THE GOVERNING COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular the first indent of Article 127(2) thereof,
Having regard to the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank, and in particular the first indent of Article 3.1 and Article 18.2 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Pursuant to Article 18.1 of the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the national central banks of Member States whose currency is the euro (hereinafter the ‘NCBs’) may conduct credit operations with credit institutions and other market participants, with lending being based on adequate collateral. The general conditions under which the ECB and the NCBs stand ready to enter into credit operations, including the criteria determining the eligibility of collateral for the purposes of Eurosystem credit operations, are laid down in Annex I to Guideline ECB/2000/7 of 31 August 2000 on monetary policy instruments and procedures of the Eurosystem(1) (hereinafter the ‘General Documentation’).
(2) On 8 December 2011 the Governing Council decided on additional enhanced credit support measures to support bank lending and liquidity in the euro area money market. In accordance with that decision and in order to enhance the provision of liquidity to counterparties to Eurosystem monetary policy operations, an option to terminate or modify certain longer-term refinancing operations before maturity should be provided for, and the criteria for determining the eligibility of assets to be used as collateral in Eurosystem monetary policy operations should be widened.
(3) Such measures need to apply temporarily, until the Governing Council considers that the stability of the financial system allows the application of the general Eurosystem framework for monetary policy operations,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
OJ L 310, 11.12.2000, p. 1. From 1 January 2012, Guideline ECB/2000/7 is replaced by Guideline ECB/2011/14 of 20 September 2011 on monetary policy instruments and procedures of the Eurosystem (OJ L 331, 14.12.2011, p. 1).