News

On 25 October 2017, the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission agreed on elements of the review of the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) and of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and Directive (CRD) proposed in November 2016, an important piece of the Commission’s ongoing work to reduce risk in the banking sector and in line with the efforts to complete the Banking Union, as set out in the Commission’s Communication of 11 October 2017.

 

The agreement on the BRRD creates a new category of unsecured debt in bank creditors’ insolvency ranking. It establishes an EU harmonised approach on the priority ranking of bank bond holders in insolvency and in resolution. The agreement on the CRR/CRD implements the new International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS 9). This will help mitigate the impact of IFRS 9 standards on EU banks’ capital and ability to lend. It will also avoid potential disruptions in government bond markets that would result from rules limiting large exposures to a single counterparty.

 

The agreement on the harmonised rules on the priority ranking of bank bond holders in insolvency and in resolution facilitates a more efficient path towards banks’ compliance with the TLAC standard that should apply from 2019 onwards, as agreed in the Financial Stability Forum. In addition, by providing greater legal certainty for both issuers and investors and reducing the risk of legal challenges, these harmonised rules will facilitate the application of the bail-in tool in resolution.

 

Next Steps

Today’s political agreements will be followed by further technical talks to finalise the text. The Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER) of the Council of Ministers is expected to endorse the agreement ahead of the European Parliament’s plenary vote. The text needs to be in place by the beginning of 2018.