Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilDangos y teitl llawn

TITLE II U.K. CLEARING, REPORTING AND RISK MITIGATION OF OTC DERIVATIVES

Article 4 U.K. Clearing obligation

1. Counterparties shall clear all OTC derivative contracts pertaining to a class of OTC derivatives that has been declared subject to the clearing obligation in accordance with Article 5(2), if those contracts fulfil both of the following conditions:

(a) they have been concluded in one of the following ways:

(i)

between two financial counterparties;

(ii)

between a financial counterparty and a non-financial counterparty that meets the conditions referred to in Article 10(1)(b);

(iii)

between two non-financial counterparties that meet the conditions referred to in Article 10(1)(b);

(iv)

between a financial counterparty or a non-financial counterparty meeting the conditions referred to in Article 10(1)(b) and an entity established in a third country that would be subject to the clearing obligation if it were established in the Union; or

(v)

between two entities established in one or more third countries that would be subject to the clearing obligation if they were established in the Union, provided that the contract has a direct, substantial and foreseeable effect within the Union or where such an obligation is necessary or appropriate to prevent the evasion of any provisions of this Regulation; and

(b) they are entered into or novated either:

(i)

on or after the date from which the clearing obligation takes effect; or

(ii)

on or after notification as referred to in Article 5(1) but before the date from which the clearing obligation takes effect if the contracts have a remaining maturity higher than the minimum remaining maturity determined by the Commission in accordance with Article 5(2)(c).

2. Without prejudice to risk-mitigation techniques under Article 11, OTC derivative contracts that are intragroup transactions as described in Article 3 shall not be subject to the clearing obligation.

The exemption set out in the first subparagraph shall apply only:

(a) where two counterparties established in the Union belonging to the same group have first notified their respective competent authorities in writing that they intend to make use of the exemption for the OTC derivative contracts concluded between each other. The notification shall be made not less than 30 calendar days before the use of the exemption. Within 30 calendar days after receipt of that notification, the competent authorities may object to the use of this exemption if the transactions between the counterparties do not meet the conditions laid down in Article 3, without prejudice to the right of the competent authorities to object after that period of 30 calendar days has expired where those conditions are no longer met. If there is disagreement between the competent authorities, ESMA may assist those authorities in reaching an agreement in accordance with its powers under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010;

(b) to OTC derivative contracts between two counterparties belonging to the same group which are established in a Member State and in a third country, where the counterparty established in the Union has been authorised to apply the exemption by its competent authority within 30 calendar days after it has been notified by the counterparty established in the Union, provided that the conditions laid down in Article 3 are met. The competent authority shall notify ESMA of that decision.

3. The OTC derivative contracts that are subject to the clearing obligation pursuant to paragraph 1 shall be cleared in a CCP authorised under Article 14 or recognised under Article 25 to clear that class of OTC derivatives and listed in the register in accordance with Article 6(2)(b).

For that purpose a counterparty shall become a clearing member, a client, or shall establish indirect clearing arrangements with a clearing member, provided that those arrangements do not increase counterparty risk and ensure that the assets and positions of the counterparty benefit from protection with equivalent effect to that referred to in Articles 39 and 48.

4. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the contracts that are considered to have a direct, substantial and foreseeable effect within the Union or the cases where it is necessary or appropriate to prevent the evasion of any provision of this Regulation as referred to in paragraph 1(a)(v), and the types of indirect contractual arrangements that meet the conditions referred to in the second subparagraph of paragraph 3.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

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.

Article 5 U.K. Clearing obligation procedure

1. Where a competent authority authorises a CCP to clear a class of OTC derivatives under Article 14 or 15, it shall immediately notify ESMA of that authorisation.

In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the details to be included in the notifications referred to in the first subparagraph.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the second subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

2. Within six months of receiving notification in accordance with paragraph 1 or accomplishing a procedure for recognition set out in Article 25, ESMA shall, after conducting a public consultation and after consulting the ESRB and, where appropriate, the competent authorities of third countries, develop and submit to the Commission for endorsement draft regulatory technical standards specifying the following:

(a) the class of OTC derivatives that should be subject to the clearing obligation referred to in Article 4;

(b) the date or dates from which the clearing obligation takes effect, including any phase in and the categories of counterparties to which the obligation applies; and

(c) the minimum remaining maturity of the OTC derivative contracts referred to in Article 4(1)(b)(ii).

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

3. ESMA shall, on its own initiative, after conducting a public consultation and after consulting the ESRB and, where appropriate, the competent authorities of third countries, identify, in accordance with the criteria set out in points (a), (b) and (c) of paragraph 4 and notify to the Commission the classes of derivatives that should be subject to the clearing obligation provided in Article 4, but for which no CCP has yet received authorisation.

