity instruments the trading venues and APAs which need to be included; (d) other means to ensure that the data published by different CTPs is consistent and allows for comprehensive mapping and cross-referencing against similar data from other sources, and is capable of being aggregated at Union level; (e) the concrete organisational requirements laid down in paragraphs 4 and 5. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015.
Article 66 Organisational requirements
1. The home Member State shall require an ARM to have adequate policies and arrangements in place to report the information required under Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as quickly as possible, and no later than the close of the working day following the day upon which the transaction took place. Such information shall be reported in accordance with the requirements laid down in Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014. 2. The home Member State shall require the ARM to operate and maintain effective administrative arrangements designed to prevent conflicts of interest with its clients. In particular, an ARM that is also a market operator or investment firm shall treat all information collected in a non-discriminatory fashion and shall operate and maintain appropriate arrangements to separate different business functions. 3. The home Member State shall require the ARM to have sound security mechanisms in place designed to guarantee the security and authentication of the means of transfer of information, minimise the risk of data corruption and unauthorised access and to prevent information leakage, maintaining the confidentiality of the data at all times. The home Member State shall require the ARM to maintain adequate resources and have back-up facilities in place in order to offer and maintain its services at all times. 4. The home Member State shall require the ARM to have systems in place that can effectively check transaction reports for completeness, identify omissions and obvious errors caused by the investment firm and where such error or omission occurs, to communicate details of the error or omission to the investment firm and request re-transmission of any such erroneous reports. The home Member State shall also require the ARM to have systems in place to enable the ARM to detect errors or omissions caused by the ARM itself and to enable the ARM to correct and transmit, or re-transmit as the case may be, correct and complete transaction reports to the competent authority. 5. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying: (a) the means by which the ARM may comply with the information obligation referred to in paragraph 1; and (b) the concrete organisational requirements laid down in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 1.1. Reasons for and objectives of the proposal EU Member States have been severely affected by the economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This calls for a quick reaction to support capital markets participants. In the Communication of the Commission of 13 March 2020, entitled ‘Coordinated economic response to the COVID-19 outbreak’, the Commission highlighted the importance of ensuring the liquidity of the EU financial sector and countering a threatening recession through actions at all levels. Furthermore, on 27 May 2020, in its Communication entitled ‘Europe’s moment: Repair and Prepare for the Next Generation’ , the Commission presented key instruments supporting the recovery plan for Europe, including measures that aim at kick-starting the economy and helping private investment. This Communication also stressed that liquidity and access to finance will be a continued challenge for companies. The objective of this targeted amendment is to provide for the best possible conditions for European economies to emerge from the current COVID-19 pandemic. The rules on investments services can play a key role in promoting the recapitalisation of European companies as they emerge from the crisis. The modified commodities regime will allow companies in the real economy to react to market volatility while also enabling nascent commodity contracts, which is also important to promote the international role of the Euro. The present review is driven by two key objectives: · Facilitating investments in the real economy and · Allowing for a rapid recapit alisation of European companies. To ensure that financial institutions and intermediaries can fulfil their essential function in financing the real economy, targeted adjustments of certain requirements of Directive 2014/65/EU (‘MiFID II’) are appropriate. Already in 2019, stakeholders had warned the Commission that several aspects of the MiFID II distribution rules were either unnecessary or perceived as overly burdensome. The current COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more important to remove formal burdens where they are not strictly necessary. A more finely calibrated view of investor requirements would also leave more resources for dealing with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission therefore strives to recalibrate those areas to strike the right balance between a sufficient level of transparency towards the client, the highest standards of protection and acceptable compliance costs for firms. In that context, this amendment to MiFID II applying to investments in financial instrument has the aim of removing administrative burdens that result from documentation and disclosure rules that are not counterbalanced by corresponding increases in investor protection. It also recalibrates the position limit and corresponding hedging exemption regime to foster nascent euro denominated markets. 
