Article 17
Procedure for granting authorisation
1.
The applicant CSD shall submit an application for authorisation to its competent authority.
2.
The application for authorisation shall be accompanied by all information necessary to enable the competent authority to satisfy itself that the applicant CSD has established, at the time of the authorisation, all the necessary arrangements to meet its obligations as laid down in this Regulation. The application for authorisation shall include a programme of operations setting out the types of business envisaged and the structural organisation of the CSD.
By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, where an applicant CSD does not comply with all requirements of this Regulation, but where it can reasonably be assumed that it will do so when it commences its activities, the competent authority may grant the authorisation subject to the condition that the applicant CSD has all the necessary arrangements in place to comply with the requirements of this Regulation when it commences its activities.
3.
Within 30 working days from the receipt of the application, the competent authority shall assess whether the application is complete. If the application is not complete, the competent authority shall set a time limit by which the applicant CSD has to provide additional information. The competent authority shall inform the applicant CSD when the application is considered to be complete.
4.
From the moment when the application is considered to be complete, the competent authority shall transmit all information included in the application to the relevant authorities and consult those authorities concerning the features of the securities settlement system operated by the applicant CSD.
Each relevant authority may issue a reasoned opinion within its areas of competence to the competent authority within three months of receipt of the information by the relevant authority. Where a relevant authority does not provide an opinion within that timeframe it shall be deemed to have issued a positive opinion.
Where at least one of the relevant authorities issues a negative reasoned opinion, and the competent authority nevertheless intends to grant the authorisation, that competent authority shall, within one month of receipt of the negative opinion, provide the relevant authorities with the reasons why it intends to grant the authorisation notwithstanding the negative opinion.
Any of the relevant authorities that issued a negative opinion referred to in the third subparagraph may refer the matter to ESMA for assistance under Article 31(2), point (c), of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Where the issue is not settled within one month of the referral to ESMA, the competent authority intending to grant the authorisation shall take a final decision and provide the relevant authorities with a detailed explanation of its decision in writing.
Where the competent authority intends to refuse authorisation, the matter shall not be referred to ESMA.
A negative opinion referred to in the third subparagraph shall state in writing the full and detailed reasons why the requirements laid down in this Regulation or other requirements of Union law are not met.
5.
Where the applicant CSD intends to provide services referred to in point (2) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU in addition to the provision of non-banking-type ancillary services explicitly listed in Section B of the Annex, the competent authority shall transmit all information included in the application to the authority referred to in Article 67 of Directive 2014/65/EU and consult that authority on the ability of the applicant CSD to comply with the requirements of Directive 2014/65/EU and of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014.
6.
The competent authority shall, before granting authorisation to the applicant CSD, consult the competent authorities of the other Member State involved in the following cases:
(a)
the CSD is a subsidiary of a CSD authorised in another Member State;
(b)
the CSD is a subsidiary of the parent undertaking of a CSD authorised in another Member State;
7.
The consultation referred to in paragraph 6 shall cover the following:
(a)
the suitability of the shareholders and persons referred to in Article 27(6) and the reputation and experience of the persons who effectively direct the business of the CSD referred to in Article 27(1) and (4), where those shareholders and persons are common to the CSD and to a CSD authorised in another Member State;
7a.
In addition to consulting the competent authorities referred to in paragraph 6, the competent authority may, before granting authorisation to the applicant CSD, consult other authorities supervising an entity that has a qualifying holding in the applicant CSD on the matters referred to in paragraph 7.
8.
Within six months from the submission of a complete application, the competent authority shall inform the applicant CSD in writing with a fully reasoned decision whether the authorisation has been granted or refused.
8a.
The competent authority shall, without undue delay, inform the authorities consulted pursuant to paragraphs 4 to 7a of the results of the authorisation process, including any remedial actions.
9.
ESMA shall, in close cooperation with the members of the ESCB, develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify the information that the applicant CSD is to provide to the competent authority in the application for authorisation.
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 18 June 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.
10.
ESMA shall, in close cooperation with the members of the ESCB, develop draft implementing technical standards to establish standard forms, templates and procedures for the application for authorisation.
ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 18 June 2015.
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.