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04/10/2011 2011/323 Final report- ESMA's technical advice on possible delegated acts concerning the Prospectus Directive as amended by the Directive 2010/73/EU Prospectus, Corporate Disclosure Technical Advice PDF
797.56 KB
23/03/2011 2011/36 Public statement- Framework for third country prospectuses under Article 20 of the Prospectus Directive Prospectus, Corporate Disclosure Statement PDF
317.51 KB
23/03/2011 2011/37 Public statement- ESMA statement on Israeli laws and regulations on prospectuses Prospectus, Corporate Disclosure Statement PDF
187.46 KB
23/03/2011 2011/67 Feedback statement- Consultation Paper on proposed amendments to CESR Prospectus, Corporate Disclosure CESR Document PDF
384.63 KB
01/03/2012 2012/137 ESMA’s technical advice on possible delegated acts concerning the Prospectus Directive as amended by the Directive 2010/73/EU Prospectus, Corporate Disclosure Technical Advice PDF
1.32 MB		 ESMA publishes today the second part of its final advice (ESMA/2012/137) on possible delegated acts for the Prospectus Directive (PD).  The advice was submitted to the Commission on 29 February 2012.  In its advice, ESMA proposes how to use a prospectus in a retail cascade and provides input on how to review the provisions of the Prospectus Regulation concerning tax information, indices, auditor’s report on profit forecasts and estimates and audited historical financial information. Today’s advice follows a public consultation started on 13 December 2011. Overall, the technical advice aims to achieve a high level of investor protection and to increase across Europe the legal clarity and efficiency of the prospectus regime. Investment prospectuses as such are aimed to provide investors with easily accessible information on financial products so as to foster in-formed decision-making.
20/04/2012 2012/236 ESMA's Technical Advice on possible delegated acts of the short-selling and certain aspects of CDS Short Selling, Market Integrity Technical Advice PDF
509.39 KB
29/06/2012 2012/415 Call for Evidence on Empty Voting Transparency, Corporate Disclosure CESR Document PDF
275.66 KB		 ESMA launched a Call for Evidence on Empty Voting in September 2011 to analyse the potential issues and concerns raised by the practice of empty voting and to examine whether there was a possible need for further action. An analysis of the responses received to the consultation has led ESMA to conclude that there is insufficient evidence to justify any regulatory action at the European level at present.
30/08/2012 2012/537 STATEMENT- Short Selling Regulation Update: Market Maker & Primary Dealer Exemption Notification Procedure Short Selling, Market Integrity, Press Releases Statement PDF
77.92 KB		 The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is publishing this notice to alert financial market participants to its upcoming consultation on the market making and authorised primary dealer exemption under the EU’s Short Selling Regulation (SSR) and the procedure to be followed by firms and regulators in dealing with notifications of intention to use the exemption.
13/09/2012 2012/577 ESMA publishes a Q&A on Short-Selling Regulation Short Selling, Market Integrity Statement PDF
108.69 KB		 The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published a Q&A on the Implementation of the Regulation on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps.The purpose of the Q&A is to promote common supervisory approaches and practices amongst the EU’s national securities markets regulators on the requirements of the Short Selling Regulation once it comes into force on 1 November 2012.  It will also provide clarity on the requirements of the new regime to market participants and investors.Issues addressed by the Q&AThe document provides responses to questions posed by market participants, national securities markets regulators, and the general public in relation to the practical application of the forthcoming Short Selling regime.  It addresses issues related to:•    territorial scope;•    transparency requirements; •    calculation of net short positions;•    uncovered short sales; •    and enforcement regime.Further InformationThe document is likely to be revised and updated before 1 November as new questions are received by ESMA.Technical queries on the application of the new regime should be addressed in writing to shortselling@esma.europa.eu, while further information can be found at http://www.esma.europa.eu/page/Short-selling. Notes for editors1.    Questions & Answers – Implementation of the regulation on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps.2.    Regulation on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps.3.    ESMA is an independent EU Authority that was established on 1 January 2011 and works closely with the other European Supervisory Authorities responsible for banking (EBA), and insurance and occupational pensions (EIOPA), and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB).4.    ESMA’s mission is to enhance the protection of investors and promote stable and well-functioning financial markets in the European Union (EU).  As an independent institution, ESMA achieves this aim by building a single rule book for EU financial markets and ensuring its consistent application across the EU.  ESMA contributes to the regulation of financial services firms with a pan-European reach, either through direct supervision or through the active co-ordination of national supervisory activity.Further information:David CliffeSenior Communications OfficerTel:   +33 (0)1 58 36 43 24Mob: +33 6 42 48 29 06Email: david.cliffe@esma.europa.eu
09/01/2013 2012/864 ESMA’s technical advice on possible delegated acts concerning the Prospectus Directive as amended by the Directive 2010/73/EU Prospectus, Corporate Disclosure Technical Advice PDF
1.23 MB
18/12/2013 2013/1944 Format of the base prospectus and consistent application of Article 26(4) of the Prospectus Regulation Prospectus, Corporate Disclosure Opinion PDF
75.6 KB
20/12/2013 2013/1970 Draft Regulatory Technical Standards on specific situations that require the publication of a supplement to the prospectus Prospectus, Corporate Disclosure Technical Standards PDF
713.74 KB		 The Final Report contains the draft Regulatory Technical Standard (RTS) on situations which require the publication of a supplement to the prospectus which ESMA is required to submit to the European Commission by 1 January 2014 in accordance with Article 16(3) of the Prospectus Directive. The Report furthermore includes a summary of the main responses received to ESMA’s Consultation Paper which was published in March 2013. The draft RTS sets out nine situations which are always considered to be significant in the context of securities issuance and where a supplement to the prospectus will always be required. Other situations would require a case-by-case assessment.
20/03/2013 2013/317 Framework for the assessment of third country prospectuses under Article 20 of the Prospectus Directive Prospectus, Corporate Disclosure Opinion PDF
725.59 KB
20/03/2013 2013/318 Feedback Statement on proposed amendments to the ESMA update of the CESR recommendations for the consistent implementation of the Prospectuses Regulation regarding mineral companies Prospectus, Corporate Disclosure, Transparency CESR Document PDF
265.19 KB
30/04/2013 2013/542 Emergency measure by the Greek HCMC under Section 1 of Chapter V of Regulation No 236/2012 on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps Short Selling, Market Integrity Opinion PDF
96.41 KB
29/09/2014 2014/1187 Draft Regulatory Technical Standards on major shareholdings and an indicative list of financial instruments subject to notification requirements under the revised Transparency Directive Corporate Disclosure, Transparency Technical Standards PDF
810.07 KB		 The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) under the revised Transparency Directive relating to the notification of major shareholdings.
