Bank Capital Rules: Council Confirms Agreement With European Parliament

The Permanent Representatives Committee today approved a compromise text on the "CRD 4" package amending the EU's rules on capital requirements for banks and investment firms.

The proposals set out to amend and replace existing capital requirement directives by two new legislative instruments: a regulation establishing prudential requirements that institutions need to respect, and a directive governing access to deposit-taking activities (7747/13 and 7746/13). 

They are aimed at transposing into EU law an international agreement endorsed by the G20 in November 2010. The "Basel 3" agreement, concluded by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, strengthens bank capital requirements, introduces a mandatory capital conservation buffer and a discretionary countercyclical buffer, and foresees a framework for new regulatory requirements on liquidity and leverage, as well as additionalcapital surcharges for systemically important institutions.

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