Directive 92/49/EEC is hereby amended as follows:

1. 1.

   In Article 15, paragraph 1a shall be replaced by the following:

   1a.

   If the acquirer of the holdings referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article is an insurance undertaking, a reinsurance undertaking, a credit institution or an investment firm authorised in another Member State, or the parent undertaking of such an entity, or a natural or legal person controlling such an entity, and if, as a result of that acquisition, the undertaking in which the acquirer proposes to hold a holding would become a subsidiary or subject to the control of the acquirer, the assessment of the acquisition shall be subject to the prior consultation referred to in Article 12a of Directive 73/239/EEC

2. 2.

   In Article 16, paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 shall be replaced by the following:

   4.

   Competent authorities receiving confidential information under paragraph 1 or 2 may use it only in the course of their duties:

   • to check that the conditions governing the taking up of the business of insurance are met and to facilitate monitoring of the conduct of such business, especially with regard to the monitoring of technical provisions, solvency margins, administrative and accounting procedures and internal control mechanisms,

   • to impose penalties,

   • in administrative appeals against decisions of the competent authorities, or

   • in court proceedings initiated under Article 53 or under special provisions provided for in this Directive and other Directives adopted in the field of insurance undertakings and reinsurance undertakings.

   5

   Paragraphs 1 and 4 shall not preclude the exchange of information within a Member State, where there are two or more competent authorities in the same Member State, or, between Member States, between competent authorities and:

   • authorities responsible for the official supervision of credit institutions and other financial organisations and the authorities responsible for the supervision of financial markets,

   • bodies involved in the liquidation and bankruptcy of insurance undertakings, reinsurance undertakings and in other similar procedures, and

   • persons responsible for carrying out statutory audits of the accounts of insurance undertakings, reinsurance undertakings and other financial institutions,

   in the discharge of their supervisory functions, and the disclosure, to bodies which administer compulsory winding-up proceedings or guarantee funds, of information necessary to the performance of their duties. The information received by those authorities, bodies and persons shall be subject to the obligation of professional secrecy laid down in paragraph 1.

   6

   Notwithstanding paragraphs 1 to 4, Member States may authorise exchanges of information between the competent authorities and:

   • the authorities responsible for overseeing the bodies involved in the liquidation and bankruptcy of assurance undertakings, reinsurance undertakings and other similar procedures, or

   • the authorities responsible for overseeing the persons charged with carrying out statutory audits of the accounts of insurance undertakings, reinsurance undertakings, credit institutions, investment firms and other financial institutions, or

   • independent actuaries of insurance undertakings or reinsurance undertakings carrying out legal supervision of those undertakings and the bodies responsible for overseeing such actuaries.

   Member States which have recourse to the option provided for in the first subparagraph shall require at least that the following conditions are met:

   • this information shall be for the purpose of carrying out the overseeing or legal supervision referred to in the first subparagraph,

   • information received in this context shall be subject to the conditions of professional secrecy imposed in paragraph 1,

   • where the information originates in another Member State, it may not be disclosed without the express agreement of the competent authorities which have disclosed it and, where appropriate, solely for the purposes for which those authorities gave their agreement.

   Member States shall communicate to the Commission and to the other Member States the names of the authorities, persons and bodies which may receive information pursuant to this paragraph.

3. 3.

   Article 21(1) is hereby amended as follows:

   1. (a)

      the introductory wording shall be replaced by the following:

      1.

      The home Member State may not authorise insurance undertakings to cover their technical provisions and equalisation reserves with any assets other than those in the following categories:

   2. (b)

      point (f) of point (B) shall be replaced by the following:

      1. (f)

         debts owed by reinsurers, including reinsurers shares of technical provisions, and by the special purpose vehicles referred to in Article 46 of Directive 2005/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2005 on reinsurance27.

   3. (c)

      the third subparagraph of point (C) shall be replaced by the following:

      The inclusion of any asset or category of assets listed in the first subparagraph shall not mean that all those assets should automatically be accepted as cover for technical provisions. The home Member State shall lay down more detailed rules setting the conditions for the use of acceptable assets.

4. 4.

   In Article 22(1), the introductory wording shall be replaced by the following:

   1.

   As regards the assets covering technical provisions and equalisation reserves, the home Member State shall require every insurance undertaking to invest no more than: