Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

The agreement aims to avoid scenes like this outside a closed bank in Cyprus. AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris

"End to the era of massive bailouts" as EU reaches deal to complete banking union

MEPs now say that a problem bank can be closed down in the space of a weekend to avoid markets turmoil on a Monday.

THE EU HAS reached an agreement on a new regulatory system designed to prevent a failing bank from wrecking the economy.

Parliament had opposed an agreement reached in December by EU leaders on how to close down a bank in trouble, saying it was too unwieldy, but the European People’s Party said these differences had now been resolved.

The EPP, the biggest party in parliament, said the process would be speeded up so as to ensure that a problem bank can be closed down in the space of a weekend to avoid markets turmoil on a Monday.

“Together with the reforms to the financial sector for all 28 countries, the completed banking union will put an end to the era of massive bailouts,” according to commissioner Michel Barnier.

It will further contribute to the return to financial stability thus creating the right conditions for the financial sector to once again lend to the real economy which is essential to consolidate the economic recovery and to create jobs.

“This is very good for restoring confidence in European banks,” said the EPP’s Corien Wortmann-Kool, one of the lead negotiators in the marathon talks.

Problem banks should be treated within a weekend. This is a big plus of this agreement; a year ago we clearly saw that the extensive talks on Cypriot banks raised the costs.

The agreement will also reduce what the EPP said was “undue political interference” in the procedure.

Some elements of the agreement

In December, EU leaders agreed to set up a so-called Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) to close failing banks in a safe and orderly fashion. This will be governed by two texts, one regulatory and another related to some specific aspects of the Single Resolution Fund (SRF).

The EU Commission says there a number of key elements to the agreement:

  • A central board made up of the various EU arms and national authorities would be notified by the ECB if a bank is failing. They would then asses if there is any systemic threat.
  • The mechanism would not apply to banks which only operate nationally. Banks not under full ECB direct supervision would be dealt with by national resolution authorities.
  • A Single Resolution Fund would be constituted to which all the banks in the participating Member States would contribute. The fund has a target level of €55 billion.
  • A board meeting would be required to approve any decision which involves the use of funds above €5 billion.

The new rules are expected to come into force in January of next year and first need to be approved by the EU Parliament and EU member states in the council.

© – AFP 2014 with additional reporting by Rónán Duffy

Read: Taxpayers will no longer pick up all of the tab for failed banks >

Read: EU finance ministers fail to agree on who should pay for bank bailouts >

Author
View 33 comments
Close
33 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute cosmological
    Favourite cosmological
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:29 AM

    This I like.

    151
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Burke
    Favourite David Burke
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 1:08 PM

    It’s actually a daft ruling. This isn’t about google collecting your data.

    It’s a newspaper article which was printed about a house being sold because the man in Spain defrauded the government. He wanted the result removed when you search his name.

    It’s pure censorship and technically could mean libraries indexing their newspapers could be forced to stop.

    22
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Francis Giuseppe Glynn
    Favourite Francis Giuseppe Glynn
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:36 AM

    They should also apply this to social media like Facebook & Twitter.

    53
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute P O' Neill
    Favourite P O' Neill
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:32 AM

    A good step!

    53
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bobby Moore
    Favourite Bobby Moore
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:45 AM

    I’m guessing Denis O’B will be looking to get any info from the Moriarty tribunal removed so.

    46
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Cpm
    Favourite Cpm
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:37 AM

    “The EU Court of Justice (ECJ) found that under certain conditions, a person can request certain information to be erased if “the data appear to be inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant.””

    Who decides if the data is inadequate or irrelevant though?

    ” irrelevant or no longer relevant.””

    huh?

    40
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Gorman
    Favourite Dave Gorman
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:54 AM

    “Ireland’s bailout and property crash”

    No Longer Relevant, signed E Kenny

    45
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jason Bourne
    Favourite Jason Bourne
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:59 AM

    If the search passes through google’s US sites, then the EU has no clout.
    Google will probably just remove the stuff from google.es

    Even this post will take up a little space on the US data center.

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Frank
    Favourite Frank
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 12:14 PM

    Indeed.

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Frank
    Favourite Frank
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:58 AM
    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bob Mc Dermott
    Favourite Bob Mc Dermott
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:35 AM

    And you can take their word for it?

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Adam Murphy
    Favourite Adam Murphy
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:37 AM

    No, you can see for yourself by searching :)

    34
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute James Murphy
    Favourite James Murphy
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:44 AM

    This is only right too

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brian Corcoran
    Favourite Brian Corcoran
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 11:56 AM

    I don’t really understand this, *googles opinion”

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Wesley Eccles
    Favourite Wesley Eccles
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 12:58 PM

    Good

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Roche
    Favourite Paul Roche
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 1:18 PM

    When PULSE has been used as a tool to “set up” innocent people (per Maurice McCabe) can we expect our new Minister for Justice to act on foot of this judgement?
    Permanent suspicion is dangerous, and isn’t really an effective use of leading systems. We need to take a lot more care of how our State keeps tabs on us.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paddy Hannigan
    Favourite Paddy Hannigan
    Report
    May 13th 2014, 5:32 PM

    Talk about your basic internet fail. Google, yahoo ect do not keep the internet in a box at company HQ. Besides because companies such as Amazon pay the likes of Google to give favourable positions to their links ,nobody really uses main stream search engines to find detailed info anymore.

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds