**Executive Summary**
The EEA Joint Committee Decision No 212/2025, dated 19 September 2025, amends Annex IX (Financial services) to the EEA Agreement. This decision extends the deferred application date for certain OTC derivative contracts to align with the incorporation of Regulation (EU) 2024/2987. The decision enters into force on 20 September 2025, pending notification under Article 103(1) of the EEA Agreement.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Amendment of Annex IX:** Annex IX to the EEA Agreement is amended to reflect the new deferred application dates.
* **Extension of Deferred Application Dates:** The deferred dates of application for Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2015/2205, (EU) 2016/592, (EU) 2016/1178, and (EU) 2016/2251 are extended for EFTA States.
* The date of "30 June 2025" is replaced with "the day of entry into force of the Decision of the EEA Joint Committee incorporating Regulation (EU) 2024/2987 into the EEA Agreement."
* **Reason for Extension:** The extension ensures that intragroup transactions are exempted from clearing obligations and margin requirements in the EFTA States after 30 June 2025 and before Regulation (EU) 2024/2987 is incorporated into the EEA Agreement.
* **Entry into Force:** The Decision enters into force on 20 September 2025, provided that all notifications under Article 103(1) of the EEA Agreement have been made.
**Impact Analysis**
**EFTA States**
* **Impact:** EFTA States benefit from a continued exemption for intragroup transactions from clearing obligations and margin requirements, preventing potential disruptions.
* **Action Required:** No immediate action is required, but the EFTA States will need to monitor the entry into force of the Decision and ensure alignment with their regulatory frameworks.
**Counterparties in OTC derivative contracts**
* **Impact:** Counterparties established in the EEA, that are part of the same group as counterparties established in third countries will benefit from the extended deferred date of application, allowing them more time to prepare for the new requirements.
* **Action Required:** No immediate action is required, but the counterparties will need to monitor the entry into force of the Decision and align their internal operations accordingly.
Key Entities Referenced
Regulation (EU) 648/2012: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories.
Regulation (EU) 2024/2987: Regulation amending Regulations (EU) No 648/2012, (EU) No 575/2013 and (EU) 2017/1131 as regards measures to mitigate excessive exposures to third-country central counterparties and improve the efficiency of Union clearing markets.
EEA Joint Committee: Committee responsible for amending Annex IX (Financial services) to the EEA Agreement.
EFTA States: European Free Trade Association States, referenced as affected by deferred dates of certain regulations in the context of intragroup transactions.
EEA Agreement: Agreement on the European Economic Area
Official Journal EN
of the European Union L series
2026/18 15.1.2026
DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEENo 212/2025
of 19 September 2025
amending Annex IX (Financial services) to the EEA Agreement [2026/18]
THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE,
Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (“the EEA Agreement”), and in particular Article 98
thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2205 of 6 August 2015 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 648/2012
of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to regulatory technical standards on the clearing
obligation(1), Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/592 of 1 March 2016 supplementing Regulation (EU)
No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to regulatory technical standards on the
clearing obligation(2) and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1178 of 10 June 2016 supplementing
Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to regulatory technical
standards on the clearing obligation(3) were incorporated into the EEA Agreement by Decision of the EEA Joint
Committee No 113/2018 of 31 May 2018(4).
(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/2251 of 4 October 2016 supplementing Regulation (EU)
No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade
repositories with regard to regulatory technical standards for risk-mitigation techniques for OTC derivative contracts
not cleared by a central counterparty(5) was incorporated into the EEA Agreement by Decision of the EEA Joint
Committee No 83/2019 of 29 March 2019(6).
(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/315 of 25 October 2022 amending the regulatory technical standards
laid down in Delegated Regulations (EU) 2015/2205, (EU) No 2016/592 and (EU) 2016/1178 as regards the date at
which the clearing obligation takes effect for certain types of contracts(7)was incorporated into the EEA Agreement
by Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 60/2023 of 17 March 2023(8). Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/315
sets the deferred date of application for the clearing obligation for OTC derivative contracts concluded between
counterparties which are part of the same group and where one counterparty is established in a third country and
the other counterparty is established in the EEA to 30 June 2025.
(4) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/314 of 25 October 2022 amending the regulatory technical standards
laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/2251 as regards the date of application of certain risk management
procedures for the exchange of collateral(9)was incorporated into the EEA Agreement by Decision of the EEA Joint
Committee No 60/2023 of 17 March 2023(10). Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/314 sets the deferred date of
application of the bilateral margin requirements for OTC derivative contracts that are not cleared by a central
counterparty and that are concluded between counterparties which are part of the same group and where one
counterparty is established in a third country and the other counterparty is established in the EEA to 30 June 2025.
(5) The deferred dates of application in Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2015/2205, (EU) 2016/592,
(EU) 2016/1178 and (EU) 2016/2251 are necessary to ensure that such OTC derivative contracts are not subject to
the clearing obligation before the adoption of an equivalence decision pursuant to Article 13(2) of Regulation (EU)
No 648/2012.
(1) OJ L 314, 1.12.2015, p. 13.
(2) OJ L 103, 19.4.2016, p. 5.
(3) OJ L 195, 20.7.2016, p. 3.
(4) OJ L 110, 25.4.2019, p. 87.
(5) OJ L 340, 15.12.2016, p. 9.
(6) OJ L 210, 2.7.2020, p. 64.
(7) OJ L 43, 13.2.2023, p. 4.
(8) OJ L, 2023/2373, 26.10.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2023/2373/oj.
(9) OJ L 43, 13.2.2023, p. 2.
(10) OJ L, 2023/2373, 26.10.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2023/2373/oj.
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2026/18/oj 1/3EN
OJ L, 15.1.2026
(6) Regulation (EU) 2024/2987 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 amending
Regulations (EU) No 648/2012, (EU) No 575/2013 and (EU) 2017/1131 as regards measures to mitigate excessive
exposures to third-country central counterparties and improve the efficiency of Union clearing markets(11)entered
into force on 17 December 2024. Regulation (EU) 2024/2987 amends, inter alia, the framework for the regime for
equivalence decisions in Article 13 of Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 and replaces the need for an equivalence
decision with a list of third countries for which an exemption should not be granted.
(7) Regulation (EU) 2024/2987 awaits incorporation into the EEA Agreement.
(8) To ensure that intragroup transactions from the clearing obligation and the margin requirements are exempted in the
EFTA States after 30 June 2025 and before Regulation (EU) 2024/2987 is incorporated into the EEA Agreement, this
decision extends the deferred date of application in Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2015/2205,
(EU) 2016/592, (EU) 2016/1178 and (EU) 2016/2251 until the entry into force of the Decision of the Joint
Committee incorporating Regulation (EU) 2024/2987.
(9) Annex IX to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
Annex IX to the EEA Agreement shall be amended as follows:
1. The following adaptation is inserted after adaptation (b)(ii) of point 31bcp (Commission Delegated Regulation
(EU) 2015/2205):
‘(iia) as regards the EFTA States, in point (a) of first subparagraph of paragraph 2, the words “30 June 2025” shall
read “the day of entry into force of the Decision of the EEA Joint Committee incorporating Regulation
(EU) 2024/2987 into the EEA Agreement”;’.
2. The following adaptation is inserted after adaptation (b)(ii) of point 31bcq (Commission Delegated Regulation
(EU) 2016/592):
‘(iia) as regards the EFTA States, in point (a) of first subparagraph of paragraph 2, the words “30 June 2025” shall
read “the day of entry into force of the Decision of the EEA Joint Committee incorporating Regulation
(EU) 2024/2987 into the EEA Agreement”;’.
3. The following adaptation is inserted after adaptation (b)(ii) of point 31bcr (Commission Delegated Regulation
(EU) 2016/1178):
‘(iia) as regards the EFTA States, in point (a) of first subparagraph of paragraph 2, the words “30 June 2025” shall
read “the day of entry into force of the Decision of the EEA Joint Committee incorporating Regulation
(EU) 2024/2987 into the EEA Agreement”;’.
4. Point 31bcs (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/2251) shall be amended as follows:
(i) in adaptation (b)(iv) the words “3 years after the date of entry into force of this Regulation” shall be replaced
with the words “from the day of entry into force of the Decision of the EEA Joint Committee incorporating
Regulation (EU) 2024/2987 into the EEA Agreement”;
(ii) in adaptation (c)(iii) the words “3 years after the date of entry into force of this Regulation” shall be replaced
with the words “from the day of entry into force of the Decision of the EEA Joint Committee incorporating
Regulation (EU) 2024/2987 into the EEA Agreement”.
(11) OJ L, 2024/2987, 4.12.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2987/oj.
2/3 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2026/18/ojEN
OJ L, 15.1.2026
Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on 20 September 2025, provided that all the notifications under Article 103(1) of the
EEA Agreement have been made(*).
Article 3
This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal of the European
Union.
Done at Brussels, 19 September 2025.
For the EEA Joint Committee
The President
Stefán Haukur JÓHANNESSON
(*) No constitutional requirements indicated.
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2026/18/oj 3/3