Revised version (Article 66 Organisational requirements):
1. The home Member State shall require an ARM to have adequate policies and arrangements in place to report the information required under Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as quickly as possible, and no later than the close of the working day following the day upon which the transaction took place. Such information shall be reported in accordance with the requirements laid down in Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014. 2. The home Member State shall require the ARM to operate and maintain effective administrative arrangements designed to prevent conflicts of interest with its clients. In particular, an ARM that is also a market operator or investment firm shall treat all information collected in a non-discriminatory fashion and shall operate and maintain appropriate arrangements to separate different business functions. 3. The home Member State shall require the ARM to have sound security mechanisms in place designed to guarantee the security and authentication of the means of transfer of information, minimise the risk of data corruption and unauthorised access and to prevent information leakage, maintaining the confidentiality of the data at all times. The home Member State shall require the ARM to maintain adequate resources and have back-up facilities in place in order to offer and maintain its services at all times. 4. The home Member State shall require the ARM to have systems in place that can effectively check transaction reports for completeness, identify omissions and obvious errors caused by the investment firm and where such error or omission occurs, to communicate details of the error or omission to the investment firm and request re-transmission of any such erroneous reports. The home Member State shall also require the ARM to have systems in place to enable the ARM to detect errors or omissions caused by the ARM itself and to enable the ARM to correct and transmit, or re-transmit as the case may be, correct and complete transaction reports to the competent authority. 5. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying: (a) the means by which the ARM may comply with the information obligation referred to in paragraph 1; and (b) the concrete organisational requirements laid down in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying: (a) the means by which the ARM may comply with the information obligation referred to in paragraph 1; and (b) the concrete organisational requirements laid down in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4. ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015. 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 67 Designation of competent authorities
1. Each Member State shall designate the competent authorities which are to carry out each of the duties provided for under the different provisions of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 and of this Directive. Member States shall inform the Commission, ESMA and the competent authorities of other Member States of the identity of the competent authorities responsible for enforcement of each of those duties, and of any division of those duties. 2. The competent authorities referred to in paragraph 1 shall be public authorities, without prejudice to the possibility of delegating tasks to other entities where that is expressly provided for in Article 29(4). Any delegation of tasks to entities other than the authorities referred to in paragraph 1 may not involve either the exercise of public authority or the use of discretionary powers of judgement. Member States shall require that, prior to delegation, competent authorities take all reasonable steps to ensure that the entity to which tasks are to be delegated has the capacity and resources to effectively execute all tasks and that the delegation takes place only if a clearly defined and documented framework for the exercise of any delegated tasks has been established stating the tasks to be undertaken and the conditions under which they are to be carried out. Those conditions shall include a clause obliging the entity in question to act and be organised in such a manner as to avoid conflict of interest and so that information obtained from carrying out the delegated tasks is not used unfairly or to prevent competition. The final responsibility for supervising compliance with this Directive and with its implementing measures shall lie with the competent authority or authorities designated in accordance with paragraph 1. Member States shall inform the Commission, ESMA and the competent authorities of other Member States of any arrangements entered into with regard to delegation of tasks, including the precise conditions regulating such delegation. 3. ESMA shall publish and keep up-to-date a list of the competent authorities referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 on its website.
Article 68 Cooperation between authorities in the same Member State
If a Member State designates more than one competent authority to enforce a provision of this Directive or of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014, their respective roles shall be clearly defined and they shall cooperate closely. Each Member State shall require that such cooperation also take place between the competent authorities for the purposes of this Directive or of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 and the competent authorities responsible in that Member State for the supervision of credit and other financial institutions, pension funds, UCITS, insurance and reinsurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings. Member States shall require that competent authorities exchange any information which is essential or relevant to the exercise of their functions and duties.
Article 69 Supervisory powers
1. Competent authorities shall be given all supervisory powers, including investigatory powers and powers to impose remedies, necessary to fulfil their duties under this Directive and under Regulation (EU) No 600/2014. 