Regulation (EU) No 472/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on the strengthening of economic and budgetary surveillance of Member States in the euro area experiencing or threatened with serious difficulties with respect to their financial stability

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 136 in combination with Article 121(6) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Central Bank (1),

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (2),

Whereas:

(1) The unprecedented global crisis that has hit the world since 2007 has seriously damaged economic growth and financial stability and has given rise to a strong deterioration in the government deficit and debt position of the Member States, leading a number of them to seek financial assistance within and outside the framework of the Union.

(2) Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides that, in defining and implementing its policies and activities, the Union is to take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion, and a high level of education, training and protection of human health.

(3) Full consistency between the Union multilateral surveillance framework established by the TFEU and the possible policy conditions attached to financial assistance should be enshrined in Union law. The economic and financial integration of all Member States, in particular those whose currency is the euro, calls for enhanced surveillance to prevent contagion from a Member State experiencing or threatened with serious difficulties with respect to its financial stability to the rest of the euro area and, more broadly, to the Union as a whole.

(4) The intensity of economic and budgetary surveillance should be commensurate with, and proportionate to, the severity of the financial difficulties encountered and should take due account of the nature of the financial assistance received, which may range from mere precautionary support based on eligibility conditions to a full macroeconomic adjustment programme involving strict policy conditionality. Any macroeconomic adjustment programme should take into account the national reform programme of the Member State concerned in the context of the Union’s strategy for growth and jobs.

(5) A Member State whose currency is the euro should be subject to enhanced surveillance under this Regulation when it is experiencing or is threatened with serious financial difficulties, with a view to ensuring its swift return to a normal situation and to protecting the other euro area Member States against potential adverse spill-over effects. Such enhanced surveillance should be proportionate to the seriousness of the problems and should be adjusted accordingly. It should include wider access to the information needed for a close monitoring of the economic, fiscal and financial situation and a regular reporting to the competent committee of the European Parliament and to the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC) or to any subcommittee the latter may designate for that purpose. The same arrangements for surveillance should apply to Member States requesting precautionary assistance from one or several other Member States or third countries, the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM), the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), or another relevant international financial institution such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

(6) A Member State subject to enhanced surveillance should also adopt measures aimed at addressing the sources or potential sources of its difficulties. To that end, all recommendations addressed to it in the course of an excessive deficit procedure or of an excessive macroeconomic imbalance procedure should be taken into account.

(7) Economic and budgetary surveillance should be strongly reinforced for Member States subject to a macroeconomic adjustment programme. Because of the comprehensive nature of the latter, the other processes of economic and budgetary surveillance should be suspended or, where appropriate, streamlined for the duration of the macroeconomic adjustment programme, with a view to ensuring consistency of economic policy surveillance and to avoiding duplication of reporting obligations. However, when preparing the macroeconomic adjustment programme, all recommendations addressed to the Member State in the course of an excessive deficit procedure or an excessive macroeconomic imbalance procedure should be taken into account.

(8) The challenge posed by tax fraud and evasion has increased considerably. Globalisation of the economy, technological developments, the internationalisation of fraud and the resulting interdependence of Member States reveal the limits of strictly national approaches and reinforce the need for joint action.

(9) The problems presented by tax fraud and evasion in Member States subject to a macroeconomic adjustment programme should be tackled by improving revenue collection in those Member States and enhancing cooperation between the revenue administrations in the Union and in third countries.

(10) Rules should be laid down to enhance the dialogue between the Union institutions, in particular the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, and to ensure greater transparency and accountability. The parliament of a Member State subject to a macroeconomic adjustment programme or to enhanced surveillance should be kept informed in accordance with national rules and practice.

(11) Member States should involve the social partners and civil society organisations in the preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of financial assistance programmes, in accordance with national rules and practice.

(12) Before a Council decision relating to a macroeconomic adjustment programme under this Regulation is adopted, the relevant bodies of the ESM and of the EFSF should have the opportunity to hold a discussion on the outcome of negotiations between the Commission – acting on behalf of the ESM or the EFSF, in liaison with the European Central Bank (ECB) and, where appropriate, the IMF – and the beneficiary Member State on the possible policy conditions attached to that Member State's financial assistance. Memoranda of understanding setting down the detailed conditions for granting financial assistance are to be adopted under the Treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism and the EFSF Framework Agreement.

(13) Unless otherwise provided, references to financial assistance in this Regulation should also cover financial support granted on a precautionary basis and loans for the recapitalisation of financial institutions.

