Article 25
Third countries
1.
Third-country CSDs may provide services referred to in the Annex within the territory of the Union, including through setting up a branch.
2.
Notwithstanding paragraph 1, a third-country CSD that intends to provide the core services referred to in points (1) and (2) of Section A of the Annex in relation to financial instruments constituted under the law of a Member State referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 49(1) or to set up a branch in a Member State shall be subject to the procedure referred to in paragraphs 4 to 11 of this Article.
3.
A CSD established and authorised in the Union may maintain or establish a link with a third-country CSD in accordance with Article 48.
4.
After consulting the authorities referred to in paragraph 5, ESMA may recognise a third-country CSD that has applied for recognition to provide the services referred to in paragraph 2, where the following conditions are met:
(a)
the Commission has adopted a decision in accordance with paragraph 9;
(b)
the third-country CSD is subject to effective authorisation, supervision and oversight or, if the securities settlement system is operated by a central bank, oversight, ensuring full compliance with the prudential requirements applicable in that third country;
(c)
cooperation arrangements between ESMA and the responsible authorities in that third country (‘responsible third-country authorities’) have been established pursuant to paragraph 10;
(d)
where relevant, the third-country CSD takes the necessary measures to allow its users to comply with the relevant national law of the Member State in which the third-country CSD intends to provide CSD services, including the law referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 49(1), and the adequacy of those measures has been confirmed by the competent authorities of the Member State in which the third-country CSD intends to provide CSD services;
(e)
the third-country CSD is established or authorised in a third country that is not identified as a high-risk third country in the delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 9(2) of Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 5 ).
5.
When assessing whether the conditions referred to in paragraph 4 are met, ESMA shall consult:
(a)
the competent authorities of the Member States in which the third-country CSD intends to provide CSD services, in particular, on how the third-country CSD intends to comply with the requirement referred to in point (d) of paragraph 4;
(b)
the relevant authorities;
(c)
the responsible third-country authorities entrusted with the authorisation, supervision and oversight of CSDs.
6.
The third-country CSD referred to in paragraph 2 shall submit its application for recognition to ESMA.
The applicant CSD shall provide ESMA with all information deemed to be necessary for its recognition. Within 30 working days from the receipt of the application, ESMA shall assess whether the application is complete. If the application is not complete, ESMA shall set a time limit by which the applicant CSD has to provide additional information.
The competent authorities of the Member States in which the third-country CSD intends to provide CSD services shall assess the compliance of the third-country CSD with the law referred to in point (d) of paragraph 4 and inform ESMA with a fully reasoned decision whether the compliance is met or not within three months from the receipt of all the necessary information from ESMA.
The recognition decision shall be based on the criteria laid down in paragraph 4.
Within six months of submission of a complete application or of adoption of an equivalence decision by the Commission in accordance with paragraph 9, whichever is later, ESMA shall inform the applicant CSD in writing with a fully reasoned decision whether the recognition has been granted or refused.
7.
The competent authorities of the Member States in which the third-country CSD, duly recognised under paragraph 4, provides CSD services, in close cooperation with ESMA, may request the responsible third-country authorities to:
(a)
report periodically on the third-country CSD’s activities in those host Member States, including for the purpose of collecting statistics;
(b)
communicate, within an appropriate time-frame, the identity of the issuers and participants in the securities settlement systems operated by the third-country CSD which provides services in that host Member State and any other relevant information concerning the activities of that third-country CSD in the host Member State.
8.
ESMA shall, after consulting the authorities referred to in paragraph 5, review the recognition of the third-country CSD in the event of extensions by that CSD in the Union of its services under the procedure laid down in paragraphs 4, 5 and 6.
ESMA shall withdraw the recognition of that CSD where the conditions laid down in paragraph 4 are no longer met, or in the circumstances referred to in Article 20.
9.
The Commission may adopt implementing acts to determine that the legal and supervisory arrangements of a third country ensure that CSDs authorised in that third country comply with legally binding requirements which are in effect equivalent to the requirements laid down in this Regulation, that those CSDs are subject to effective supervision, oversight and enforcement in that third country on an ongoing basis and that the legal framework of that third country provides for an effective equivalent system for the recognition of CSDs authorised under third-country legal regimes. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 68(2).
In making the determination referred to in the first subparagraph, the Commission may also consider whether the legal and supervisory arrangements of a third country reflect the internationally agreed CPSS-IOSCO standards, in so far as the latter do not conflict with the requirements laid down in this Regulation.
10.
In accordance with Article 33(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010, ESMA shall establish cooperation arrangements with the responsible third-country authorities whose legal and supervisory frameworks have been recognised as equivalent to this Regulation in accordance with paragraph 9. Such arrangements shall specify at least:
(a)
the mechanism for the exchange of information between ESMA, the competent authorities of the host Member State and the third-country responsible authorities, including access to all information regarding the CSDs authorised in third countries that is requested by ESMA and in particular access to information in the cases referred to in paragraph 7;
(b)
the mechanism for prompt notification of ESMA where a third-country responsible authority deems a CSD that it is supervising to infringe the conditions of its authorisation or of other applicable law;
(c)
the procedures concerning the coordination of supervisory activities including, where appropriate, on-site inspections.
Where a cooperation agreement provides for transfers of personal data by a Member State, such transfers shall comply with the provisions of Directive 95/46/EC and where a cooperation agreement provides for transfers of personal data by ESMA, such transfers shall comply with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 45/2001.
11.
Where a third-country CSD has been recognised, in accordance with paragraphs 4 to 8, it may provide services referred to in the Annex within the territory of the Union, including by setting up a branch.
12.
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 ESMA in its application for recognition under paragraph 6.
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.
13.
ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify the information that the third-country CSD is to provide to ESMA in the notification referred to in paragraph 2a. Such information shall be limited to what is strictly necessary, including, where applicable and available:
(a)
the number of participants located in the Union to whom the third-country CSD provides or intends to provide the services referred to in paragraph 2a;
(b)
the number and volume of transactions in financial instruments constituted under the law of a Member State settled during the previous year;
(c)
the number and volume of transactions settled by Union participants during the previous year.
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 17 January 2025.
Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
( 5 ) Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2015 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Directive 2006/70/EC (OJ L 141, 5.6.2015, p. 73).