Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/155 of 29 September 2015 amending Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 1233/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of certain guidelines in the field of officially supported export credits

Type Delegated Regulation
Publication 2016-02-11
State In force
Text As published
Department European Commission
Source EUR-Lex
articles 4

This is the act as published. Later amendments are not folded into the text below: each one is a separate act in this repository and an entry in this law's history.

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The risk of payment interruption is expected to be moderately weak. The obligor/guarantor has a moderate to moderately weak capacity for repayment. There is a possibility of credit risk developing as the obligor/guarantor faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial or economic conditions which could lead to inadequate capacity to meet timely payments. However, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. The credit quality is typically manifested in a combination of some, if not all, of the following characteristics of the business and financial profile:

The entity is also characterised by an adequate quality of financial and ownership disclosure, unless there is a very high likelihood of support from a parent (or sovereign) with a buyer risk classification that is equal to or better than what corresponds to this buyer risk category.

Depending on the classification of the country in which the obligor/guarantor is domiciled, it is likely that an obligor/guarantor classified in buyer risk category CC4 would be rated between BB+ (Country Category 1) and B- or worse (Country Category 5) by accredited CRAs.

Weak Credit Quality (CC5)

The risk of payment interruption is expected to be high to very high. The obligor/guarantor has a moderately weak to weak capacity for repayment. The obligor/guarantor currently has the capacity to meet repayments but a limited margin of safety remains. However, there is a likelihood of developing payment problems as the capacity for continued payment is contingent upon a sustained, favourable business and economic environment. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair capacity or willingness to repay. The credit quality is typically manifested in a combination of some, if not all, of the following characteristics of the business and financial profile:

The entity is also characterised by a poor quality of financial and ownership disclosure, unless there is a very high likelihood of support from a parent (or sovereign) with a buyer risk classification that is equal to or better than what corresponds to this buyer risk category.

Depending on the classification of the country in which the obligor/guarantor is domiciled, it is likely that an obligor/guarantor classified in buyer risk category CC5 would be rated between BB- (Country Category 1) and B- or worse (Country Category 4) by accredited CRAs.

‘ANNEX XII

CRITERIA AND CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE APPLICATION OF COUNTRY RISK MITIGATION TECHNIQUES AND BUYER RISK CREDIT ENHANCEMENTS

PURPOSE

This Annex provides detail on the use of country risk mitigation techniques listed in Article 30(a) of the Arrangement and the buyer risk credit enhancements listed in Article 31(a) of the Arrangement; this includes the criteria, conditions and specific circumstances which apply to their use as well as the impact on the MPRs.

COUNTRY RISK MITIGATION TECHNIQUES

1. Offshore Future Flow Structure Combined with Offshore Escrow Account

Definition:

A written document, such as a deed or a release or trustee arrangement, sealed and delivered to a third party, i.e. a person not party to the instrument, to be held by such third party until the fulfilment of certain conditions and then to be delivered by him to the other party to take effect. If the following criteria are satisfied subject to consideration of the additional factors listed, this technique can reduce or eliminate the transfer risks, mainly in the higher risk country categories.

Criteria:

Additional Factors to be taken into Consideration:

The technique applies subject to a case-by-case consideration of the above characteristics and, inter alia, with regard to:

Impact on the MPR

The application of this country risk mitigation technique may result in a one category improvement in the applicable country risk classification for the transaction, except for transactions in Country Risk Category 1.

2. Local Currency Financing

Definition:

Contract and financing negotiated in convertible and available local, other than hard, currencies and financed locally that eliminates or mitigates the transfer risk. The primary debt obligation in local currency would, in principle, not be affected by the occurrence of the first two country credit risks.

Criteria:

Additional Factors to be taken into Consideration:

The technique applies on a selective basis in respect of convertible and transferable currencies, where the underlying economy is sound. The Participant ECA should be in a position to meet its obligations to pay claims expressed in its own currency in the event that the local currency becomes either “non-transferable” or “non-convertible” after the ECA takes on liability. (A Direct Lender would however carry this exposure.)