Following the notification, ESMA shall publish a call for a development of proposals for the clearing of those classes of derivatives.

4. With the overarching aim of reducing systemic risk, the draft regulatory technical standards for the part referred to in paragraph 2(a) shall take into consideration the following criteria:

(a) the degree of standardisation of the contractual terms and operational processes of the relevant class of OTC derivatives;

(b) the volume and liquidity of the relevant class of OTC derivatives;

(c) the availability of fair, reliable and generally accepted pricing information in the relevant class of OTC derivatives.

In preparing those draft regulatory technical standards, ESMA may take into consideration the interconnectedness between counterparties using the relevant classes of OTC derivatives, the anticipated impact on the levels of counterparty credit risk between counterparties as well as the impact on competition across the Union.

In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards further specifying the criteria referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) of the first subparagraph.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt regulatory technical standards referred to in the third subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

5. The draft regulatory technical standards for the part referred to in paragraph 2(b) shall take into consideration the following criteria:

(a) the expected volume of the relevant class of OTC derivatives;

(b) whether more than one CCP already clear the same class of OTC derivatives;

(c) the ability of the relevant CCPs to handle the expected volume and to manage the risk arising from the clearing of the relevant class of OTC derivatives;

(d) the type and number of counterparties active, and expected to be active within the market for the relevant class of OTC derivatives;

(e) the period of time a counterparty subject to the clearing obligation needs in order to put in place arrangements to clear its OTC derivative contracts through a CCP;

(f) the risk management and the legal and operational capacity of the range of counterparties that are active in the market for the relevant class of OTC derivatives and that would be captured by the clearing obligation pursuant to Article 4(1).

6. If a class of OTC derivative contracts no longer has a CCP which is authorised or recognised to clear those contracts under this Regulation, it shall cease to be subject to the clearing obligation referred to in Article 4, and paragraph 3 of this Article shall apply.

Article 6 U.K. Public register

1. ESMA shall establish, maintain and keep up to date a public register in order to identify the classes of OTC derivatives subject to the clearing obligation correctly and unequivocally. The public register shall be available on ESMA’s website.

2. The register shall include:

(a) the classes of OTC derivatives that are subject to the clearing obligation pursuant to Article 4;

(b) the CCPs that are authorised or recognised for the purpose of the clearing obligation;

(c) the dates from which the clearing obligation takes effect, including any phased-in implementation;

(d) the classes of OTC derivatives identified by ESMA in accordance with Article 5(3);

(e) the minimum remaining maturity of the derivative contracts referred to in Article 4(1)(b)(ii);

(f) the CCPs that have been notified to ESMA by the competent authority for the purpose of the clearing obligation and the date of notification of each of them.

3. Where a CCP is no longer authorised or recognised in accordance with this Regulation to clear a given class of derivatives, ESMA shall immediately remove it from the public register in relation to that class of OTC derivatives.

4. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA may develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the details to be included in the public register referred to in paragraph 1.

ESMA shall submit any such draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

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.

Article 7 U.K. Access to a CCP

1. A CCP that has been authorised to clear OTC derivative contracts shall accept clearing such contracts on a non-discriminatory and transparent basis, regardless of the trading venue.

A CCP may require that a trading venue comply with the operational and technical requirements established by the CCP, including the risk-management requirements.

2. A CCP shall accede to or refuse a formal request for access by a trading venue within three months of such a request.

3. Where a CCP refuses access under paragraph 2, it shall provide the trading venue with full reasons for such refusal.

4. Save where the competent authority of the trading venue and that of the CCP refuse access, the CCP shall, subject to the second subparagraph, grant access within three months of a decision acceding to the trading venue’s formal request in accordance with paragraph 2.

The competent authority of the trading venue and that of the CCP may refuse access to the CCP following a formal request by the trading venue only where such access would threaten the smooth and orderly functioning of the markets or would adversely affect systemic risk.

5. ESMA shall settle any dispute arising from a disagreement between competent authorities in accordance with its powers under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

Article 8 U.K. Access to a trading venue

1. A trading venue shall provide trade feeds on a non-discriminatory and transparent basis to any CCP that has been authorised to clear OTC derivative contracts traded on that trading venue upon request by the CCP.

2. Where a request to access a trading venue has been formally submitted to a trading venue by a CCP, the trading venue shall respond to the CCP within three months.

3. Where access is refused by a trading venue, it shall notify the CCP accordingly, providing full reasons.

4. Without prejudice to the decision by competent authorities of the trading venue and of the CCP, access shall be made possible by the trading venue within three months of a positive response to a request for access.

