Die Trilogverhandlungen zwischen Europäischem Parlament, Rat und Kommission verlaufen schleppend: Die Mitgliedsstaaten scheuen vor einer Diskussion der zentralen politischen Fragen zurück und hatten deshalb ihre Besprechung von Kompromissen, die bereits in weiter zurückliegenden Verhandlungsrunden ausgelotet wurden, auf Eis gelegt. In der nachfolgenden Presseerklärung fordert die Verhandlungsdelegation des Europäischen Parlaments deshalb mehr Engagement von den Mitgliedsstaaten. Es gilt den Gesetzgebungsprozess zu CRD IV, mit seiner zentralen Bedeutung für den Finanzsektor, zügig und effektiv abzuschließen.
Capital requirements directive: MEPs‘ statement
Press statement by Othmar Karas, Parliament’s rapporteur on CRD4 / Basel III, and the shadow rapporteurs Udo Bullmann, (S&D, DE), Sharon Bowles (ALDE, UK), Philippe Lamberts (Greens/EFA, BE) and Vicky Ford (ECR, UK) after the trilogue negotiation meeting on 19 Feb 2013
The European Parliament’s negotiating team regrets that a compromise deal with the Council was not possible at the trilogue yesterday, as the Council Presidency did not have a sufficient mandate. We were surprised to hear that only last Thursday (14 February) COREPER discussed for the first time political compromises which had been found much earlier between Parliament and previous Council presidencies.
In yesterday’s (19 February) negotiating meeting the Council Presidency reopened political compromises previously concluded between the Council and the Parliament, amongst others, on capping the ratio of variable to fixed remuneration..
We are ready to give the Council one more week for internal discussions. If – after ten months of negotiations – a viable compromise cannot be found on 27 February, we do not see any possibility other than to ask the European Parliament to vote on its position in plenary session. We hope that at next week’s meeting the Council Presidency will have a sufficient mandate for a political agreement.
It has been agreed with the Council presidency that five areas will be discussed at the meeting on 27 February:
- flexibility for member states to impose stricter rules on banks in certain areas of the CRD IV/CRR,
- additional Capital Buffer Requirements for systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) or to address broader systemic risk,
- power of the European Banking Authority (EBA) to mediate on its own initiative in the event of conflicts between national competent authorities,
- possibilities and conditions for bank shareholders to allow bankers‘ variable remuneration to rise to twice the fixed salary, on the basis that the ratio between the fixed salary and the variable part of the remuneration shall normally be 1:1, as was confirmed at yesterday’s (19 February) trilogue, and
- in the area of corporate governance, the question of basic transparency requirements for disclosure of profits made, taxes paid and subsidies received by the institutions on a country-by-country basis („Country-by-Country-Reporting“).
We call on the Council to come to a clear, concise and publicly defensible joint position in these areas.
Othmar Karas
Udo Bullmann
Sharon Bowles
Philippe Lamberts
Vicky Ford