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1. A CCP established in a third country may only provide clearing services to clearing members or trading venues established in the Union where that CCP is recognised by ESMA.

2. ESMA, after consulting the authorities referred to in paragraph 3, may recognise a CCP established in a third country that has applied for recognition to provide certain clearing services or activities where:

(a) the Commission has adopted an implementing act in accordance with paragraph 6;

(b) the CCP is authorised in the relevant third country, and is subject to effective supervision and enforcement ensuring full compliance with the prudential requirements applicable in that third country;

(c) cooperation arrangements have been established pursuant to paragraph 7;

(d) the CCP is established or authorised in a third country that is not considered, by the Commission in accordance with Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council (), as having strategic deficiencies in its national anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism regime that poses significant threats to the financial system of the Union;

(e) the CCP has not been determined as systemically important or likely to become systemically important in accordance with paragraph 2a and is therefore a Tier 1 CCP.

2a. ESMA shall, after consulting the ESRB and the central banks of issue referred to in point (f) of paragraph 3, determine whether a third-country CCP is systemically important or likely to become systemically important for the financial stability of the Union or of one or more of its Member States (Tier 2 CCP) by taking into account all of the following criteria:

(a) the nature, size and complexity of the CCP's business in the Union, and outside the Union to the extent its business may have a systemic impact on the Union or on one or more of its Member States, including:

(i) the value in aggregate terms and in each Union currency of transactions cleared by the CCP, or the aggregate exposure of the CCP engaged in clearing activities to its clearing members and, to the extent the information is available, their clients and indirect clients established in the Union, including where they have been designated by Member States as other systemically important institutions (O-SIIs) pursuant to Article 131(3) of Directive 2013/36/EU; and (ii) the risk profile of the CCP in terms of, amongst others, legal, operational and business risk;

(b) the effect that the failure of or a disruption to the CCP would have on:

(i) financial markets, including the liquidity of the markets served;

(ii) financial institutions;

(iii) the broader financial system; or (iv) the financial stability of the Union or of one or more of its Member States;

(c) the CCP's clearing membership structure including, to the extent the information is available, the structure of its clearing members' network of clients and indirect clients, established in the Union;

(d) the extent to which alternative clearing services provided by other CCPs exist in financial instruments denominated in Union currencies for clearing members and, to the extent the information is available, their clients and indirect clients established in the Union;

(e) the CCP's relationships, interdependencies, or other interactions with other financial market infrastructures, other financial institutions and the broader financial system to the extent that that is likely to have an impact on the financial stability of the Union or one or more of its Member States. The Commission shall adopt a delegated act in accordance with Article 82 to specify further the criteria set out in the first subparagraph by 2 January 2021. Without prejudice to the outcome of the recognition process, ESMA shall, after conducting the assessment referred to in the first subparagraph, inform the applicant CCP whether or not it is considered to be a Tier 1 CCP within 30 working days of the determination that that CCP's application is complete in accordance with the second subparagraph of paragraph 4.

2b. Where ESMA determines a CCP to be systemically important or likely to become systemically important (Tier 2 CCP) in accordance with paragraph 2a, it shall only recognise that CCP to provide certain clearing services or activities where, in addition to the conditions referred to in points (a) to (d) of paragraph 2, the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the CCP complies, at the moment of recognition and thereafter on an ongoing basis, with the requirements set out in Article 16 and in Titles IV and V. With regard to the CCP's compliance with Articles 41, 44, 46, 50 and 54, ESMA shall consult the central banks of issue referred to in point (f) of paragraph 3 in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 24b(1). ESMA shall take into account, in accordance with Article 25a, the extent to which a CCP's compliance with those requirements is satisfied by its compliance with comparable requirements applicable in the third country;

(b) the central banks of issue referred to in point (f) of paragraph 3 have provided ESMA with written confirmation, within 30 working days of the determination that a third-country CCP is not a Tier 1 CCP in accordance with paragraph 2a or following the review in accordance with paragraph 5, that the CCP complies with the following requirements that those central banks of issue may have imposed in the carrying out of their monetary policy tasks:

(i) to submit any information which the central bank of issue may require upon its reasoned request, where that information has not otherwise been obtained by ESMA;

(ii) to fully and duly cooperate with the central bank of issue in the context of the assessment of the CCP's resilience to adverse market developments carried out in accordance with Article 25b(3);

(iii) to open or notify the intent to open, in accordance with relevant access criteria and requirements, an overnight deposit account with the central bank of issue;