Access of the CCP to the trading venue shall be granted only where such access would not require interoperability or threaten the smooth and orderly functioning of markets in particular due to liquidity fragmentation and the trading venue has put in place adequate mechanisms to prevent such fragmentation.

5. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the notion of liquidity fragmentation.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

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.

Article 9 U.K. Reporting obligation

1. Counterparties and CCPs shall ensure that the details of any derivative contract they have concluded and of any modification or termination of the contract are reported to a trade repository registered in accordance with Article 55 or recognised in accordance with Article 77. The details shall be reported no later than the working day following the conclusion, modification or termination of the contract.

The reporting obligation shall apply to derivative contracts which:

(a) were entered into before 16 August 2012 and remain outstanding on that date;

(b) are entered into on or after 16 August 2012.

A counterparty or a CCP which is subject to the reporting obligation may delegate the reporting of the details of the derivative contract.

Counterparties and CCPs shall ensure that the details of their derivative contracts are reported without duplication.

2. Counterparties shall keep a record of any derivative contract they have concluded and any modification for at least five years following the termination of the contract.

3. Where a trade repository is not available to record the details of a derivative contract, counterparties and CCPs shall ensure that such details are reported to ESMA.

In this case ESMA shall ensure that all the relevant entities referred to in Article 81(3) have access to all the details of derivative contracts they need to fulfil their respective responsibilities and mandates.

4. A counterparty or a CCP that reports the details of a derivative contract to a trade repository or to ESMA, or an entity that reports such details on behalf of a counterparty or a CCP shall not be considered in breach of any restriction on disclosure of information imposed by that contract or by any legislative, regulatory or administrative provision.

No liability resulting from that disclosure shall lie with the reporting entity or its directors or employees.

5. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the details and type of the reports referred to in paragraphs 1 and 3 for the different classes of derivatives.

The reports referred to in paragraphs 1 and 3 shall specify at least:

(a) the parties to the derivative contract and, where different, the beneficiary of the rights and obligations arising from it;

(b) the main characteristics of the derivative contracts, including their type, underlying maturity, notional value, price, and settlement date.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

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.

6. In order to ensure uniform conditions of application of paragraphs 1 and 3, ESMA shall develop draft implementing technical standards specifying:

(a) the format and frequency of the reports referred to in paragraphs 1 and 3 for the different classes of derivatives;

(b) the date by which derivative contracts are to be reported, including any phase-in for contracts entered into before the reporting obligation applies.

ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

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.

Article 10 U.K. Non-financial counterparties

1. Where a non-financial counterparty takes positions in OTC derivative contracts and those positions exceed the clearing threshold as specified under paragraph 3, that non-financial counterparty shall:

(a) immediately notify ESMA and the competent authority referred to in paragraph 5 thereof;

(b) become subject to the clearing obligation for future contracts in accordance with Article 4 if the rolling average position over 30 working days exceeds the threshold; and

(c) clear all relevant future contracts within four months of becoming subject to the clearing obligation.

2. A non-financial counterparty that has become subject to the clearing obligation in accordance with paragraph 1(b) and that subsequently demonstrates to the authority designated in accordance with paragraph 5 that its rolling average position over 30 working days does not exceed the clearing threshold, shall no longer be subject to the clearing obligation set out in Article 4.

3. In calculating the positions referred to in paragraph 1, the non-financial counterparty shall include all the OTC derivative contracts entered into by the non-financial counterparty or by other non-financial entities within the group to which the non-financial counterparty belongs, which are not objectively measurable as reducing risks directly relating to the commercial activity or treasury financing activity of the non-financial counterparty or of that group.

4. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards, after consulting the ESRB and other relevant authorities, specifying:

(a) criteria for establishing which OTC derivative contracts are objectively measurable as reducing risks directly relating to the commercial activity or treasury financing activity referred to in paragraph 3; and

(b) values of the clearing thresholds, which are determined taking into account the systemic relevance of the sum of net positions and exposures per counterparty and per class of OTC derivatives.

After conducting an open public consultation, ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

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.

After consulting the ESRB and other relevant authorities, ESMA shall periodically review the thresholds and, where necessary, propose regulatory technical standards to amend them.

