Commission refers Slovenia and Spain to the Court of Justice for failing to fully enact EU rules on markets in financial instruments

19 July 2018

The European Commission decided to refer Slovenia and Spain to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to fully implement European rules on markets in financial instruments (MiFID II) as well as its supplementing Directive.

These rules are crucial building blocks for the proper functioning of securities markets and are essential for the continued operation of the European single market. If Member States do not transpose the rules, investors are not able to benefit from the enhanced investor protection provided under MIFID II. This includes safeguards of financial instruments and funds belonging to clients, product governance obligations and the rules applicable to the provision or reception of fees, commissions or any monetary or non-monetary benefits. It also makes markets less safe as trading venues and investment firms do not have to operate under the more stringent and transparent operational requirements. National competent authorities of non-transposing Member States are further not able to deliver legally sound authorisations for activities that had not been previously regulated, or that were regulated differently under MiFID I. This includes the operation of trading venues, such as regulated markets, multilateral trading facilities (MTF) and organised trading facilities (OTF) and the registration of MiFID I investment firms as a systematic internaliser.

Not fully transposing these EU rules disrupts the single market as they became applicable on 3 January 2018 and complement the provisions of the Market for Financial Instruments Regulation (MIFIR). Cross-border "passporting" of various investment services and activities might not operate as smoothly as between Member States that have fully transposed the MiFID II rulebook.

Full press release

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