Article 20
Withdrawal of registration
1.
Without prejudice to Article 24, ESMA shall withdraw the registration of a credit rating agency where the credit rating agency:
(a)
expressly renounces the registration or has provided no credit ratings for the preceding six months;
(b)
obtained the registration by making false statements or by any other irregular means; or
(c)
no longer meets the conditions under which it was registered.
2.
The competent authority of a Member State in which credit ratings issued by the credit rating agency concerned are used and which considers that one of the conditions referred to in paragraph 1 has been met may request that ESMA examine whether the conditions for the withdrawal of the registration of the credit rating agency concerned are met. If ESMA decides not to withdraw the registration of the credit rating agency concerned, it shall provide full reasons.
3.
The decision on the withdrawal of registration shall take immediate effect throughout the Union, subject to the transitional period for the use of credit ratings referred to in Article 24(4).