(iv) to comply with requirements, applied in exceptional situations by the central bank of issue, within its competences to address temporary systemic liquidity risks affecting the transmission of monetary policy or the smooth operation of payment systems, and relating to liquidity risk control, margin requirements, collateral, settlement arrangements or interoperability arrangements. The requirements referred to in subpoint (iv) shall ensure the efficiency, soundness and resilience of CCPs and be aligned with those set out in Article 16 and in Titles IV and V of this Regulation. The application of the requirements referred to in subpoint (iv) shall be a condition for recognition for a limited period of time of up to six months. Where at the end of that period the central bank of issue considers that the exceptional situation persists, the application of the requirements for recognition purposes may be extended once by an additional period not exceeding six months. Before imposing, or extending the application of, the requirements referred to in subpoint (iv), the central bank of issue shall inform ESMA, the other central banks of issue referred to in point (f) of paragraph 3 and the members of the third-country CCP college and provide them with an explanation of the effects of the requirements it intends to impose on the efficiency, soundness and resilience of CCPs and with a justification of why the requirements are necessary and proportionate to ensure the transmission of monetary policy or the smooth operation of payment systems in relation to the currency it issues. ESMA shall submit to the central bank of issue an opinion within 10 working days of the transmission of the draft requirement or draft extension. In emergency situations, the aforementioned period shall not exceed 24 hours. In its opinion, ESMA shall consider in particular the effects of the requirements imposed on the efficiency, soundness and resilience of the CCP. The other central banks of issue referred to in point (f) of paragraph 3 may submit an opinion within the same deadline. Upon conclusion of the period for consultation, the central bank of issue shall duly consider the amendments proposed in the opinions of ESMA or the central banks of issue referred to in point (f) of paragraph 3. The central bank of issue shall also inform the European Parliament and the Council before extending the application of requirements referred to in subpoint (iv). The central bank of issue shall cooperate and share information on a continuous basis with ESMA and the other central banks of issue referred to in point (f) of paragraph 3 in relation to the requirements referred to in subpoint (iv), in particular in relation to the assessment of systemic liquidity risks and the effects of the imposed requirements on the efficiency, soundness and resilience of CCPs. Where a central bank of issue imposes any of the requirements referred to in this point after a Tier 2 CCP has been recognised, compliance with any such requirement shall be considered as a condition for recognition and the central banks of issue shall provide ESMA with written confirmation, within 90 working days, that the CCP complies with the requirement. Where a central bank of issue has not provided a written confirmation to ESMA within the deadline, ESMA may consider that requirement to be fulfilled;

(c) the CCP has provided ESMA with:

(i) a written statement, signed by its legal representative, expressing the unconditional consent of the CCP to:

— provide within three working days after service of a request by ESMA any documents, records, information and data held by that CCP at the time the request is served, and — allow ESMA to access any of the CCP's business premises;

(ii) a reasoned legal opinion by an independent legal expert confirming that the consent expressed is valid and enforceable under the relevant applicable laws;

(d) the CCP has implemented all necessary measures and established all necessary procedures to ensure the effective compliance with the requirements laid down in points (a) and (c);

(e) the Commission has not adopted an implementing act in accordance with paragraph 2c.

2c. ESMA, after consulting the ESRB and in agreement with the central banks of issue referred to in point (f) of paragraph 3 in accordance with Article 24b(3) and commensurate with the degree of systemic importance of the CCP in accordance with paragraph 2a of this Article, may, on the basis of a fully reasoned assessment, conclude that a CCP or some of its clearing services are of such substantial systemic importance that that CCP should not be recognised to provide certain clearing services or activities. The agreement of a central bank of issue shall only relate to the currency it issues and not to the recommendation as a whole as referred to in the second subparagraph of this paragraph. In its assessment ESMA shall also:

(a) explain how compliance with the conditions set out in paragraph 2b would not sufficiently address the financial stability risk for the Union or for one or more of its Member States;

(b) describe the characteristics of the clearing services provided by the CCP, including the liquidity and physical settlement requirements associated with the provision of such services;

(c) provide a quantitative technical assessment of the costs and benefits and consequences of a decision not to recognise the CCP to provide certain clearing services or activities, taking into account:

(i) the existence of potential alternative substitutes for the provision of the clearing services concerned in the currencies concerned to clearing members, and to the extent the information is available, their clients and indirect clients established in the Union;

(ii) the potential consequences of including the outstanding contracts held at the CCP within the scope of the implementing act. On the basis of its assessment, ESMA shall recommend that the Commission adopt an implementing act confirming that that CCP should not be recognised to provide certain clearing services or activities. The Commission shall have a minimum of 30 working days to assess ESMA's recommendation. After submission of the recommendation referred to in the second subparagraph, the Commission may, as a measure of last resort, adopt an implementing act specifying:

(a) that following the adaptation period specified by the Commission in accordance with point (b) of this subparagraph, some or all of the clearing services of that third-country CCP can only be provided to clearing members and trading venues established in the Union by that CCP after it has been authorised to do so in accordance with Article 14;

