Article 35
Establishment of a branch
1.
Member States shall ensure that investment services and/or activities as well as ancillary services may be provided within their territories in accordance with this Directive and with Directive 2013/36/EU through the right of establishment, whether by the establishment of a branch or by the use of a tied agent established in a Member State outside its home Member State, provided that those services and activities are covered by the authorisation granted to the investment firm or the credit institution in the home Member State. Ancillary services may only be provided together with an investment service and/or activity.
Member States shall not impose any additional requirements save those allowed under paragraph 8, on the organisation and operation of the branch in respect of the matters covered by this Directive.
2.
Member States shall require any investment firm wishing to establish a branch within the territory of another Member State or to use tied agents established in another Member State in which it has not established a branch, first to notify the competent authority of its home Member State and to provide it with the following information:
(a)
the Member States within the territory of which it plans to establish a branch or the Member States in which it has not established a branch but plans to use tied agents established there;
(b)
a programme of operations setting out, inter alia, the investment services and/or activities as well as the ancillary services to be offered;
(c)
where established, the organisational structure of the branch and indicating whether the branch intends to use tied agents and the identity of those tied agents;
(d)
where tied agents are to be used in a Member State in which an investment firm has not established a branch, a description of the intended use of the tied agent(s) and an organisational structure, including reporting lines, indicating how the agent(s) fit into the corporate structure of the investment firm;
(e)
the address in the host Member State from which documents may be obtained;
(f)
the names of those responsible for the management of the branch or of the tied agent.
Where an investment firm uses a tied agent established in a Member State outside its home Member State, such tied agent shall be assimilated to the branch, where one is established, and shall in any event be subject to the provisions of this Directive relating to branches.
3.
Unless the competent authority of the home Member State has reason to doubt the adequacy of the administrative structure or the financial situation of an investment firm, taking into account the activities envisaged, it shall, within three months of receiving all the information, communicate that information to the competent authority of the host Member State designated as contact point in accordance with Article 79(1) and inform the investment firm concerned accordingly.
4.
In addition to the information referred to in paragraph 2, the competent authority of the home Member State shall communicate details of the accredited compensation scheme of which the investment firm is a member in accordance with Directive 97/9/EC to the competent authority of the host Member State. In the event of a change in the particulars, the competent authority of the home Member State shall inform the competent authority of the host Member State accordingly.
5.
Where the competent authority of the home Member State refuses to communicate the information to the competent authority of the host Member State, it shall give reasons for its refusal to the investment firm concerned within three months of receiving all the information.
6.
On receipt of a communication from the competent authority of the host Member State, or failing such communication from the latter at the latest after two months from the date of transmission of the communication by the competent authority of the home Member State, the branch may be established and commence business.
7.
Any credit institution wishing to use a tied agent established in a Member State outside its home Member State to provide investment services and/or activities as well as ancillary services in accordance with this Directive shall notify the competent authority of its home Member State and provide it with the information referred to in paragraph 2.
Unless the competent authority of the home Member State has reason to doubt the adequacy of the administrative structure or the financial situation of a credit institution, it shall, within three months of receiving all the information, communicate that information to the competent authority of the host Member State designated as contact point in accordance with Article 79(1) and inform the credit institution concerned accordingly.
Where the competent authority of the home Member State refuses to communicate the information to the competent authority of the host Member State, it shall give reasons for its refusal to the credit institution concerned within three months of receiving all the information.
On receipt of a communication from the competent authority of the host Member State, or failing such communication from the latter at the latest after two months from the date of transmission of the communication by the competent authority of the home Member State, the tied agent can commence business. Such tied agent shall be subject to the provisions of this Directive relating to branches.
8.
The competent authority of the Member State in which the branch is located shall assume responsibility for ensuring that the services provided by the branch within its territory comply with the obligations laid down in Articles 24, 25, 27, 28, of this Directive and Articles 14 to 26 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 and the measures adopted pursuant thereto by the host Member State where allowed in accordance with Article 24(12).
The competent authority of the Member State in which the branch is located shall have the right to examine branch arrangements and to request such changes as are strictly needed to enable the competent authority to enforce the obligations under Articles 24, 25, 27, 28 of this Directive and Articles 14 to 26 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 and measures adopted pursuant thereto with respect to the services and/or activities provided by the branch within its territory.
9.
Each Member State shall provide that, where an investment firm authorised in another Member State has established a branch within its territory, the competent authority of the home Member State of the investment firm, in the exercise of its responsibilities and after informing the competent authority of the host Member State, may carry out on-site inspections in that branch.
10.
In the event of a change in any of the information communicated in accordance with paragraph 2, an investment firm shall give written notice of that change to the competent authority of the home Member State at least one month before implementing the change. The competent authority of the host Member State shall also be informed of that change by the competent authority of the home Member State.
11.
ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify the information to be notified in accordance with paragraphs 2, 4, 7 and 10.
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015.
Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
12.
ESMA shall develop draft implementing technical standards to establish standard forms, templates and procedures for the transmission of information in accordance with paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 7 and 10.
ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 3 January 2016.
Power is conferred on the Commission to adopt the implementing technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.