The European Securities and Markets Authority’s (ESMA) Supervisory Convergence Work Programme for 2016 (2016 SCWP) supplements ESMA’s Annual Work Programme for 2016 (ESMA/2015/1475) by further elaborating the nature and focus of the work ESMA will carry out in order to promote supervisory convergence and how that will contribute to implementing ESMA’s Strategic Orientation for 2016-2020 (ESMA/2015/935).

The 2016 SCWP provides an overview and explanation of the steps ESMA will take in 2016 to promote sound, efficient and consistent supervision in the EU.  It sets out priority areas and how they have been identified and sets them in the context of the wider work programme and environment.

Implementation of the 2016 SCWP will be monitored in the course of 2016 and depending on developments during the year, priorities might be re-adjusted. It will also be used to inform ESMA’s Annual Report and its supervisory convergence work programme for future years which will be risk-based.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) under Article 41(4) of Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on improving securities settlement in the European Union and on central securities depositories and amending Directives 98/26/EC and 2014/65/EU and Regulation No 236/2012 (CSDR) may issue guidelines in accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 in order to ensure consistent application of Article 41 of CSDR relating to participant default rules and procedures.

Contents

Section 2 contains information on the background and mandate, Section 3 contains an analysis of the scope and content of the proposed guidelines, while Section 4 contains the proposed guidelines.

Annex I sets out a summary of the questions contained in this paper and Annex II includes a high level cost-benefit analysis for the guidelines.

Next Steps

ESMA will consider the feedback it will receive to this consultation with a view to finalising the guidelines by Q4 2016.