07/07/2015 2015/1104 ESMA Opinion on the renewal of emergency measure by the Greek HCMC under the Short Selling Regulation Short Selling, Market Integrity Opinion PDF
108.42 KB		 OPINION Renewal of emergency measure by the Greek HCMC under Section 1 of Chapter V of Regulation No 236/2012 on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps I. Legal basis 1. According to Article 27(2) of Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2012 on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps (the Regulation), the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) shall within 24 hours of the notification having been made by a competent authority under Article 26 of the Regulation issue an opinion on whether it considers the measure or proposed measure necessary to address the exceptional circumstances. 2. ESMA’s competence to deliver an opinion is based on Article 29(1) (a) of Regulation (EC) No 1095/2010 (ESMA Regulation). In accordance with Article 44(1) of the ESMA Regulation the Board of Supervisors has adopted this opinion. II. Background 3. In accordance with Article 26 of the Regulation, the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) originally notified ESMA and competent authorities on the 29th of June 2015 of its intention to make use of its powers of intervention in exceptional circumstances and to introduce an emergency measure under Article 20 of the Regulation. 4. The original emergency measure consisted of a temporary prohibition of transactions in any financial instrument that create, or increase, a net short position on any of the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” (Alternative Market of the Athens Exchange) of which the relevant Competent Authority is HCMC. 5. The original measure concerned the following financial instruments: all shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A”, as well as all related instruments included in the calculation of the net short position in accordance with Regulation (EU) N0 236/2012 and Commission Regulation (EU) No 918/2012 of 5 July 2012 (see in particular Annex I, Part I thereof). It applied to any person irrespective of their country of residence, and did not envisage any exemption for market maker activities. 6. In the original notification, the HCMC indicated that the measure was a complementary action to the ones already established on the 29th of June 2015 by the Greek Authorities, namely: • closure of the ATHEX regulated market and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” until the 6th of July (included); • closure of The Electronic Secondary Market “HDAT” for government bonds operated for the same period; • suspension of redemption of mutual funds’ units; • suspension of operation of ATHEXClear for the securities traded on the Greek market and the MTF “EN.A”; • suspension of the settlement of securities traded on the Greek market by the Hellenic Central Securities Depository; • trading suspension of all the securities of listed companies covered by the above measures, as well as the related financial instruments (the trading suspension is effective also in other Member States). 7. The reason for proposing a temporary prohibition for the creation, or increase, of net short position on the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and on “EN.A” was that the HCMC deemed it necessary for the protection of the investors and the preservation of financial stability. In fact, such prohibition was considered a relevant component to ensure the effectiveness of the other measures adopted by the Greek authorities. The HCMC also stated that given that the main liquidity and trading activity on those instruments normally is located within Greece, the measure would have not created disproportionate negative effects, since it would have affected a fairly small part of the EU overall market. 8. Following the issuance by ESMA of a positive opinion pursuant to Article 27 of the Regulation on the 29th of June, the original measure by the HCMC entered into force at 00:00:01 hours (CET) on 30th June 2015, and applied for a period of seven days, ending at 24:00:00 (CET) on 6th July 2015. 9. On the 6th of July 2015, the measures described in paragraph 6 were renewed by the Greek authorities and the bank holiday in Greece was also extended. On the same day, the HCMC proposed a renewal of the short selling measure, notifying ESMA and competent authorities accordingly. 10. In the notification for the renewal, the HCMC explains that it believes the circumstances that justified the imposition of the original measure did not improve during the last week and therefore the measure should be renewed. Moreover, all the other measures adopted by the Greek authorities were renewed or extended, and the short selling measure remains a relevant component to ensure the effectiveness of the other ones. 11. The proposed renewal would concern the same financial instruments of the original measure (see paragraph 5), but the HCMC specified in the new notification that although the ban covers all transactions in the financial instruments listed in Part I of Annex I of Commission Regulation (EU) No 918/2012, transactions in index-related instruments and ETFs are included to the extent that the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” of which the relevant Competent Authority is the HCMC represent more than 5% of the total value (or composition) of these instruments. 12. The renewed measure shall apply for a period of seven days and shall be in force as of 00:00:01 hours (CET) on 7th July 2015 until 24:00:00 (CET) on 13th of July 2015. III. Opinion 13. ESMA is adopting the following opinion on the notified measure, on the basis of Article 27(2) of Regulation 236/2012 on Short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps: On the adverse events or developments ESMA considers that adverse developments which constitute a serious threat to market confidence in the Greek market still persist. On the appropriateness and proportionality of the measure ESMA considers that the measure is appropriate and proportionate to address the above mentioned threats that persist in the Hellenic Republic. On the duration of the measure ESMA considers that the duration of the measure is justified and appreciates HCMC’s statement in its notification of intent that the measure may be lifted before the end of the established period or renewed in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 if circumstances that justified the imposition of the measure improve, persist or worsen.
13/07/2015 2015/1131 ESMA Opinion on the renewal of emergency measure by the Greek HCMC under short selling regulation Short Selling, Market Integrity Opinion PDF
110.11 KB		 OPINION Renewal of emergency measure by the Greek HCMC under Section 1 of Chapter V of Regulation No 236/2012 on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps I. Legal basis 1. According to Article 27(2) of Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2012 on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps (the Regulation), the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) shall within 24 hours of the notification having been made by a competent authority under Article 26 of the Regulation issue an opinion on whether it considers the measure or proposed measure necessary to address the exceptional circumstances. 2. ESMA’s competence to deliver an opinion is based on Article 29(1) (a) of Regulation (EC) No 1095/2010 (ESMA Regulation). In accordance with Article 44(1) of the ESMA Regulation the Board of Supervisors has adopted this opinion. II. Background 3. On the 29th of June 2015, ESMA issued an opinion on the emergency measure introduced by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) under Article 20 of the Regulation. The measure consisted of a temporary prohibition of transactions in any financial instrument that create, or increase, a net short position on any of the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” (Alternative Market of the Athens Exchange) of which the relevant Competent Authority is HCMC and was applied from 30th June 2015 at 00.00.01 CET to the 6th July 2015 at 24:00:00 (CET). 4. The measure concerned the following financial instruments: all shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A”, as well as all related instruments included in the calculation of the net short position in accordance with Regulation (EU) N0 236/2012 and Commission Regulation (EU) No 918/2012 of 5 July 2012 (see in particular Annex I, Part I thereof). It applied to any person irrespective of their country of residence, and did not envisage any exemption for market maker activities. 5. In the original notification to ESMA, the HCMC indicated that the measure was a complementary action to the ones already established on the 29th of June 2015 by the Greek Authorities, namely: • closure of the ATHEX regulated market and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” until the 6th of July (included); • closure of The Electronic Secondary Market “HDAT” for government bonds operated for the same period; • suspension of redemption of mutual funds’ units; • suspension of operation of ATHEXClear for the securities traded on the Greek market and the MTF “EN.A”; • suspension of the settlement of securities traded on the Greek market by the Hellenic Central Securities Depository; • trading suspension of all the securities of listed companies covered by the above measures, as well as the related financial instruments (the trading suspension is effective also in other Member States). 6. The reason for proposing a temporary prohibition for the creation, or increase, of net short position on the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and on “EN.A” was that the HCMC deemed it necessary for the protection of the investors and the preservation of financial stability. In fact, such prohibition was considered a relevant component to ensure the effectiveness of the other measures adopted by the Greek authorities. The HCMC also stated that given that the main liquidity and trading activity on those instruments normally is located within Greece, the measure would have not created disproportionate negative effects, since it would have affected a fairly small part of the EU overall market. 7. On the 6th of July 2015, the measures described in paragraph 5 were renewed by the Greek authorities and the bank holiday in Greece was also extended. On the same day, the HCMC notified ESMA and competent authorities of its intention to renew the short selling measure and ESMA issued a positive opinion concerning this first renewal pursuant to Article 27 of the Regulation. 8. The first renewal concerned the same financial instruments of the original measure (see paragraph 5), but the HCMC specified in the related notification that although the ban covers all transactions in the financial instruments listed in Part I of Annex I of Commission Regulation (EU) No 918/2012, transactions in index-related instruments and ETFs are included to the extent that the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” of which the relevant Competent Authority is the HCMC represent more than 5% of the total value (or composition) of these instruments. 9. This renewal entered into force at 00:00:01 hours (CET) on 7th July 2015 and will expire at 24:00:00 (CET) on 13th July 2015. 10. On the 13th of July 2015, the measures described in paragraph 5 were renewed again by the Greek authorities and the bank holiday in Greece was also extended. On the same day, in accordance with Article 26 of the Regulation, the HCMC has notified ESMA and other competent authorities of its intention to make use of its powers of intervention in exceptional circumstances and to renew again the current emergency measure under Article 20 of the Regulation. 11. In the notification for this second renewal, the HCMC explains that it believes the circumstances that justified the imposition of the original measure and of the first renewal did not improve yet and therefore the measure should be extended again. Moreover, all the other measures adopted by the Greek authorities were extended, and the short selling measure remains a relevant component to ensure the effectiveness of the other ones. 12. The proposed second renewal would concern exactly the same instruments as of the first renewal. 13. The renewed measure shall apply for a period of seven days and shall be in force as of 00:00:01 hours (CET) on 14th July 2015 until 24:00:00 (CET) on 20th of July 2015. III. Opinion 14. ESMA is adopting the following opinion on the notified measure, on the basis of Article 27(2) of Regulation 236/2012 on Short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps: On the adverse events or developments ESMA considers that adverse developments which constitute a serious threat to market confidence in the Greek market still persist. On the appropriateness and proportionality of the measure ESMA considers that the measure is appropriate and proportionate to address the above mentioned threats that persist in the Hellenic Republic. On the duration of the measure ESMA considers that the duration of the measure is justified and appreciates HCMC’s statement in its notification of intent that the measure may be lifted before the end of the established period or renewed in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 if circumstances that justified the imposition of the measure improve, persist or worsen.
21/07/2015 2015/1139 ESMA Opinion on the renewal of emergency measure by the Greek HCMC under the Short Selling Regulation Short Selling, Market Integrity Opinion PDF
114.23 KB		 OPINION Renewal of emergency measure by the Greek HCMC under Section 1 of Chapter V of Regulation No 236/2012 on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps I. Legal basis 1. According to Article 27(2) of Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2012 on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps (the Regulation), the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) shall within 24 hours of the notification having been made by a competent authority under Article 26 of the Regulation issue an opinion on whether it considers the measure or proposed measure necessary to address the exceptional circumstances. 2. ESMA’s competence to deliver an opinion is based on Article 29(1) (a) of Regulation (EC) No 1095/2010 (ESMA Regulation). In accordance with Article 44(1) of the ESMA Regulation the Board of Supervisors has adopted this opinion. II. Background 3. On the 29th of June 2015, ESMA issued an opinion on the emergency measure introduced by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) under Article 20 of the Regulation. The measure consisted of a temporary prohibition of transactions in any financial instrument that create, or increase, a net short position on any of the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” (Alternative Market of the Athens Exchange) of which the relevant Competent Authority is HCMC and was applied from 30th June 2015 at 00.00.01 CET to the 6th July 2015 at 24:00:00 (CET). 4. The measure concerned the following financial instruments: all shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A”, as well as all related instruments included in the calculation of the net short position in accordance with Regulation (EU) N0 236/2012 and Commission Regulation (EU) No 918/2012 of 5 July 2012 (see in particular Annex I, Part I thereof). It applied to any person irrespective of their country of residence, and did not envisage any exemption for market maker activities. 5. In the original notification to ESMA, the HCMC indicated that the measure was a complementary action to the ones already established on the 29th of June 2015 by the Greek Authorities, namely: • closure of the ATHEX regulated market and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” until the 6th of July (included); • closure of The Electronic Secondary Market “HDAT” for government bonds operated for the same period; • suspension of redemption of mutual funds’ units; • suspension of operation of ATHEXClear for the securities traded on the Greek market and the MTF “EN.A”; • suspension of the settlement of securities traded on the Greek market by the Hellenic Central Securities Depository; and • trading suspension of all the securities of listed companies covered by the above measures, as well as the related financial instruments (the trading suspension is effective also in other Member States). 6. The reason for proposing a temporary prohibition for the creation, or increase, of net short position on the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and on “EN.A” was that the HCMC deemed it necessary for the protection of the investors and the preservation of financial stability. In fact, such prohibition was considered a relevant component to ensure the effectiveness of the other measures adopted by the Greek authorities. The HCMC also stated that given that the main liquidity and trading activity on those instruments normally is located within the Hellenic Republic, the measure would have not created disproportionate negative effects, since it would have affected a fairly small part of the EU overall market. 7. On the 6th and 13th of July 2015, the measures described in paragraph 5 were renewed by the Greek authorities and the bank holiday in the Hellenic Republic was also extended. On the same days, the HCMC notified ESMA and competent authorities of its intention to renew the short selling measure and ESMA issued in both cases a positive opinion concerning these renewals pursuant to Article 27 of the Regulation. 8. The renewals concerned the same financial instruments of the original measure (see paragraph 5), but the HCMC specified in the related notification that although the ban covers all transactions in the financial instruments listed in Part I of Annex I of Commission Regulation (EU) No 918/2012, transactions in index-related instruments and ETFs are included to the extent that the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” of which the relevant Competent Authority is the HCMC represent more than 5% of the total value (or composition) of these instruments. 9. The renewal notified on the 13th July entered into force at 00:00:01 hours (CET) on 14th July 2015 and will expire at 24:00:00 (CET) on 20th July 2015. 10. On the 20th of July 2015, the measures described in paragraph 5 were renewed again by the Greek authorities. On the same day, in accordance with Article 26 of the Regulation, the HCMC has notified ESMA and other competent authorities of its intention to make use of its powers of intervention in exceptional circumstances and to renew again the current emergency measure under Article 20 of the Regulation. 11. In the notification for this third renewal, the HCMC explains that it believes the circumstances that justified the imposition of the original measure and of the previous renewals did not improve yet and therefore the measure should be extended again. Moreover, all the other measures adopted by the Greek authorities were extended, and the short selling measure remains a relevant component to ensure the effectiveness of the other ones. 12. The proposed third renewal would concern exactly the same instruments as of the previous renewals. In the latest notification to ESMA and competent authorities, the HCMC revised its wording to the benefit of legal certainty regarding the nature of the emergency measure and the scope of the financial instruments concerned. In particular, the HCMC latest notification refers to short sales of shares under Article 20(2)(a) and any transaction referred to in Article 20(2)(b) of the Regulation (EU) N0 236/2012. The notification also lists explicitly all the categories of financial instruments relating to the concerned shares to which the measure will apply, rather than identifying these related instruments by cross referring to the Annex of Commission Regulation No 918/2012. Thus, the following financial instruments under MiFID are included: options, covered warrants, futures, index-related instruments, contracts for difference, shares/units of exchange-traded funds, swaps, spread bets, packaged retail or professional investment products, complex derivatives, certificates linked to shares, and global depositary receipts. 13. The renewed measure shall apply for a period of seven days and shall be in force as of 00:00:01 hours (CET) on 21st July 2015 until 24:00:00 (CET) on 27Th of July 2015. III. Opinion 14. ESMA is adopting the following opinion on the notified measure, on the basis of Article 27(2) of Regulation 236/2012 on Short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps: On the adverse events or developments ESMA considers that adverse developments which constitute a serious threat to market confidence in the Greek market still persist. Comparing the current situation in the Hellenic Republic with related events over the past few years, the threat to financial stability and investor protection at least in the Hellenic Republic is obvious. Despite the partial reopening of credit institutions on 20 July 2015, the situation of fragility in the financial system and in the broader Greek economy persists. The relation between this situation and the financial markets is clear, as evidenced by the closure of Greek financial markets. On the appropriateness and proportionality of the measure ESMA considers that the measure is appropriate and proportionate to address the above mentioned threats that persist in the Hellenic Republic. Allowing short positions to be built at this stage could exacerbate the threats to financial stability, especially as regards the financial sector. Besides, the inclusion of short positions built through related instruments is appropriate and proportionate since tolerating the build-up of over-the-counter (OTC) short positions and short positions through related instruments would put retail investors at a disadvantage compared to professional investors (who can access OTC wholesale markets more easily), given the main markets are still closed for trading, and would ultimately undermine the overall efficiency of the measure. On the duration of the measure ESMA considers that the duration of the measure is justified. It is a relatively short renewal period that indicates that the measure is linked with specific events and allows its reconsideration at short intervals, which ensures that the assessment of the risks is also performed frequently. Besides, ESMA appreciates HCMC’s statement in its notification of intent that the measure may be lifted before the end of the established period or renewed in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 if circumstances that justified the imposition of the measure improve, persist or worsen.
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2015-1104_opinion_on_hcmc_renewal_of_emergency_measure_under_ssr.pdf
28/07/2015 2015/1218 ESMA Opinion on the renewal of emergency measure by the Greek HCMC under the Short Selling Regulation Short Selling, Market Integrity Opinion PDF
114.2 KB		 OPINION Renewal of emergency measure by the Greek HCMC under Section 1 of Chapter V of Regulation No 236/2012 on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps I. Legal basis 1. According to Article 27(2) of Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2012 on short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps (the Regulation), the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) shall within 24 hours of the notification having been made by a competent authority under Article 26 of the Regulation issue an opinion on whether it considers the measure or proposed measure necessary to address the exceptional circumstances. 2. ESMA’s competence to deliver an opinion is based on Article 29(1) (a) of Regulation (EC) No 1095/2010 (ESMA Regulation). In accordance with Article 44(1) of the ESMA Regulation the Board of Supervisors has adopted this opinion. II. Background 3. On the 29th of June 2015, ESMA issued an opinion on the emergency measure introduced by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) under Article 20 of the Regulation. The measure consisted of a temporary prohibition of transactions in any financial instrument that create, or increase, a net short position on any of the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” (Alternative Market of the Athens Exchange) of which the relevant Competent Authority is HCMC and was applied from 30th June 2015 at 00.00.01 CET to the 6th July 2015 at 24:00:00 (CET). 4. The measure concerned the following financial instruments: all shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A”, as well as all related instruments included in the calculation of the net short position in accordance with Regulation (EU) N0 236/2012 and Commission Regulation (EU) No 918/2012 of 5 July 2012 (see in particular Annex I, Part I thereof). It applied to any person irrespective of their country of residence, and did not envisage any exemption for market maker activities. 5. In the original notification to ESMA, the HCMC indicated that the measure was a complementary action to the ones already established on the 29th of June 2015 by the Greek Authorities, namely: • closure of the ATHEX regulated market and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” until the 6th of July (included); • closure of The Electronic Secondary Market “HDAT” for government bonds operated for the same period; • suspension of redemption of mutual funds’ units; • suspension of operation of ATHEXClear for the securities traded on the Greek market and the MTF “EN.A”; • suspension of the settlement of securities traded on the Greek market by the Hellenic Central Securities Depository; • trading suspension of all the securities of listed companies covered by the above measures, as well as the related financial instruments (the trading suspension is effective also in other Member States). 6. The reason for proposing a temporary prohibition for the creation, or increase, of net short position on the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and on “EN.A” was that the HCMC deemed it necessary for the protection of the investors and the preservation of financial stability. In fact, such prohibition was considered a relevant component to ensure the effectiveness of the other measures adopted by the Greek authorities. The HCMC also stated that given that the main liquidity and trading activity on those instruments normally is located within the Hellenic Republic, the measure would have not created disproportionate negative effects, since it would have affected a fairly small part of the EU overall market. 7. On the 6th, the 13th and the 20th of July 2015, the measures described in paragraph 5 were renewed by the Greek authorities. On the same days, the HCMC notified ESMA and competent authorities of its intention to renew the short selling measure and ESMA issued in all cases a positive opinion concerning these renewals pursuant to Article 27 of the Regulation. 8. The renewals concerned the same financial instruments of the original measure (see paragraph 5), but the HCMC specified in the related notification that although the ban covers all transactions in the financial instruments listed in Part I of Annex I of Commission Regulation (EU) No 918/2012, transactions in index-related instruments and ETFs are included to the extent that the shares admitted to trading on the Athens Exchange and the Multilateral Trading Facility of “EN.A” of which the relevant Competent Authority is the HCMC represent more than 5% of the total value (or composition) of these instruments. 