Impact on the MPR

The application of this risk mitigation technique may result in a discount of no more than 20 % to the country credit risk portion of the MPR (i.e. a local currency factor [LCF] with a value of no more than 0,2).

BUYER RISK CREDIT ENHANCEMENTS

The following table provides definitions of the buyer risk credit enhancements that may be applied, along with their maximum impact on the applicable MPRs through the CEF in the MPR formula.

Credit Enhancement Definition Maximum CEF
Assignment of Contract Proceeds or Receivables In the event a borrower has contracts with strong off-takers, whether offshore or local, a legally enforceable assignment of the contract provides rights to enforce the borrower's contracts and/or make decisions under major contracts in the place of the borrower after a default under the loan. A direct agreement with a third party in a transaction (a local government agency in a mining or energy transaction) allows Lenders to approach a government to seek remedies for expropriation or other violation of contractual obligations related to the transaction. An existing company operating in a difficult market or sector may have receivables related to the sale of production with a company or companies located in a more stable environment. Receivables would generally be in a hard currency but may not be the subject of a specific contractual relationship. Assignment of these receivables could provide asset security in the accounts of the Borrower, giving the Lender a preferential treatment in the cash flow generated by the Borrower. 0,10
Asset Based Security Control of an asset shown by: (1) mortgage on very mobile and valuable piece of property and (2) property that has entire value in itself. An asset based security is one that can be reacquired with relative ease such as a locomotive, medical equipment or construction equipment. In valuing such a security, the ECA should take into consideration the legal ease of recovery. In other words, there is more value when the security interest in the asset is perfected under an established legal regime and less value where the legal ability to recover the asset is questionable. The precise value of an asset-based security is set by the market, with the relevant “market” being deeper than a local market because the asset can be moved to another jurisdiction. NOTE: The application of an asset based security credit enhancement applies to the buyer risk, where the asset based security is held internally within the country in which the transaction is domiciled. 0,25
Fixed Asset Security A fixed asset security is most typically component equipment which may be constrained by its physicality such as turbine or manufacturing machinery integrated into an assembly line. The intent and value of the fixed asset security is to provide the ECA with more leverage over the use of the asset in recouping losses in the event of default. The value of a fixed asset security varies dependant on economic, legal, market and other factors. 0,15
Escrow Account Escrow accounts involve debt service reserve accounts held as security for the lenders or other forms of cash receivable accounts held as security for the lenders by a party not controlled or sharing common ownership with the buyer/obligor. The escrowed amount must be deposited or escrowed in advance. The value of such security is nearly always 100 % of the nominal amount in such cash accounts. Permits greater control over use of cash, ensures that debt is serviced before discretionary spending. NOTE: The application of an escrow account credit enhancement applies to the buyer risk, where the escrow account is held internally within the country in which the transaction is domiciled. Cash security significantly diminishes the risk of default for the covered instalments. escrowed amount as % of credit up to a maximum of 0,10

‘ANNEX XIII

CHECKLIST OF DEVELOPMENTAL QUALITY

CHECKLIST OF DEVELOPMENTAL QUALITY OF AID-FINANCED PROJECTS

A number of criteria have been developed in recent years by the DAC to ensure that projects in developing countries that are financed totally or in part by Official Development Assistance (ODA) contribute to development. They are essentially contained in the:

CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH THE RECIPIENT COUNTRY'S OVERALL INVESTMENT PRIORITIES (PROJECT SELECTION)

Is the project part of investment and public expenditure programmes already approved by the central financial and planning authorities of the recipient country?

(Specify policy document mentioning the project, e.g. public investment programme of the recipient country.)

Is the project being co-financed with an international development finance institution?

Does evidence exist that the project has been considered and rejected by an international development finance institution or another DAC Member on grounds of low developmental priority?

In the case of a private sector project, has it been approved by the government of the recipient country?

