The Banking Union is one the most relevant EU policy over the last decade. The financial crisis in 2008 and its subsequent sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone have revealed weaknesses inherent in the functioning of the banking industry and demonstrated the need to coordinate the supervision and to shape a common framework in Europe.

Created in 2014, the Banking Union was a powerful response aiming to ensure that the European banks are able to withstand the upcoming crisis in the future without recourse to taxpayers’ money. The Banking Union is based on three pillars:
i) the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) set up rules on capital requirements mainly from the implementation of Basel agreement and gave to the European Central Bank the responsibility to coordinate this supervision;
ii) the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) established a Single Resolution Board (SRB) and a Single Resolution Fund (SRF) in order to ensure the orderly resolution of failing banks, while minimising their impact on the real economy and on public finances;
iii) , the Deposit Guarantee Schemes (DGS) aim to protect depositors in the case where their banks fail, and their deposits are not available anymore.
These new uncertain times worsened due to the high inflation and the war in Ukraine legitimates the ongoing implementation of Basel IV rules in the EU regulation. Indeed, a well-capitalised banking sector contributes to reinforce the resilience of the European economy. As regards the two other pillars of the Banking Union, the European Commission has been mandated by the Eurogroup to bring forward a legislative proposal for a strengthened Crisis Management and Deposit Insurance (CMDI) framework in June.

Without a political agreement between the Member States, the Eurogroup decided to postpone the introduction of a European Deposit Insurance Scheme (EDIS) which was included in the initial workplan drafted by the Eurogroup President Pascal Donohoe. Against this background and before the publication of the legislative package postponed at the beginning 2023, the European Savings and Retail Banks Group wishes to reiterate its supports to the current CMDI review and calls in the meantime for an evolution of the framework, not a revolution. Read our paper below:

ESBG’S PAPER

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