9. The renewal notified on the 20th of July entered into force at 00:00:01 hours (CET) on the 21th of July 2015 and will expire at 24:00:00 (CET) on the 27th of July 2015. 10. On the 27th of July 2015, while the measures described in paragraph 5 were still in force. in accordance with Article 26 of the Regulation, the HCMC has notified ESMA and other competent authorities of its intention to make use of its powers of intervention in exceptional circumstances and to renew again the current emergency measure under Article 20 of the Regulation. 11. In the notification for this fourth renewal, the HCMC explains that it believes the circumstances that justified the imposition of the original measure and of the previous renewals did not improve yet and therefore the measure should be extended again. Moreover, being the other measures adopted by the Greek authorities still in force, the short selling measure remains a relevant component to ensure their effectiveness. 12. The proposed fourth renewal would concern exactly the same instruments as of the previous renewals. The latest notification featured the same wording used in the 20th of July 2015 notification to ESMA and competent authorities, where the HCMC revised its previous wording to the benefit of legal certainty regarding the nature of the emergency measure and the scope of the financial instruments concerned. In particular, the HCMC latest notification refers to short sales of shares under Article 20(2)(a) and any transaction referred to in Article 20(2)(b) of the Regulation (EU) No 236/2012. The notification also lists explicitly all the categories of financial instruments relating to the concerned shares to which the measure will apply, rather than identifying these related instruments by cross referring to the Annex of Commission Regulation No 918/2012. Thus, the following financial instruments under MiFID are included: options, covered warrants, futures, index-related instruments, contracts for difference, shares/units of exchange-traded funds, swaps, spread bets, packaged retail or professional investment products, complex derivatives, certificates linked to shares, and global depositary receipts. 13. The renewed measure shall apply for a period of seven days and shall be in force as of 00:00:01 hours (CET) on the 28th of July 2015 until 24:00:00 (CET) on the 3rd of August 2015. III. Opinion 14. ESMA is adopting the following opinion on the notified measure, on the basis of Article 27(2) of Regulation 236/2012 on Short selling and certain aspects of credit default swaps: On the adverse events or developments ESMA considers that adverse developments which constitute a serious threat to market confidence in the Greek market still persist. Comparing the current situation in the Hellenic Republic with related events over the past few years, the threat to financial stability and investor protection at least in the Hellenic Republic is obvious. Despite the partial reopening of credit institutions on 20 July 2015, the situation of fragility in the financial system and in the broader Greek economy persists. The relation between this situation and the financial markets is clear, as evidenced by the continued closure of Greek financial markets. On the appropriateness and proportionality of the measure ESMA considers that the measure is appropriate and proportionate to address the above mentioned threats that persist in the Hellenic Republic. Allowing short positions to be built at this stage could exacerbate the threats to financial stability, especially as regards the financial sector. Besides, the inclusion of short positions built through related instruments is appropriate and proportionate since tolerating the build-up of over-the-counter (OTC) short positions and short positions through related instruments would put retail investors at a disadvantage compared to professional investors (who can access OTC wholesale markets more easily), given that the main markets are still closed for trading, and would ultimately undermine the overall efficiency of the measure. On the duration of the measure ESMA considers that the duration of the measure is justified. It is a relatively short renewal period that indicates that the measure is linked with specific events and allows its reconsideration at short intervals, which ensures that the assessment of the risks is also performed frequently. Besides, ESMA appreciates HCMC’s statement in its notification of intent that the measure may be lifted before the end of the established period or renewed in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 if circumstances that justified the imposition of the measure improve, persist or worsen.
esma-2015-1066_opinion_on_hcmc_emergency_measure_under_ssr.pdf
2015-1104_opinion_on_hcmc_renewal_of_emergency_measure_under_ssr.pdf
2015-1131_opinion_on_hcmc_renewal_of_emergency_measure_under_ssr_0.pdf

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