Is the project covered by an intergovernmental agreement providing for a broader range of aid activities by the donor in the recipient country?

PROJECT PREPARATION AND APPRAISAL

Has the project been prepared, designed and appraised against a set of standards and criteria broadly consistent with the DAC Principles for Project Appraisal (PPA)? Relevant principles concern project appraisal under:

In the case of a revenue producing project, particularly if it is producing for a competitive market, has the concessionary element of the aid financing been passed on to the end-user of the funds? (paragraph 25 PPA).

PROCUREMENT PROCEDURES

What procurement mode will be used among the following? (For definitions, see Principles listed in Good Procurement Practices for ODA).

Is it envisaged to check price and quality of supplies (paragraph 63 PPA)?

‘ANNEX XIV

LIST OF DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of the Arrangement:

(a) Commitment: any statement, in whatever form, whereby the willingness or intention to provide official support is communicated to the recipient country, the buyer, the borrower, the exporter or the financial institution.

(b) Common Line: an understanding between the Participants to agree, for a given transaction or in special circumstances, on specific financial terms and conditions for official support. The rules of an agreed Common Line supersede the rules of the Arrangement only for the transaction or in the circumstances specified in the Common Line.

(c) Concessionality Level of Tied Aid: in the case of grants the concessionality level is 100 %. In the case of loans, the concessionality level is the difference between the nominal value of the loan and the discounted present value of the future debt service payments to be made by the borrower. This difference is expressed as a percentage of the nominal value of the loan.

(d) Decommissioning: closing down or dismantling of a nuclear power plant.

(e) Export Contract Value: the total amount to be paid by or on behalf of the purchaser for goods and/or services exported, i.e. excluding local costs as defined hereafter; in the case of a lease, it excludes the portion of the lease payment that is equivalent to interest.

(f) Final Commitment: for an export credit transaction (either in the form of a single transaction or a line of credit), a final commitment exists when the Participant commits to precise and complete financial terms and conditions, either through a reciprocal agreement or by a unilateral act.

(g) Initial Fuel Load: the initial fuel load shall consist of no more than the initially installed nuclear core plus two subsequent reloads, together consisting of up to two-thirds of a nuclear core.

(h) Interest Rate Support: an arrangement between a government and banks or other financial institutions which allows the provision of fixed rate export finance at or above the CIRR.

(i) Line of Credit: a framework, in whatever form, for export credits that covers a series of transactions which may or may not be linked to a specific project.

(j) Local Costs: expenditure for goods and services in the buyer's country that are necessary either for executing the exporter's contract or for completing the project of which the exporter's contract forms a part. These exclude commission payable to the exporter's agent in the buying country.

(k) Pure Cover: official support provided by or on behalf of a government by way of export credit guarantee or insurance only, i.e. which does not benefit from official financing support.

(l) Repayment Term: the period beginning at the starting point of credit, as defined in this Annex, and ending on the contractual date of the final repayment of principal.

(m) Starting Point of Credit:

(n) Tied Aid: aid which is in effect (in law or in fact) tied to the procurement of goods and/or services from the donor country and/or a restricted number of countries; it includes loans, grants or associated financing packages with a concessionality level greater than zero percent.

This definition applies whether the “tying” is by formal agreement or by any form of informal understanding between the recipient and the donor country, or whether a package includes components from the forms set out in Article 34 of the Arrangement that are not freely and fully available to finance procurement from the recipient country, substantially all other developing countries and from the Participants, or if it involves practices that the DAC or the Participants consider equivalent to such tying.

(o) Untied Aid: aid which includes loans or grants whose proceeds are fully and freely available to finance procurement from any country.

(p) Weighted Average Life of the Repayment Period: the time that it takes to retire one-half of the principal of a credit. This is calculated as the sum of time (in years) between the starting point of credit and each principal repayment weighted by the portion of principal repaid at each repayment date.

’

[^ntr1-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0001]: As defined in Article 5 of the OECD Convention.

