The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is publishing a summary of its 2014 supervisory work plan in relation to trade repositories (TRs) with the aim of enhancing the transparency of its actions regarding TRs in the European Union. TRs centrally collect and maintain the records of derivative trades and play a central role in enhancing the transparency of derivative markets and reducing risks to financial stability. In November 2013, ESMA registered six TRs. The obligation for counterparties to report their derivative trades to registered TRs began on 12 February 2014. Under Titles VI and VII of Regulation EU 648/2012 (EMIR), the direct supervision of TRs has been entrusted to ESMA, who has started to supervise the six registered TRs. Supervision of TRs by ESMA is crucial to ensuring that TRs comply on an on-going basis with all EMIR requirements, thereby enabling regulators to access data and details of derivative contracts in order for them to fulfil their respective mandates.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is publishing this discussion paper in order to seek stakeholders’ views on the preparation of the regulatory technical standards ESMA is required to draft under Article 5(2) “Clearing Obligation Procedure” of the Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and Council on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories (EMIR). The input from stakeholders will help ESMA in the development of the relevant technical standards to be drafted and submitted to the European Commission for endorsement in the form of Commission Regulations, i.e. a legally binding instrument directly applicable in all Member States of the European Union. One essential element in the development of draft technical standards is the analysis of the costs and benefits that those legal provisions will imply. Input in this respect and any supportive data will be highly appreciated and kept confidential where required. Please respond to the consultation using the response template. The closing date for responses is 12 September 2013.

Reasons for publication On 29 of April 2013 ESMA received a formal request from the European Commission (the Commission) to provide technical advice to assist the Commission in formulating procedural rules to impose fines and periodic penalty payments to trade repositories (TRs) by delegated act. In order to deliver its advice to the Commission, ESMA consulted market participants regarding the procedural rules to impose fines and periodic penalty payments to TRs. Respondents to the consultation were encouraged to provide the relevant information in support of their arguments or proposals. ESMA published the consultation on 18 October 2013. The market participants could provide their comments until 15 November 2013. In total ESMA received two responses to the consultation. The respondents have required confidential treatment for their input. ESMA would like to thank respondents for providing input. Contents This document sets out a summary of the responses received by ESMA regarding the procedural rules to impose fines and periodic penalty payments to TRs and includes ESMA’s final technical advice to the Commission on the future Regulation on the procedural rules to impose fines and periodic penalty payments to TRs which will be adopted by the Commission in the form of a delegated act. It is worth noting that all major ESMA proposals were supported by respondents and where comments were received ESMA has considered them carefully. Next steps ESMA will follow-up on this work with the Commission towards the adoption of the Commission delegated regulation on procedural rules to impose fines and periodic penalty payments to TRs.

Reasons for publication

On 15 January 2016 the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) received a formal request from the European Commission (Commission) to provide technical advice to assist the Commission in formulating a Regulation on fees for Trade Repositories (TRs) under SFTR by a delegated act.

Contents

The present report contains nine sections. Section 1 refers to the Executive Summary of the report. Section 2 explains the background to our proposals. Section 3 outlines the ESMA’s expected costs. Section 4 establishes the general approach for the determination of fees under EMIR and SFTR. Section 5 explains how ESMA will manage surpluses and deficits under EMIR and SFTR. Section 6 points out the rationale and computation of TRs fees for registration and extension of registration under SFTR. Sections 7 and 8 present the supervision fees under EMIR and SFTR and recognition fees under SFTR. Section 9 refers to the conditions of payment and reimbursement and, finally, Section 10 addresses the instances where delegation to NCAs takes place. Annex I contains the summary of the questions posed by ESMA and Annex II includes the Commission’s mandate to ESMA.

The amendments to fees under EMIR that are consulted in this document are required in order to ensure level –playing field with the ESMA’s fees to TRs under SFTR.

Next Steps

ESMA will consider the feedback it receives to this consultation in Q1 2017 and expects to publish and submit a final report of the technical advice to the European Commission for endorsement by end of Q1/beginning of Q2 of 2017.