1.An investment company and, for each of the common funds it manages, a management company, shall publish the following:
(a)a prospectus;
(b)an annual report for each financial year; and
(c)a half-yearly report covering the first six months of the financial year.
2.The annual and half-yearly reports shall be published within the following time limits, with effect from the end of the period to which they relate:
(a)four months in the case of the annual report; or
(b)two months in the case of the half-yearly report.
1.The prospectus shall include the information necessary for investors to be able to make an informed judgement of the investment proposed to them, and, in particular, of the risks attached thereto.
The prospectus shall include, independent of the instruments invested in, a clear and easily understandable explanation of the fund’s risk profile.
[F1The prospectus shall include either:
(a) the details of the up-to-date remuneration policy, including, but not limited to, a description of how remuneration and benefits are calculated, the identities of persons responsible for awarding the remuneration and benefits including the composition of the remuneration committee, where such a committee exists; or
(b) a summary of the remuneration policy and a statement to the effect that the details of the up-to-date remuneration policy, including, but not limited to, a description of how remuneration and benefits are calculated, the identity of persons responsible for awarding the remuneration and benefits, including the composition of the remuneration committee where such a committee exists, are available by means of a website – including a reference to that website – and that a paper copy will be made available free of charge upon request.]
2.The prospectus shall contain at least the information provided for in Schedule A of Annex I, in so far as that information does not already appear in the fund rules or instruments of incorporation annexed to the prospectus in accordance with Article 71(1).
3.The annual report shall include a balance-sheet or a statement of assets and liabilities, a detailed income and expenditure account for the financial year, a report on the activities of the financial year and the other information provided for in Schedule B of Annex I as well as any significant information which will enable investors to make an informed judgement on the development of the activities of the UCITS and its results.
[F1The annual report shall also include:
(a) the total amount of remuneration for the financial year, split into fixed and variable remuneration paid by the management company and by the investment company to its staff, and the number of beneficiaries, and where relevant, any amount paid directly by the UCITS itself, including any performance fee;
(b) the aggregate amount of remuneration broken down by categories of employees or other members of staff as referred to in Article 14a(3);
(c) a description of how the remuneration and the benefits have been calculated;
(d) the outcome of the reviews referred to in points (c) and (d) of Article 14b(1) including any irregularities that have occurred;
(e) material changes to the adopted remuneration policy.]
4.The half-yearly report shall include at least the information provided for in Sections I to IV of Schedule B of Annex I. Where a UCITS has paid or proposes to pay an interim dividend, the figures must indicate the results after tax for the half-year concerned and the interim dividend paid or proposed.
[F25. In order to ensure consistent harmonisation of this Article, ESMA may develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify the provisions concerning the content of the prospectus, the annual report and the half-yearly report as laid down in Annex I, and the format of those documents.
Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.]
Textual Amendments
F1 Inserted by Directive 2014/91/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 amending Directive 2009/65/EC on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) as regards depositary functions, remuneration policies and sanctions (Text with EEA relevance).
F2 Inserted by Directive 2010/78/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 amending Directives 98/26/EC, 2002/87/EC, 2003/6/EC, 2003/41/EC, 2003/71/EC, 2004/39/EC, 2004/109/EC, 2005/60/EC, 2006/48/EC, 2006/49/EC and 2009/65/EC in respect of the powers of the European Supervisory Authority (European Banking Authority), the European Supervisory Authority (European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority) and the European Supervisory Authority (European Securities and Markets Authority) (Text with EEA relevance).
1.The prospectus shall indicate in which categories of assets a UCITS is authorised to invest. It shall mention if transactions in financial derivative instruments are authorised, in which case it shall include a prominent statement indicating whether those operations may be carried out for the purpose of hedging or with the aim of meeting investment goals, and the possible outcome of the use of financial derivative instruments on the risk profile.
2.Where a UCITS invests principally in any category of assets defined in Article 50 other than transferable securities or money market instruments, or where a UCITS replicates a stock or debt securities index in accordance with Article 53, its prospectus and, where necessary, marketing communications shall include a prominent statement drawing attention to the investment policy.
3.Where the net asset value of a UCITS is likely to have a high volatility due to its portfolio composition or the portfolio management techniques that may be used, its prospectus and, where necessary, marketing communications shall include a prominent statement drawing attention to that characteristic.
4.Upon request of an investor, the management company shall also provide supplementary information relating to the quantitative limits that apply in the risk management of the UCITS, to the methods chosen to this end and to the recent evolution of the main risks and yields of the instrument categories.
1.The fund rules or instruments of incorporation of an investment company shall form an integral part of the prospectus and shall be annexed thereto.
2.The documents referred to in paragraph 1 are not, however, required to be annexed to the prospectus provided that the investor is informed that, on request, he or she will be sent those documents or be apprised of the place where, in each Member State in which the units are marketed, he or she may consult them.
The essential elements of the prospectus shall be kept up to date.
The accounting information given in the annual report shall be audited by one or more persons empowered by law to audit accounts in accordance with Directive 2006/43/EC. The auditor’s report, including any qualifications, shall be reproduced in full in the annual report.
UCITS shall send their prospectus and any amendments thereto, as well as their annual and half-yearly reports, to the competent authorities of the UCITS home Member State. UCITS shall provide that documentation to the competent authorities of the management company’s home Member State on request.
1.The prospectus and the latest published annual and half-yearly reports shall be provided to investors on request and free of charge.
2.The prospectus may be provided in a durable medium or by means of a website. A paper copy shall be delivered to the investors on request and free of charge.
3.The annual and half-yearly reports shall be available to investors in the manner specified in the prospectus and in the key investor information referred to in Article 78. A paper copy of the annual and half-yearly reports shall be delivered to the investors on request and free of charge.
[F34. The Commission may adopt, by means of delegated acts [F4in accordance with Article 112a] , measures which define the specific conditions which need to be met when providing the prospectus in a durable medium other than paper or by means of a website which does not constitute a durable medium.]
Textual Amendments
F3 Substituted by Directive 2010/78/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 amending Directives 98/26/EC, 2002/87/EC, 2003/6/EC, 2003/41/EC, 2003/71/EC, 2004/39/EC, 2004/109/EC, 2005/60/EC, 2006/48/EC, 2006/49/EC and 2009/65/EC in respect of the powers of the European Supervisory Authority (European Banking Authority), the European Supervisory Authority (European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority) and the European Supervisory Authority (European Securities and Markets Authority) (Text with EEA relevance).
F4 Substituted by Directive 2014/91/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 amending Directive 2009/65/EC on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) as regards depositary functions, remuneration policies and sanctions (Text with EEA relevance).