5. Each Member State shall designate an authority responsible for ensuring that the obligation under paragraph 1 is met.

Article 11 U.K. Risk-mitigation techniques for OTC derivative contracts not cleared by a CCP

1. Financial counterparties and non-financial counterparties that enter into an OTC derivative contract not cleared by a CCP, shall ensure, exercising due diligence, that appropriate procedures and arrangements are in place to measure, monitor and mitigate operational risk and counterparty credit risk, including at least:

(a) the timely confirmation, where available, by electronic means, of the terms of the relevant OTC derivative contract;

(b) formalised processes which are robust, resilient and auditable in order to reconcile portfolios, to manage the associated risk and to identify disputes between parties early and resolve them, and to monitor the value of outstanding contracts.

2. Financial counterparties and non-financial counterparties referred to in Article 10 shall mark-to-market on a daily basis the value of outstanding contracts. Where market conditions prevent marking-to-market, reliable and prudent marking-to-model shall be used.

3. Financial counterparties shall have risk-management procedures that require the timely, accurate and appropriately segregated exchange of collateral with respect to OTC derivative contracts that are entered into on or after 16 August 2012. Non-financial counterparties referred to in Article 10 shall have risk-management procedures that require the timely, accurate and appropriately segregated exchange of collateral with respect to OTC derivative contracts that are entered into on or after the clearing threshold is exceeded.

4. Financial counterparties shall hold an appropriate and proportionate amount of capital to manage the risk not covered by appropriate exchange of collateral.

5. The requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article shall not apply to an intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3 that is entered into by counterparties which are established in the same Member State provided that there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between counterparties.

6. An intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3(2)(a), (b) or (c) that is entered into by counterparties which are established in different Member States shall be exempt totally or partially from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article, on the basis of a positive decision of both the relevant competent authorities, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the risk-management procedures of the counterparties are adequately sound, robust and consistent with the level of complexity of the derivative transaction;

(b) there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

If the competent authorities fail to reach a positive decision within 30 calendar days of receipt of the application for exemption, ESMA may assist those authorities in reaching agreement in accordance with its powers under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

7. An intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3(1) that is entered into by non-financial counterparties which are established in different Member States shall be exempt from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the risk-management procedures of the counterparties are adequately sound, robust and consistent with the level of complexity of the derivative transaction;

(b) there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

The non-financial counterparties shall notify their intention to apply the exemption to the competent authorities referred to in Article 10(5). The exemption shall be valid unless either of the notified competent authorities does not agree upon fulfilment of the conditions referred to in point (a) or (b) of the first subparagraph within three months of the date of the notification.

8. An intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3(2)(a) to (d) that is entered into by a counterparty which is established in the Union and a counterparty which is established in a third-country jurisdiction shall be exempt totally or partially from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article, on the basis of a positive decision of the relevant competent authority responsible for supervision of the counterparty which is established in the Union, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the risk-management procedures of the counterparties are adequately sound, robust and consistent with the level of complexity of the derivative transaction;

(b) there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

9. An intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3(1) that is entered into by a non-financial counterparty which is established in the Union and a counterparty which is established in a third-country jurisdiction shall be exempt from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the risk-management procedures of the counterparties are adequately sound, robust and consistent with the level of complexity of the derivative transaction;

(b) there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

The non-financial counterparty shall notify its intention to apply the exemption to the competent authority referred to in Article 10(5). The exemption shall be valid unless the notified competent authority does not agree upon fulfilment of the conditions referred to in point (a) or (b) of the first subparagraph within three months of the date of notification.

10. An intragroup transaction referred to in Article 3(1) that is entered into by a non-financial counterparty and a financial counterparty which are established in different Member States shall be exempt totally or partially from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 of this Article, on the basis of a positive decision of the relevant competent authority responsible for supervision of the financial counterparty, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the risk-management procedures of the counterparties are adequately sound, robust and consistent with the level of complexity of the derivative transaction;

(b) there is no current or foreseen practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds or repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

The relevant competent authority responsible for supervision of the financial counterparty shall notify any such decision to the competent authority referred to in Article 10(5). The exemption is valid unless the notified competent authority does not agree upon fulfilment of the conditions referred to in point (a) or (b) of the first subparagraph. If there is disagreement between the competent authorities, ESMA may assist those authorities in reaching an agreement in accordance with its powers under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

11. The counterparty of an intragroup transaction which has been exempted from the requirement laid down in paragraph 3 shall publicly disclose information on the exemption.

A competent authority shall notify ESMA of any decision adopted pursuant to paragraph 6, 8 or 10, or any notification received pursuant to paragraph 7, 9 or 10, and shall provide ESMA with the details of the intragroup transaction concerned.

12. The obligations set out in paragraphs 1 to 11 shall apply to OTC derivative contracts entered into between third country entities that would be subject to those obligations if they were established in the Union, provided that those contracts have a direct, substantial and foreseeable effect within the Union or where such obligation is necessary or appropriate to prevent the evasion of any provision of this Regulation.

13. ESMA shall regularly monitor the activity in derivatives not eligible for clearing in order to identify cases where a particular class of derivatives may pose systemic risk and to prevent regulatory arbitrage between cleared and non-cleared derivative transactions. In particular, ESMA shall, after consulting the ESRB, take action in accordance with Article 5(3) or review the regulatory technical standards on margin requirements laid down in paragraph 14 of this Article and in Article 41.

14. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, ESMA shall draft regulatory technical standards specifying:

(a) the procedures and arrangements referred to in paragraph 1;

(b) the market conditions that prevent marking-to-market and the criteria for using marking-to-model referred to in paragraph 2;

(c) the details of the exempted intragroup transactions to be included in the notification referred to in paragraphs 7, 9 and 10;

(d) the details of the information on exempted intragroup transactions referred to in paragraph 11;

(e) the contracts that are considered to have a direct, substantial and foreseeable effect within the Union or the cases where it is necessary or appropriate to prevent the evasion of any provision of this Regulation as referred to in paragraph 12;

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

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.

15. In order to ensure consistent application of this Article, the ESAs shall develop common draft regulatory technical standards specifying:

(a) the risk-management procedures, including the levels and type of collateral and segregation arrangements, required for compliance with paragraph 3;

(b) the level of capital required for compliance with paragraph 4;

(c) the procedures for the counterparties and the relevant competent authorities to be followed when applying exemptions under paragraphs 6 to 10;

(d) the applicable criteria referred to in paragraphs 5 to 10 including in particular what should be considered as practical or legal impediment to the prompt transfer of own funds and repayment of liabilities between the counterparties.

The ESAs shall submit those common draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 30 September 2012.

Depending on the legal nature of the counterparty, power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with either Articles 10 to 14 of Regulations (EU) No 1093/2010, (EU) No 1094/2010 or (EU) No 1095/2010.

Article 12 U.K. Penalties

1. Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the rules under this Title and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. Those penalties shall include at least administrative fines. The penalties provided for shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

2. Member States shall ensure that the competent authorities responsible for the supervision of financial, and, where appropriate, non-financial counterparties disclose every penalty that has been imposed for infringements of Articles 4, 5 and 7 to 11 to the public, unless such disclosure would seriously jeopardise the financial markets or cause disproportionate damage to the parties involved. Member States shall, at regular intervals, publish assessment reports on the effectiveness of the penalty rules being applied. Such disclosure and publication shall not contain personal data within the meaning of Article 2(a) of Directive 95/46/EC.

By 17 February 2013, the Member States shall notify the rules referred to in paragraph 1 to the Commission. They shall notify the Commission of any subsequent amendment thereto without delay.

3. An infringement of the rules under this Title shall not affect the validity of an OTC derivative contract or the possibility for the parties to enforce the provisions of an OTC derivative contract. An infringement of the rules under this Title shall not give rise to any right to compensation from a party to an OTC derivative contract.

Article 13 U.K. Mechanism to avoid duplicative or conflicting rules

1. The Commission shall be assisted by ESMA in monitoring and preparing reports to the European Parliament and to the Council on the international application of principles laid down in Articles 4, 9, 10 and 11, in particular with regard to potential duplicative or conflicting requirements on market participants, and recommend possible action.

2. The Commission may adopt implementing acts declaring that the legal, supervisory and enforcement arrangements of a third country:

(a) are equivalent to the requirements laid down in this Regulation under Articles 4, 9, 10 and 11;

(b) ensure protection of professional secrecy that is equivalent to that set out in this Regulation; and

(c) are being effectively applied and enforced in an equitable and non-distortive manner so as to ensure effective supervision and enforcement in that third country.

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 86(2).

3. An implementing act on equivalence as referred to in paragraph 2 shall imply that counterparties entering into a transaction subject to this Regulation shall be deemed to have fulfilled the obligations contained in Articles 4, 9, 10 and 11 where at least one of the counterparties is established in that third country.

4. The Commission shall, in cooperation with ESMA, monitor the effective implementation by third countries, for which an implementing act on equivalence has been adopted, of the requirements equivalent to those laid down in Articles 4, 9, 10 and 11 and regularly report, at least on an annual basis, to the European Parliament and the Council. Where the report reveals an insufficient or inconsistent application of the equivalent requirements by third country authorities, the Commission shall, within 30 calendar days of the presentation of the report, withdraw the recognition as equivalent of the third country legal framework in question. Where an implementing act on equivalence is withdrawn, counterparties shall automatically be subject again to all requirements laid down in this Regulation.