(14) The decision of the Commission to subject a Member State to enhanced surveillance under this Regulation should be taken in close cooperation with the EFC, the European Supervisory Authority (European Banking Authority) established by Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), the European Supervisory Authority (European Insurance and Pensions Authority) established by Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), the European Supervisory Authority (European Securities and Markets Authority) established by Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5) (collectively referred to as the ‘ESAs’) and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) established by Regulation (EU) No 1092/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on European Union macro-prudential oversight of the financial system and establishing a European Systemic Risk Board (6). The Commission should also cooperate with the EFC when deciding on whether to prolong enhanced surveillance.

(15) Following a reasoned request by the Member State concerned or, where appropriate, on grounds of exceptional economic circumstances, the Commission is able to recommend reducing or cancelling any existing interest-bearing deposit, non-interest-bearing deposit or fine imposed by the Council in the framework of the preventive or corrective part of the Stability and Growth Pact for a Member State subject to a macroeconomic adjustment programme.

(16) Access to information on the preparatory work undertaken before the adoption of a recommendation under this Regulation should be subject to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents (7).

(17) Where a decision is taken under this Regulation that a Member State does not comply with the requirements contained in its macroeconomic adjustment programme, and events and analyses clearly show that a mechanism is needed to ensure respect for the obligations towards its creditors and the stabilisation of its economic and financial situation, the Commission is invited to make proposals for such mechanism.

(18) The power to adopt recommendations on the adoption of precautionary corrective measures and on the preparation of a macroeconomic adjustment programme; the power to approve macroeconomic adjustment programmes; the power to adopt decisions on the main policy requirements which the ESM or the EFSF plan to include in the conditionality for financial assistance granted on a precautionary basis, loans for the recapitalisation of financial institutions or any new financial instrument agreed within the framework of the ESM; and the power to recommend the adoption of corrective measures to Member States under post-programme surveillance, should be conferred on the Council. Those powers are of particular relevance to the policy of economic coordination of Member States, which, pursuant to Article 121 TFEU, is to take place within the Council,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Subject matter and scope

(a) experience or are threatened with serious difficulties with respect to their financial stability or to the sustainability of their public finances, leading to potential adverse spill-over effects on other Member States in the euro area; or

(b) request or receive financial assistance from one or several other Member States or third countries, the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM), the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), or another relevant international financial institution such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Article 2

Member States subject to enhanced surveillance

When assessing whether a Member State is threatened with serious difficulties with respect to its financial stability, the Commission shall use, among other parameters, the alert mechanism established under Article 3(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2011 on the prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances (8) or, where available, the latest in-depth review. The Commission shall also conduct a comprehensive assessment, taking into account, in particular, the borrowing conditions of that Member State, the repayment profile of its debt obligations, the robustness of its budgetary framework, the long-term sustainability of its public finances, the importance of its debt burden and the risk of contagion from severe tensions in its financial sector on its budgetary situation or on the financial sector of other Member States.

The Member State concerned shall be given the opportunity to express its views before the Commission adopts its decision to subject that Member State to enhanced surveillance. Every six months, the Commission shall decide whether to prolong the enhanced surveillance on that Member State.

The Commission shall make public its decisions taken in accordance with paragraph 1 and with this paragraph.

Article 3

Enhanced surveillance

The Commission shall inform the competent committee of the European Parliament, the EFC, the Eurogroup Working Group, and the parliament of the Member State concerned, where relevant and in accordance with national practice, of the measures referred to in the first subparagraph.

(a) communicate to the ECB in its supervisory capacity, and, where appropriate, to the relevant ESAs, in accordance with Article 35 of Regulations (EU) No 1093/2010, (EU) No 1094/2010 and (EU) No 1095/2010, at the requested frequency, disaggregated information on developments in its financial system, including an analysis of the results of any stress test exercises or sensitivity analyses carried out under point (b) of this paragraph;

(b) carry out, under the supervision of the ECB in its supervisory capacity, or, where appropriate, under the supervision of the relevant ESAs, stress test exercises or sensitivity analyses, as necessary, to assess the resilience of the financial sector to various macroeconomic and financial shocks, as specified by the Commission and the ECB, in liaison with the relevant ESAs and with the ESRB;

(c) be required to submit to regular assessments of its supervisory capacities over the financial sector in the framework of a specific peer review carried out by the ECB, in its supervisory capacity, or, where appropriate, by the relevant ESAs;

(d) communicate to the Commission any information needed for the monitoring of macroeconomic imbalances in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011.

On the basis of the analysis of the results of the stress test exercises and sensitivity analyses referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph, and taking into account the conclusions of the assessment of the relevant indicators of the scoreboard for macroeconomic imbalances established in Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011, the ECB, in its supervisory capacity, and the relevant ESAs shall prepare, in liaison with the ESRB, an assessment of the potential vulnerabilities of the financial system and shall submit that assessment to the Commission, at the frequency indicated by the latter, and to the ECB.