[^ntr2-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0002]: Defined by the World Bank on an annual basis according to per capita GNI.

[^ntr3-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0003]: The status of a country in terms of: (1) whether it is a High Income country (as defined by the World Bank on an annual basis according to per capita GNI), (2) membership in the OECD and (3) whether it is part of the Euro Area is reviewed on an annual basis. The designation of a country under Article 25(c) as a High Income OECD country or a High Income Euro Area country as well as the removal of such designation will only come into effect after the country's income classification (High Income or otherwise) has remained unchanged for two consecutive years. A change in a country's designation as a High Income OECD country or a High Income Euro Area country as well as the removal of such designation related to a change in OECD membership or being part of the Euro Area will come into effect immediately at the time of the annual review of countries' status.

[^ntr4-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0004]: The requirement for prior notification set out in the third tiret of Article 24(c) shall be discontinued on 30 June 2015.

[^ntr5-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0005]: The premium rates charged for transactions with a third party guarantee provided by an obligor in a High Income OECD country or a High Income Euro Area country are subject to the requirements set out in Article 24(c).

[^ntr6-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0006]: In the case of a third party guarantee, the applicable country risk classification and buyer risk category must be related to the same entity, i.e. either the obligor or the guarantor.

[^ntr7-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0007]: For administrative purposes, some countries that are eligible to be classified into one of the eight Country Risk Categories may not be classified if they do not generally receive officially supported export credits. For such non-classified countries, Participants are free to apply the country risk classification which they deem appropriate.

[^ntr8-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0008]: Rules related to the classification of buyers should be understood to stipulate the most favourable classification that can be applied, e.g. a sovereign buyer may be classified in a less favourable buyer risk classification.

[^ntr9-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0009]: The MPRs associated with the Better than Sovereign (SOV+) buyer risk category are 10 % lower than the MPRs associated with the Sovereign (CC0) buyer risk category.

[^ntr10-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0010]: The Secretariat shall compile and maintain a list of such accredited CRAs.

[^ntr11-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0011]: Where the non-sovereign borrower is rated by more than one accredited CRA, notification is only required where the buyer risk rating is more favourable than the most favourable of the CRA ratings.

[^ntr12-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0012]: With respect to buyer risk, classified multilateral and regional institutions shall be classified in Buyer Risk Category SOV/CC0.

[^ntr13-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0013]: Based on the annual review by the World Bank of its country classification, a per capita Gross National Income (GNI) threshold will be used for the purpose of tied aid eligibility; such threshold is available on the OECD website (http://www.oecd.org/trade/exportcredits/classification.htm).

[^ntr14-L_2016036EN.01000302-E0014]: The requirement for prior notification set out in the third tiret of Article 24(c) shall be discontinued on 31 December 2014.

[^ntr15-E0001]: (15)  However, in cases where the buyer of the switchyard is the same as the buyer of the power plant and the contract is concluded in relation to the original switchyard for that power plant, the terms and conditions for the original switchyard shall not be more generous than those for the nuclear power plant.

[^ntr16-E0002]: (16)  Article 1(a)(1) refers.

[^ntr17-E0003]: (17)  Articles 1(a)(2) to(4) refer.

[^ntr18-E0001]: (18)  An explanation shall be provided where the proposed risk-rating of a buyer/borrower exceeds the risk rating of the host sovereign.

[^ntr19-E0002]: (19)  For transactions with an export contract value of less than USD 5 million, a Participant not wishing to follow the risk classification procedure set out in Articles 6 to 8 of this Appendix shall apply the risk classification “8” for the buyer/borrower which is the subject of the transaction and shall notify the transaction in accordance with Article 24 a) of this Sector Understanding.

[^ntr20-E0003]: (20)  For transactions with an export contract value of less than USD 5 million, a five working-day period shall apply.

[^ntr21-E0004]: (21)  Together with information regarding any involvement (provided with due respect for confidentiality duties).

[^ntr22-E0001]: (22)  Together with information regarding any involvement (provided with due respect for confidentiality duties).

