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Whereas the prohibition of privileged access to financial institutions, as laid down in Article 104a of the Treaty, forms an essential element of the submission of the public sector in its financing operations to the discipline of the market mechanism and so makes a contribution to the strengthening of budgetary discipline; whereas, moreover, it places the Member States on an equal footing as regards public sector access to financial institutions; Whereas the Council must specify definitions for the application of such prohibition; Whereas the Member States and the Community must act with due regard for the principle of an open market economy in which there is free competition; Whereas, in particular, this Regulation cannot affect the methods for organizing markets complying with that principle; Whereas this Regulation does not seek to interfere with any operation of public financial institutions complying with the same principle;

Whereas Article 104a of the Treaty prohibits measures establishing privileged access; whereas the types of acts concerned by this prohibition should be specified; whereas the commitments freely made by financial institutions in the framework of contractual relations unquestionably cannot be affected; Whereas the same Article provides that prudential considerations may justify departure from the principle of this prohibition; whereas laws, regulations or administrative actions may not, however, under the cover of prudential consideration, be used to establish disguised privileged access; Whereas public undertakings are covered by the same prohibition; whereas they are defined in Commission Directive 80/723/EEC of 25 June 1980 on the transparency of financial relations between the Member States and public undertakings (3); Whereas, for reasons of monetary policy, financial institutions and, in particular, credit institutions may be obliged to hold claims against the European Central Bank and/or national central banks;

Whereas the European Central Bank and national central banks may not, as public authorities, take measures establishing privileged access; whereas the rules on mobilization or pledging of debt instruments enacted by the European Central Bank or by national central banks must not be used as a means of circumventing the prohibition of privileged access; Whereas, in order to avoid any circumvention of the prohibition, the definitions in Community law of the various types of financial institution should be supplemented by a reference to those institutions engaging in financial activities which have not yet been harmonized at Community level, such as, for instance, branches of third-country establishments, holding and factoring companies, uncoordinated undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS), institutions for retirement provision, etc., HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: