Regulation 2019/876 - Amendment of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 as regards the leverage ratio, the net stable funding ratio, requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities, counterparty credit risk, market risk, exposures to central counterparties, exposures to collective investment undertakings, large exposures, reporting and disclosure requirements, and Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 150/1

In the aftermath of the financial crisis that unfolded in 2007-2008, the Union implemented a substantial reform of the financial services regulatory framework to enhance the resilience of its financial institutions. That reform was largely based on international standards agreed in 2010 by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), known as the Basel III framework. Among its many measures, the reform package included the adoption of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) and Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (5), which strengthened the prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms (institutions).

While the reform has rendered the financial system more stable and resilient against many types of possible future shocks and crises, it did not address all identified problems. An important reason for that was that international standard setters, such as the BCBS and the Financial Stability Board (FSB), had not finished their work on internationally agreed solutions to tackle those problems at the time. Now that work on important additional reforms has been completed, the outstanding problems should be addressed.

In its communication of 24 November 2015 entitled ‘Towards the completion of the Banking Union’, the Commission recognised the need for further risk reduction and committed bringing forward a legislative proposal that would build on internationally agreed standards. The need to take further concrete legislative steps in terms of reducing risks in the financial sector has also been recognised by the Council in its conclusions of 17 June 2016 and by the European Parliament in its resolution of 10 March 2016 on the Banking Union – Annual Report 2015 (6).

Risk reduction measures should not only further strengthen the resilience of the European banking system and the markets' confidence in it, but also provide the basis for further progress in completing the banking union. Those measures should also be considered against the background of broader challenges affecting the Union economy, in particular the need to promote growth and jobs at times of uncertain economic outlook. In that context, various major policy initiatives, such as the Investment Plan for Europe and the capital markets union, have been launched in order to strengthen the economy of the Union. It is therefore important that all risk reduction measures interact smoothly with those policy initiatives as well as with broader recent reforms in the financial sector.

The provisions of this Regulation should be equivalent to internationally agreed standards and ensure the continued equivalence of Directive 2013/36/EU and Regulation (EU)...