2. The powers referred to in paragraph 1 shall include, at least, the following powers to: (a) have access to any document or other data in any form which the competent authority considers could be relevant for the performance of its duties and receive or take a copy of it; (b) require or demand the provision of information from any person and if necessary to summon and question a person with a view to obtaining information; (c) carry out on-site inspections or investigations; (d) require existing recordings of telephone conversations or electronic communications or other data traffic records held by an investment firm, a credit institution, or any other entity regulated by this Directive or by Regulation (EU) No 600/2014; (e) require the freezing or the sequestration of assets, or both; (f) require the temporary prohibition of professional activity; (g) require the auditors of authorised investment firms, regulated markets and data reporting services providers to provide information; (h) refer matters for criminal prosecution; (i) allow auditors or experts to carry out verifications or investigations; (j) require or demand the provision of information including all relevant documentation from any person regarding the size and purpose of a position or exposure entered into via a commodity derivative, and any assets or liabilities in the underlying market; (k) require the temporary or permanent cessation of any practice or conduct that the competent authority considers to be contrary to the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 and the provisions adopted in the implementation of this Directive and prevent repetition of that practice or conduct; (l) adopt any type of measure to ensure that investment firms, regulated markets and other persons to whom this Directive or Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 applies, continue to comply with legal requirements; (m) require the suspension of trading in a financial instrument; (n) require the removal of a financial instrument from trading, whether on a regulated market or under other trading arrangements; (o) request any person to take steps to reduce the size of the position or exposure; (p) limit the ability of any person from entering into a commodity derivative, including by introducing limits on the size of a position any person can hold at all times in accordance with Article 57 of this Directive; (q) issue public notices; (r) require, in so far as permitted by national law, existing data traffic records held by a telecommunication operator, where there is a reasonable suspicion of an infringement and where such records may be relevant to an investigation into infringements of this Directive or of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014; (s) suspend the marketing or sale of financial instruments or structured deposits where the conditions of Articles 40, 41 or 42 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 are met; (t) suspend the marketing or sale of financial instruments or structured deposits where the investment firm has not developed or applied an effective product approval process or otherwise failed to comply with Article 16(3) of this Directive; (u) require the removal of a natural person from the management board of an investment firm or market operator. By 3 July 2016, the Member States shall notify the laws, regulations and administrative provisions transposing paragraphs 1 and 2 to the Commission and ESMA. They shall notify the Commission and ESMA without undue delay of any subsequent amendment thereto. Member States shall ensure that mechanisms are in place to ensure that compensation may be paid or other remedial action be taken in accordance with national law for any financial loss or damage suffered as a result of an infringement of this Directive or of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL · Reasons for and objectives of the proposal This proposal is part of a package of measures to further enable and support the potential of digital finance in terms of innovation and competition while mitigating the risks. It is in line with the Commission priorities to make Europe fit for the digital age and to build a future-ready economy that works for the people. The digital finance package includes a new Strategy on digital finance for the EU financial sector 1 with the aim to ensure that the EU embraces the digital revolution and drives it with innovative European firms in the lead, making the benefits of digital finance available to European consumers and businesses. In addition to this proposal, the package also includes a proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets 2 , a proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) 3 and a proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector 4 . The reasons for, and objectives of, the two sets of legislative measures have been set out in the explanatory memoranda of the proposal for a regulation on a pilot regime for distributed ledger technology market infrastructures, proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets and proposal for a regulation on digital operational resilience, respectively, and apply here as well. The particular reasons for this proposal for a directive is that, in order to provide legal certainty as regards crypto assets and achieve the objectives of strengthening digital operational resilience, it is necessary to establish a temporary exemption for multilateral trading facilities and amend or clarify certain provisions in existing EU financial services directives. · Consistency with existing provisions in the policy area This proposal, similar to the proposals for regulation it accompanies, is part of a broader ongoing work at European and international level aimed at (i) strengthening the cybersecurity in financial services and address broader operational risks, and (ii) providing a clear, proportionate and enabling EU legal framework for crypto-asset service providers. · Consistency with other Union policies As stated by President von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines, 5 and set-out in the Communication ‘Shaping Europe’s digital future’, 6 it is crucial for Europe to reap all the benefits of the digital age and to strengthen its industry and innovation capacity, within safe and ethical boundaries. As regards crypto assets, this proposal is closely linked with wider Commission policies on blockchain technology, as crypto-assets, as the main application of blockchain technologies, are inextricably linked to the promotion of blockchain technology throughout Europe. As regards operational resilience, the European strategy for data 7 sets out four pillars - data protection, fundamental rights, safety and cyber-security - as essential pre-requisites for a society empowered by the use of data. A legislative framework strengthening the digital operational resilience of the Union’s financial entities is consistent with these policy objectives. The proposal would also support policies aimed at recovering from the coronavirus, as it would ensure that increased reliance on digital finance goes hand in hand with operational resilience. Both proposals also respond to calls from the CMU High-Level Forum to establish clear rules for the use of crypto asset (recommendation 7) and to put in place new rules on cyber resilience.
Revised version (Article 69 Supervisory powers):
1. Competent authorities shall be given all supervisory powers, including investigatory powers and powers to impose remedies, necessary to fulfil their duties under this Directive and under Regulation (EU) No 600/2014. By 3 July 2017 , the Member States shall notify the laws, regulations and administrative provisions transposing paragraphs 1 and 2 to the Commission and ESMA. They shall notify the Commission and ESMA without undue delay of any subsequent amendment thereto. Member States shall ensure that mechanisms are in place to ensure that compensation may be paid or other remedial action be taken in accordance with national law for any financial loss or damage suffered as a result of an infringement of this Directive or of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014.