Article 4U.K.Amendments to Directive 2009/138/EC

Directive 2009/138/EC is amended as follows:

(1)

in Article 212(1), points (f) and (g) are replaced by the following:

‘(f)

“insurance holding company” means a parent undertaking which is not a mixed financial holding company and the main business of which is to acquire and hold participations in subsidiary undertakings, where those subsidiary undertakings are exclusively or mainly insurance or reinsurance undertakings, or third-country insurance or reinsurance undertakings, at least one of such subsidiary undertakings being an insurance or reinsurance undertaking;

(g)

“mixed-activity insurance holding company” means a parent undertaking other than an insurance undertaking, a third-country insurance undertaking, a reinsurance undertaking, a third-country reinsurance undertaking, an insurance holding company or a mixed financial holding company, which includes at least one insurance or reinsurance undertaking among its subsidiary undertakings;

(h)

“mixed financial holding company” means a mixed financial holding company as defined in Article 2(15) of Directive 2002/87/EC.;

(2)

in Article 213, paragraphs 2 and 3 are replaced by the following:

2.Member States shall ensure that supervision at the level of the group applies to the following:

(a)insurance or reinsurance undertakings, which are a participating undertaking in at least one insurance undertaking, reinsurance undertaking, third-country insurance undertaking or third-country reinsurance undertaking, in accordance with Articles 218 to 258;

(b)insurance or reinsurance undertakings, the parent undertaking of which is an insurance holding company or a mixed financial holding company which has its head office in the Union, in accordance with Articles 218 to 258;

(c)insurance or reinsurance undertakings, the parent undertaking of which is an insurance holding company or a mixed financial holding company which has its head office in a third country or a third-country insurance or reinsurance undertaking, in accordance with Articles 260 to 263;

(d)insurance or reinsurance undertakings, the parent undertaking of which is a mixed-activity insurance holding company, in accordance with Article 265.

3.In the cases referred to in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 2, where the participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking or the insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company which has its head office in the Union is either a related undertaking of, or is itself a regulated entity or a mixed financial holding company which is subject to supplementary supervision in accordance with Article 5(2) of Directive 2002/87/EC, the group supervisor may, after consulting the other supervisory authorities concerned, decide not to carry out the supervision of risk concentration referred to in Article 244 of this Directive, the supervision of intra-group transactions referred to in Article 245 of this Directive, or both, at the level of that participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking or that insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company.

4.Where a mixed financial holding company is subject to equivalent provisions under this Directive and under Directive 2002/87/EC, in particular in terms of risk-based supervision, the group supervisor may, after consulting the other supervisory authorities concerned, apply only the relevant provisions of Directive 2002/87/EC to that mixed financial holding company.

5.Where a mixed financial holding company is subject to equivalent provisions under this Directive and under Directive 2006/48/EC, in particular in terms of risk-based supervision, the group supervisor may, in agreement with the consolidating supervisor in the banking and investment services sector, apply only the provisions of the Directive relating to the most significant sector as determined in accordance with Article 3(2) of Directive 2002/87/EC.

6.The group supervisor shall inform the European Supervisory Authority (European Banking Authority) established by Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council(1) (EBA) and the European Supervisory Authority (European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority) established by Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council (EIOPA)(2) of the decisions taken under paragraphs 4 and 5. EBA, EIOPA and the European Supervisory Authority (European Securities and Markets Authority) established by Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010(3) (ESMA) shall, through the Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (Joint Committee), develop guidelines aimed at converging supervisory practices and shall develop draft regulatory technical standards, which they shall submit to the Commission within three years of the adoption of those guidelines.