[^ntr23-E0002]: (23)  For the purposes of this questionnaire the “State” is the country that is being proposed for addition to the Cape Town Convention List under Appendix II, Section 2, II of the ASU. Where appropriate, these questions shall also be answered in respect of the laws of the particular “territorial unit” of the State in which the relevant operator of an aircraft (or other relevant body as set out in Article 35(b) Appendix II) is located and “national law” shall be read as including a reference to the relevant local law.

[^ntr24-E0003]: (24)  For the purposes of this questionnaire, “national law” refers to all national legislation of a State, including but not limited to, the Constitution and its Amendments, any federal, state and district law or regulation.

[^ntr25-E0004]: (25)  For example, that (i) treaties prevail over other law as a matter of constitutional or similar framework law in State X, or (ii) legislation is required in State X, and has been enacted expressly setting out the priority of the Cape Town Treaty and /or superseding such other law, or (iii) the Cape Town Treaty or its implementing legislation is (a) more specific than other law (lex specialis derogat legi generali), and/or (b) later in time than such other law (lex posterior derogat legi priori), and as a result of (a) and/or (b) prevails over such other law.

[^ntr26-E0005]: (26)  For example, is there any reason why the rights and remedies granted to creditors under the Convention, including those granted under the QDs, would not (a) be recognized as being effective or (b) be sufficient by themselves, to enable such rights and remedies to be validly exercised in the State?

[^ntr27-E0006]: An example of an administrative action for the purposes of this question might be the failure by the State to put in place any procedures or resources to give effect to a provision of the Convention or a Qualifying Declaration. Another example would be the failure by a State to put in place proper procedures in its aircraft registry for recording IDERAs.

[^ntr28-E0007]: Please include in your analysis any precedent / decision relating to the recognition of rights of creditors, including ECAs, when relevant.

[^ntr*1-E0001]: (*1)  Indicate the number of USD 300 million multiples in excess of USD 2 000 million.

[^ntr29-E0001]: (29)  It is understood that the 2012 Recommendation applies equally to projects that are not eligible for these financial terms and conditions.

[^ntr30-E0002]: (30)  The maximum repayment term for jack-up rigs used in the installation of wind turbines shall be 12 years.

[^ntr31-E0001]: (31)  In the case of a plant fuelled by natural gas, significantly lower carbon intensity is expected to be achieved.

[^ntr32-E0002]: (32)  Boiler (or steam generator) energy conversion efficiency = (Net heat exported by the steam/heat or calorific value [LHV] provided by the fuel) (× 100 %).

[^ntr33-E0003]: (33)  Gasifier efficiency = (Calorific value of gas per kg of fuel used/average net calorific value (LHV) of one kg of fuel) (× 100 %).

[^ntr34-E0004]: (34)  IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007, http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg3/en/ch4s4-3-5.html

[^ntr35-E0005]: (35)  The total system efficiency (ηo) of a CHP system is the sum of the net useful power output (WE) and net useful thermal outputs (ΣQTH) divided by the total fuel input (QFUEL), as shown below:

Image omitted; see official source

Article 2 — The maximum repayment term is 14 years, except when official export credit support provided by the Participants comprises more than 35 % of the syndication for a project in a High Income OECD country, the maximum repayment term is ten years.

Article 3 d) — The weighted average life of the repayment period shall not exceed seven-and-a-quarter years, except when official export credit support provided by the Participants comprises more than 35 % of the syndication for a project in a High Income OECD country, the weighted average life of the repayment period shall not exceed five-and-a-quarter years.

[^ntr*2-E0001]: (*2)  Indicate the number of SDR 40 million multiples in excess of SDR 280 million, e.g. SDR 410 million would be notified as Category XV + 3.

[^ntr37-E0001]: (37)  Most typically this would be a risk on the central bank or Ministry of Finance. For central government entities other than the finance ministry, due diligence shall be undertaken to affirm that the entity commits the full faith and credit of the sovereign.

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