Date: 2019-03-22Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: Europe
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/460 of 30 January 2019 amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the list of exempted entities (Text with EEA relevance.)
Executive Summary:
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/460 amends Regulation (EU) No 648/2012, adding the United Kingdom to the list of exempted entities regarding OTC derivatives, central counterparties, and trade repositories. This amendment accounts for the UK's withdrawal from the EU. The regulation comes into force the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and applies from the day following the cessation of Regulation EU No 648/2012's applicability to the UK.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Amendment to Regulation (EU) No 648/2012:**
* Article 14c of Regulation EU No 648/2012 is amended to include the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" in the list of exempted entities.
* **Entry into Force and Application:**
* The Regulation enters into force the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
* It applies from the day following the date on which Regulation EU No 648/2012 ceases to apply to the United Kingdom.
Impact Analysis:
* **United Kingdom Central Bank and Public Bodies:**
* Impact: Exempted from clearing and reporting requirements and the requirement to apply risk-mitigation techniques to non-cleared transactions as outlined in Regulation EU No 648/2012.
* Action Required: Ensure continued compliance with assurances provided regarding the status, rights, and obligations of ESCB members, including granting comparable exemptions.
* **European Commission:**
* Impact: Responsible for regularly monitoring the treatment of central banks and public bodies exempted under Article 14c of Regulation EU No 648/2012.
* Action Required: Continuously monitor and update the list of exempted entities considering regulatory developments in third countries and new information, with the possibility of removing countries from the list.
* **EU Member States:**
* Impact: The regulation is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
* Action Required: Acknowledge and implement the inclusion of the United Kingdom in the list of exempted entities under Regulation EU No 648/2012.
Key Entities Referenced
European Union: A political and economic union of member states located primarily in Europe.
Regulation EU No 648/2012: A regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories.
European Parliament: One of the legislative bodies of the European Union.
Council of the European Union: A legislative body of the European Union comprising government ministers from each member state.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: A country in Europe that was formerly a member of the European Union.
Treaty on European Union: One of the primary treaties forming the constitutional basis of the European Union.
European System of Central Banks (ESCB): The central banking system of the European Union.
European Commission: An executive branch of the European Union responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU
L 80/8 EN Official Journal of the European Union 22.3.2019
COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2019/460
of 30 January 2019
amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council with
regard to the list of exempted entities
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on OTC
derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories (1), and in particular Article 1(6) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) On 29 March 2017, the United Kingdom submitted the notification of its intention to withdraw from the Union
pursuant to Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. The Treaties will cease to apply to and in the United
Kingdom from the date of entry into force of a withdrawal agreement or failing that, two years after that
notification, unless the European Council, in agreement with the United Kingdom, unanimously decides to extend
that period.
(2) The withdrawal agreement as agreed between the negotiators contains arrangements for the application of
provisions of Union law to and in the United Kingdom beyond the date the Treaties cease to apply to the United
Kingdom. If that agreement enters into force, Regulation (EU) No 648/2012, including the exemption provided
for in Article 1(4)(a) of that Regulation, will apply to and in the United Kingdom during the transition period in
accordance with that agreement and will cease to apply at the end of that period.
(3) The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union would, in the absence of any special provisions, have the
effect that the exemption for the members of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and other Member
States' bodies performing similar functions and other Union public bodies charged with or intervening in the
management of the public debt in Article 1(4)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 will no longer apply to the
United Kingdom central bank or other public bodies charged with or intervening in the management of the
public debt.
(4) The Commission has carried out an assessment of the international treatment of central banks and the public
bodies charged with or intervening in the management of the public debt under the laws to be applicable in the
United Kingdom after its withdrawal from the Union and has presented its conclusions to the European
Parliament and the Council. In particular, the Commission conducted a comparative analysis of that treatment as
well as of the risk-management standards applicable to the derivative transactions entered into by those bodies
and by central banks in the United Kingdom.
(5) The Commission concluded in its assessment that the United Kingdom central bank and public bodies charged
with or intervening in the management of the public debt should be exempted from the clearing and reporting
requirements and the requirement to apply risk-mitigation techniques to non-cleared transactions laid down in
Regulation (EU) No 648/2012.
(6) The authorities of the United Kingdom have provided assurances on the status, rights and obligations of ESCB
members, including their intention to grant to the members of the ESCB and other Member States' bodies
performing similar functions and other Union public bodies charged with or intervening in the management of
the public debt an exemption comparable to the one provided for in Article 1(4) of Regulation (EU)
No 648/2012.
(7) Consequently, the central bank of the United Kingdom and the public bodies charged with or intervening in the
management of the public debt in the United Kingdom should be included in the list of exempted entities laid
down in Regulation (EU) No 648/2012.
(8) Therefore, Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 should be amended accordingly.
(1) OJ L 201, 27.7.2012, p. 1.22.3.2019 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 80/9
(9) The Commission continues to monitor on a regular basis the treatment of those central banks and public bodies
exempted from the clearing and reporting requirements laid down in the list in Article 1(4)(c) of Regulation (EU)
No 648/2012. That list may be updated in light of the development of the regulatory arrangements in those
third countries and taking into account any relevant new sources of information. Such reassessment could lead to
the removal of certain third countries from the list of exempted entities.
(10) This Regulation should enter into force as a matter of urgency and should apply from the day following that on
which Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 ceases to apply to and in the United Kingdom,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
In Article 1(4)(c) of Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 the following point (ix) is added:
‘(ix) the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.’
Article 2
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European
Union.
It shall apply from the day following that on which Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 ceases to apply to and in the United
Kingdom.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 30 January 2019.
For the Commission
The President
Jean-Claude JUNCKER