(b) an appropriate adaptation period for the CCP, its clearing members and their clients. The adaptation period shall not exceed two years, and may only be extended once by an additional period of six months where the reasons for granting an adaptation period still exist;

(c) the conditions under which that CCP may continue to provide certain clearing services or activities during the adaptation period referred to in point (b);

(d) any measures that shall be taken during the adaptation period, in order to limit the potential costs to clearing members and their clients, in particular those established in the Union. In specifying the services and adaptation period referred to in points (a) and (b) of the fourth subparagraph, the Commission shall consider:

(a) the characteristics of the services offered by the CCP and their substitutability;

(b) whether and to what extent, outstanding cleared transactions shall be included within the scope of the implementing act, taking into account the legal and economic consequences of that inclusion;

(c) the potential cost implications to clearing members and, where that information is available, their clients, in particular those established in the Union. The implementing act shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 86(2).

3. When assessing whether the conditions referred to in points (a) to (d) of paragraph 2 are met, ESMA shall consult:

(a) the competent authority of a Member State in which the CCP provides or intends to provide clearing services and which has been selected by the CCP;

(b) the competent authorities responsible for the supervision of the clearing members of the CCP that are established in the three Member States which make or are anticipated by the CCP to make the largest contributions to the default fund of the CCP referred to in Article 42 on an aggregate basis over a one-year period;

(c) the competent authorities responsible for the supervision of trading venues located in the Union, served or to be served by the CCP;

(d) the competent authorities supervising CCPs established in the Union with which interoperability arrangements have been established;

(e) the relevant members of the ESCB of the Member States in which the CCP provides or intends to provide clearing services and the relevant members of the ESCB responsible for the oversight of the CCPs with which interoperability arrangements have been established;

(f) the central banks of issue of all Union currencies of the financial instruments cleared or to be cleared by the CCP.

4. The CCP referred to in paragraph 1 shall submit its application to ESMA. The applicant CCP shall provide ESMA with all information necessary for its recognition. Within 30 working days of receipt, ESMA shall assess whether the application is complete. If the application is not complete, ESMA shall set a deadline by which the applicant CCP is to provide additional information. ESMA shall immediately transmit all information received from the applicant CCP to the third-country CCP college. The recognition decision shall be based on the conditions set out in paragraph 2 for Tier 1 CCPs and in paragraph 2, points (a) to (d), and paragraph 2b for Tier 2 CCPs. Within 180 working days of the determination that an application is complete in accordance with the second subparagraph, ESMA shall inform the applicant CCP in writing, with a fully reasoned explanation, whether the recognition has been granted or refused. ESMA shall publish on its website a list of the CCPs recognised in accordance with this Regulation, indicating their classification as Tier 1 CCPs or Tier 2 CCPs.

5. ESMA shall, after consulting the authorities and entities referred to in paragraph 3, review the recognition of a CCP established in a third country:

(a) if that CCP intends to extend or reduce the range of its activities and services in the Union, in which case the CCP shall inform ESMA thereof submitting all necessary information; and (b) in any case at least every five years. That review shall be conducted in accordance with paragraphs 2 to 4. Where the review is undertaken in accordance with point (b) of the first subparagraph of this paragraph, the CCP shall not be required to submit a new application for recognition but shall provide ESMA with all information necessary for ESMA to review its recognition. Where ESMA undertakes a review of the recognition of a CCP established in a third country in accordance with point (b) of the first subparagraph of this paragraph, ESMA shall not treat such review as an application for recognition for the relevant recognised CCP.

Where, following the review referred to in the first subparagraph, ESMA determines that a third-country CCP that has been classified as Tier 1 CCP should be classified as a Tier 2 CCP, ESMA shall set an appropriate adaptation period which shall not exceed 18 months within which the CCP must comply with the requirements referred to in paragraph 2b. ESMA may extend that adaptation period by up to an additional six months upon the reasoned request of the CCP or competent authority responsible for the supervision of the clearing members, where such extension is justified by exceptional circumstances and implications for the clearing members established in the Union.

6. The Commission may adopt an implementing act under Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011, determining that:

(a) the legal and supervisory arrangements of a third country ensure that CCPs authorised in that third country comply on an ongoing basis with legally binding requirements which are equivalent to the requirements laid down in Title IV of this Regulation;

(b) those CCPs are subject to effective supervision and enforcement in that third country on an ongoing basis;

(c) the legal framework of that third country provides for an effective equivalent system for the recognition of CCPs authorised under third-country legal regimes. The Commission may subject the application of the implementing act referred to in the first subparagraph to the effective fulfilment of any requirement set out therein by a third country on an ongoing basis and to the ability by ESMA to effectively exercise its responsibilities in relation to third-country CCPs recognised under paragraphs 2 and 2b or in relation to monitoring referred to in paragraph 6b, including by way of agreeing and applying the cooperation arrangements referred to in paragraph 7.