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1.Where a benchmark is based on input data from contributors, its administrator shall develop a code of conduct for each benchmark clearly specifying contributors' responsibilities with respect to the contribution of input data and shall ensure that such code of conduct complies with this Regulation. The administrator shall be satisfied that contributors adhere to the code of conduct on a continuous basis and at least annually and in case of changes to it.
2.The code of conduct shall include at least the following elements:
(a)a clear description of the input data to be provided and the requirements necessary to ensure that input data is provided in accordance with Articles 11 and 14;
(b)identification of the persons that may contribute input data to the administrator and procedures to verify the identity of a contributor and any submitters, as well as authorisation of any submitters that contribute input data on behalf of a contributor;
(c)policies to ensure that a contributor provides all relevant input data;
(d)the systems and controls that a contributor is required to establish, including:
procedures for contributing input data, including requirements for the contributor to specify whether input data is transaction data and whether input data conforms to the administrator's requirements;
policies on the use of discretion in contributing input data;
any requirement for the validation of input data before it is provided to the administrator;
record-keeping policies;
reporting requirements concerning suspicious input data;
requirements concerning the management of conflicts of interest.
3.Administrators may develop a single code of conduct for each family of benchmarks they provide.
4.In the event that a relevant competent authority, in the use of its powers referred to in Article 41, finds that there are elements of a code of conduct which do not comply with this Regulation, it shall notify the administrator concerned. The administrator shall adjust the code of conduct to ensure that it complies with this Regulation within 30 days of such a notification.
5.Within 15 working days from the date of application of the decision to include a critical benchmark in the list referred to in Article 20(1), the administrator of that critical benchmark shall notify the code of conduct to the relevant competent authority. The relevant competent authority shall verify within 30 days whether the content of the code of conduct complies with this Regulation. In the event that the relevant competent authority finds elements which do not comply with this Regulation, paragraph 4 of this Article shall apply.
6.ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify further the elements of the code of conduct referred to in paragraph 2 for different types of benchmarks, and in order to take account of developments in benchmarks and financial markets.
ESMA shall take into account the different characteristics of benchmarks and contributors, in particular in terms of differences in input data and methodologies, the risks of input data of being manipulated and international convergence of supervisory practices in relation to benchmarks.
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 1 April 2017.
Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with the procedure laid down in Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
1.The following governance and control requirements shall apply to a supervised contributor:
(a)the supervised contributor shall ensure that the provision of input data is not affected by any existing or potential conflict of interest and that, where any discretion is required, it is independently and honestly exercised based on relevant information in accordance with the code of conduct referred to in Article 15;
(b)the supervised contributor shall have in place a control framework that ensures the integrity, accuracy and reliability of input data and that input data is provided in accordance with this Regulation and the code of conduct referred to in Article 15.
2.A supervised contributor shall have in place effective systems and controls to ensure the integrity and reliability of all contributions of input data to the administrator, including:
(a)controls regarding who may submit input data to an administrator including, where proportionate, a process for sign-off by a natural person holding a position senior to that of the submitter;
(b)appropriate training for submitters, covering at least this Regulation and Regulation (EU) No 596/2014;
(c)measures for the management of conflicts of interest, including organisational separation of employees where appropriate and consideration of how to remove incentives, created by remuneration polices, to manipulate a benchmark;
(d)record-keeping, for an appropriate period of time, of communications in relation to provision of input data, of all information used to enable the contributor to make each submission, and of all existing or potential conflicts of interest including, but not limited to, the contributor's exposure to financial instruments which use a benchmark as a reference;
(e)record-keeping of internal and external audits.
3.Where input data relies on expert judgement, supervised contributors shall establish, in addition to the systems and controls referred to in paragraph 2, policies guiding any use of judgement or exercise of discretion and shall retain records of the rationale for any such judgement or discretion. Where proportionate, supervised contributors shall take into account the nature of the benchmark and its input data.
4.A supervised contributor shall fully cooperate with the administrator and the relevant competent authority in the auditing and supervision of the provision of a benchmark and make available the information and records kept in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3.
5.ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify further the requirements concerning governance, systems and controls, and policies set out in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3.
ESMA shall take into account the different characteristics of benchmarks and supervised contributors, in particular in terms of differences in input data provided and methodologies used, the risks of manipulation of the input data and the nature of the activities carried out by the supervised contributors, and the developments in benchmarks and financial markets in light of international convergence of supervisory practices in relation to benchmarks. However, the ESMA draft regulatory technical standards shall not cover or apply to supervised contributors of non-significant benchmarks.
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 1 April 2017.
Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with the procedure laid down in Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
6.ESMA may issue guidelines in accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010, addressed to supervised contributors to non-significant benchmarks to specify the elements referred to in paragraph 5 of this Article.