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 1093/2010, of Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010 and of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 respectively.;

(3)

Article 214(1) is replaced by the following:

1.The exercise of group supervision in accordance with Article 213 shall not imply that the supervisory authorities are required to play a supervisory role in relation to the third-country insurance undertaking, the third-country reinsurance undertaking, the insurance holding company, the mixed financial holding company or the mixed-activity insurance holding company taken individually, without prejudice to Article 257 as far as insurance holding companies or mixed financial holding companies are concerned.;

(4)

in Article 215, paragraphs 1 and 2 are replaced by the following:

1.Where the participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking or the insurance holding company or the mixed financial holding company referred to in Article 213(2)(a) and (b) is itself a subsidiary undertaking of another insurance or reinsurance undertaking or of another insurance holding company or of another mixed financial holding company which has its head office in the Union, Articles 218 to 258 shall apply only at the level of the ultimate parent insurance or reinsurance undertaking, insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company which has its head office in the Union.

2.Where the ultimate parent insurance or reinsurance undertaking or insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company which has its head office in the Union, as referred to in paragraph 1, is a subsidiary undertaking of an undertaking which is subject to supplementary supervision in accordance with Article 5(2) of Directive 2002/87/EC, the group supervisor may, after consulting the other supervisory authorities concerned, decide not to carry out the supervision of risk concentration referred to in Article 244, the supervision of intra-group transactions referred to in Article 245, or both, at the level of that ultimate parent undertaking or company.;

(5)

Article 216(1) is replaced by the following:

1.Where the participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking or the insurance holding company or the mixed financial holding company which has its head office in the Union, as referred to in Article 213(2)(a) and (b), does not have its head office in the same Member State as the ultimate parent undertaking at Union level referred to in Article 215, Member States may allow their supervisory authorities to decide, after consulting the group supervisor and that ultimate parent undertaking at Union level, to subject the ultimate parent insurance or reinsurance undertaking, insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company at national level to group supervision.;

(6)

Article 219 is replaced by the following:

Article 219Frequency of calculation

1.The group supervisor shall ensure that the calculations referred to in Article 218(2) and (3) are carried out at least annually, by the participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking, by the insurance holding company or by the mixed financial holding company.

The relevant data for and the results of that calculation shall be submitted to the group supervisor by the participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking or, where the group is not headed by an insurance or reinsurance undertaking, by the insurance holding company or the mixed financial holding company or by the undertaking in the group identified by the group supervisor after consulting the other supervisory authorities concerned and the group itself.

2.The insurance undertaking, reinsurance undertaking, insurance holding company and mixed financial holding company shall monitor the group Solvency Capital Requirement on an ongoing basis. Where the risk profile of the group deviates significantly from the assumptions underlying the last reported group Solvency Capital Requirement, the group Solvency Capital Requirement shall be recalculated without delay and reported to the group supervisor.

Where there is evidence to suggest that the risk profile of the group has altered significantly since the date on which the group Solvency Capital Requirement was last reported, the group supervisor may require a recalculation of the group Solvency Capital Requirement.;

(7)

Article 226 is replaced by the following:

Article 226Intermediate insurance holding companies

1.When calculating the group solvency of an insurance or reinsurance undertaking which holds a participation in a related insurance undertaking, a related reinsurance undertaking, a third-country insurance undertaking or a third-country reinsurance undertaking, through an insurance holding company or a mixed financial holding company, the situation of such an insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company shall be taken into account.

For the sole purpose of that calculation, the intermediate insurance holding company or intermediate mixed financial holding company shall be treated as if it were an insurance or reinsurance undertaking subject to the rules laid down in Subsections 1, 2 and 3 of Section 4 of Chapter VI of Title I in respect of the Solvency Capital Requirement and were subject to the same conditions as are laid down in Subsections 1, 2 and 3 of Section 3 of Chapter VI of Title I in respect of own funds eligible for the Solvency Capital Requirement.

2.In cases where an intermediate insurance holding company or intermediate mixed financial holding company holds subordinated debt or other eligible own funds subject to limitation in accordance with Article 98, they shall be recognised as eligible own funds up to the amounts calculated by application of the limits set out in Article 98 to the total eligible own funds outstanding at group level as compared to the Solvency Capital Requirement at group level.

Any eligible own funds of an intermediate insurance holding company or intermediate mixed financial holding company, which would require prior authorisation from the supervisory authority in accordance with Article 90 if they were held by an insurance or reinsurance undertaking, may be included in the calculation of the group solvency only in so far as they have been duly authorised by the group supervisor.;

(8)

in Article 231(1), the first subparagraph is replaced by the following:

1.In the case of an application for permission to calculate the consolidated group Solvency Capital Requirement, as well as the Solvency Capital Requirement of insurance and reinsurance undertakings in the group, on the basis of an internal model, submitted by an insurance or reinsurance undertaking and its related undertakings, or jointly by the related undertakings of an insurance holding company or a mixed financial holding company, the supervisory authorities concerned shall cooperate to decide whether or not to grant that permission and to determine the terms and conditions, if any, to which such permission is subject.;

(9)

Article 233(5) is replaced by the following:

5.In the case of an application for permission to calculate the Solvency Capital Requirement of insurance and reinsurance undertakings in the group on the basis of an internal model, submitted by an insurance or reinsurance undertaking and its related undertakings, or jointly by the related undertakings of an insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company, Article 231 shall apply mutatis mutandis.;

(10)

in Section 1 of Chapter II of Title III the title of Subsection 5 is replaced by the following:

Supervision of group solvency for insurance and reinsurance undertakings that are subsidiaries of an insurance holding company or a mixed financial holding company;

(11)

Article 235 is replaced by the following:

Article 235Group solvency of an insurance holding company or a mixed financial holding company

1.Where insurance and reinsurance undertakings are subsidiaries of an insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company, the group supervisor shall ensure that the calculation of the solvency of the group is carried out at the level of the insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company applying Article 220(2) to Article 233.

2.For the purpose of that calculation, the parent undertaking shall be treated as if it were an insurance or reinsurance undertaking subject to the rules laid down in Subsections 1, 2 and 3 of Section 4 of Chapter VI of Title I as regards the Solvency Capital Requirement and subject to the same conditions as laid down in Subsections 1, 2 and 3 of Section 3 of Chapter VI of Title I as regards the own funds eligible for the Solvency Capital Requirement.;

(12)

Article 243 is replaced by the following:

Article 243Subsidiaries of an insurance holding company and mixed financial holding company

Articles 236 to 242 shall apply mutatis mutandis to insurance and reinsurance undertakings which are the subsidiary of an insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company.;

(13)

Article 244(2) is replaced by the following:

2.Member States shall require insurance and reinsurance undertakings or insurance holding companies or mixed financial holding companies to report on a regular basis and at least annually to the group supervisor any significant risk concentration at the level of the group, unless Article 215(2) applies.

The necessary information shall be submitted to the group supervisor by the insurance or reinsurance undertaking which is at the head of the group or, where the group is not headed by a insurance or reinsurance undertaking, by the insurance holding company, the mixed financial holding company or the insurance or reinsurance undertaking in the group identified by the group supervisor after consulting the other supervisory authorities concerned and the group.

The risk concentrations referred to in the first subparagraph shall be subject to supervisory review by the group supervisor.;

(14)

Article 245(2) is replaced by the following:

2.Member States shall require insurance and reinsurance undertakings, insurance holding companies and mixed financial holding companies to report on a regular basis and at least annually to the group supervisor all significant intra-group transactions by insurance and reinsurance undertakings within a group, including those performed with a natural person with close links to an undertaking in the group, unless Article 215(2) applies.

In addition, Member States shall require reporting of very significant intra-group transactions as soon as practicable.

The necessary information shall be submitted to the group supervisor by the insurance or reinsurance undertaking which is at the head of the group or, where the group is not headed by an insurance or reinsurance undertaking, by the insurance holding company, the mixed financial holding company or the insurance or reinsurance undertaking in the group identified by the group supervisor after consulting the other supervisory authorities concerned and the group.

The intra-group transactions shall be subject to supervisory review by the group supervisor.;

(15)

in Article 246(4), the first, second and third subparagraphs are replaced by the following:

4.Member States shall require the participating insurance undertaking or reinsurance undertaking, the insurance holding company or the mixed financial holding company to undertake at the level of the group the assessment required by Article 45. The own-risk and solvency assessment conducted at group level shall be subject to supervisory review by the group supervisor in accordance with Chapter III.

Where the calculation of the solvency at the level of the group is carried out in accordance with method 1, as referred to in Article 230, the participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking, the insurance holding company or the mixed financial holding company shall provide to the group supervisor a proper understanding of the difference between the sum of the Solvency Capital Requirements of all the related insurance or reinsurance undertakings of the group and the group consolidated Solvency Capital Requirement.

The participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking, the insurance holding company or the mixed financial holding company may, subject to the agreement of the group supervisor, undertake any assessments required pursuant to Article 45 at the level of the group and at the level of any subsidiary in the group at the same time, and may produce a single document covering all the assessments.;

(16)

in Article 247(2), point (b) is replaced by the following:

‘(b)

where a group is not headed by an insurance or reinsurance undertaking, by the following supervisory authority:

(i)

where the parent of an insurance or reinsurance undertaking is an insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company, the supervisory authority which has authorised that insurance or reinsurance undertaking,

(ii)

where more than one insurance or reinsurance undertaking which have their head offices in the Union have as their parent the same insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company, and one of those undertakings has been authorised in the Member State in which the insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company has its head office, the supervisory authority of the insurance or reinsurance undertaking authorised in that Member State,

(iii)

where the group is headed by more than one insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company which have their head offices in different Member States and there is an insurance or reinsurance undertaking in each of those Member States, the supervisory authority of the insurance or reinsurance undertaking with the largest balance sheet total,

(iv)

where more than one insurance or reinsurance undertaking which have their head offices in the Union have as their parent the same insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company and none of those undertakings has been authorised in the Member State in which the insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company has its head office, the supervisory authority which authorised the insurance or reinsurance undertaking with the largest balance sheet total, or

(v)

where the group is a group without a parent undertaking, or in any circumstances not referred to in points (i) to (iv), the supervisory authority which authorised the insurance or reinsurance undertaking with the largest balance sheet total.;

(17)

in Article 249(1), the following subparagraph is added:

The group supervisor shall provide the supervisory authorities concerned and EIOPA with information regarding the group, in accordance with Article 19, Article 51(1) and Article 254(2), in particular regarding the legal structure and the governance and organisational structure of the group.;

(18)

in Article 256, paragraphs 1 and 2 are replaced by the following:

1.Member States shall require participating insurance and reinsurance undertakings, insurance holding companies and mixed financial holding companies to disclose publicly, on an annual basis, a report on solvency and financial condition at the level of the group. Articles 51, 53, 54 and 55 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

2.A participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking, an insurance holding company or a mixed financial holding company may, subject to the agreement of the group supervisor, provide a single report on its solvency and financial condition which shall comprise the following:

(a)the information at the level of the group to be disclosed in accordance with paragraph 1;

(b)the information for any of the subsidiaries within the group, which information must be individually identifiable and must be disclosed in accordance with Articles 51, 53, 54 and 55.

Before granting the agreement in accordance with the first subparagraph, the group supervisor shall consult and duly take into account any views and reservations of the members of the college of supervisors.;

(19)

Article 257 is replaced by the following:

Article 257Administrative, management or supervisory body of insurance holding companies and mixed financial holding companies

Member States shall require that all persons who effectively run the insurance holding company or the mixed financial holding company are fit and proper to perform their duties.

Article 42 shall apply mutatis mutandis.;

(20)

in Article 258, paragraphs 1 and 2 are replaced by the following:

1.Where the insurance or reinsurance undertakings in a group do not comply with the requirements provided for in Articles 218 to 246 or where the requirements are met but solvency may nevertheless be jeopardised or where the intra-group transactions or the risk concentrations are a threat to the financial position of the insurance or reinsurance undertakings, measures necessary to rectify the situation as soon as possible shall be adopted by:

(a)the group supervisor with respect to insurance holding companies and mixed financial holding companies;

(b)the supervisory authorities with respect to insurance and reinsurance undertakings.

Where, in the case referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph, the group supervisor is not one of the supervisory authorities of the Member State in which the insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company has its head office, the group supervisor shall inform those supervisory authorities of its findings with a view to enabling them to take the necessary measures.

Where, in the case referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph, the group supervisor is not one of the supervisory authorities of the Member State in which the insurance or reinsurance undertaking has its head office, the group supervisor shall inform those supervisory authorities of its findings with a view to enabling them to take the necessary measures.

Without prejudice to paragraph 2, Member States shall determine the measures which may be taken by their supervisory authorities with respect to insurance holding companies and mixed financial holding companies.

The supervisory authorities concerned, including the group supervisor, shall, where appropriate, coordinate their measures.

2.Without prejudice to their criminal law provisions, Member States shall impose sanctions on or adopt measures relating to insurance holding companies and mixed financial holding companies which infringe laws, regulations or administrative provisions brought into force to transpose this Title, or in relation to the person effectively managing those companies. The supervisory authorities shall cooperate closely to ensure that such sanctions or measures are effective, in particular where the central administration or main establishment of an insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company is not located in the same Member State as its head office.;

(21)

Article 262 is replaced by the following:

Article 262Parent undertakings registered in a third country: absence of equivalence

1.Where the verification carried out in accordance with Article 260 shows that there is no equivalent supervision, Member States shall apply to the insurance and reinsurance undertakings, mutatis mutandis, either Articles 218 to 258, with the exception of Articles 236 to 243, or one of the methods set out in paragraph 2 of this Article.

The general principles and methods set out in Articles 218 to 258 shall apply at the level of the insurance holding company, mixed financial holding company, third-country insurance undertaking or third-country reinsurance undertaking.

For the sole purpose of the group solvency calculation, the parent undertaking shall be treated as if it were an insurance or reinsurance undertaking subject to the same conditions as laid down in Subsections 1, 2 and 3 of Section 3 of Chapter VI of Title I as regards the own funds eligible for the Solvency Capital Requirement, and to either of the following:

(a)a Solvency Capital Requirement determined in accordance with the principles of Article 226 where it is an insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company;

(b)a Solvency Capital Requirement determined in accordance with the principles of Article 227, where it is a third-country insurance undertaking or a third-country reinsurance undertaking.

2.Member States shall allow their supervisory authorities to apply other methods which ensure appropriate supervision of the insurance and reinsurance undertakings in a group. Those methods shall be agreed by the group supervisor, after consulting the other supervisory authorities concerned.

The supervisory authorities may in particular require the establishment of an insurance holding company which has its head office in the Union, or a mixed financial holding company which has its head office in the Union and apply this Title to the insurance and reinsurance undertakings in the group headed by that insurance holding company or mixed financial holding company.

The methods chosen shall allow the objectives of the group supervision as defined in this Title to be achieved and shall be notified to the other supervisory authorities concerned and the Commission.;

(22)

in Article 263, the first and second paragraphs are replaced by the following:

Where the parent undertaking referred to in Article 260 is itself a subsidiary of an insurance holding company or a mixed financial holding company which has its head office in a third country or of a third-country insurance or reinsurance undertaking, Member States shall apply the verification provided for in Article 260 only at the level of the ultimate parent undertaking which is a third-country insurance holding company, a third-country mixed financial holding company, a third-country insurance undertaking or a third-country reinsurance undertaking.

Supervisory authorities may, however, in the absence of equivalent supervision referred to in Article 260, carry out a new verification at a lower level where a parent undertaking of insurance or reinsurance undertakings exists, whether at the level of a third-country insurance holding company, a third country mixed financial holding company, a third-country insurance undertaking or a third-country reinsurance undertaking..