FRANKFURT (MNI) – The following is the second part of the verbatim
text of the introductory statement by European Central Bank President
and European Systemic Risk Board Chairman Jean-Claude Trichet to the
European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee:

Let me give you a brief overview of what these recommendations are
about, without entering too much into the technicalities.

– First, we recommend that authorities require financial
institutions to: (i) provide borrowers with adequate information
so as to increase borrowers risk awareness; and (ii) improve the
creditworthiness of new borrowers.

– Second, we recommend that authorities monitor whether foreign
currency lending is inducing excessive overall credit growth and
that they apply measures to counteract such developments.

– Third, we recommend that authorities require institutions to
properly take into account this source of risks in their internal
risk management systems and to hold adequate capital for this
practice.

– Fourth, we recommend that authorities closely monitor funding and
liquidity risks, and consider imposing limits whenever necessary.

For the relevant authorities, the publication of these
recommendations will mark the beginning of the implementation phase; and
for the ESRB, it will be the beginning of the monitoring phase. Based on
the act or explain mechanism, authorities have until 2012 or 2013,
depending on the individual recommendation, to act to implement the
recommendations. The ESRB will then assess the actions taken or, in
cases of inaction, the explanations provided and will decide on the
appropriate follow-up. As you know, the legislation foresees that the
ESRB will report to Parliament in cases where implementation is deemed
insufficient. Be sure that it is clear that we will do it punctually.

I should also like to note that, at the same time as addressing
vulnerabilities stemming from lending in foreign currency, the ESRB is
also working on systemic risks that could originate from banks funding
in foreign currencies.

In particular, the ESRB is considering the medium-term need for
action to reduce vulnerabilities of large EU banks in US dollar funding
markets. Preliminary ESRB work has helped to increase authorities
awareness of potential systemic risks stemming from over-reliance on
short-term US dollar funding. Such work points to a need, in the first
instance, to further enhance monitoring of US dollar funding mismatches
and to strengthen banks plans for contingency funding. The ESRB is thus
aiming to prevent a future repetition of the tensions experienced in US
dollar funding markets in 2008 and 2011, and that have been appeased
through the multilateral swap agreements between the major central
banks. ESRB highlights macro-prudential implications of EU legislation

Let me now turn to some legislative proposals on which this
Parliament has been working as co-legislator over the last few months.

As a European, I think it is important that the EU is the first to
start the process to implement the Basel III Agreement, as approved by
the G20. As the first mover, the EU carries naturally a strong
responsibility to deliver, beyond any doubt, a full and consistent
implementation of the Basel III Agreement.

The extraordinary conditions currently facing the EU highlight the
importance of timely and rigorous action to address systemic risk. To
this end, the ESRB stresses that national macro-prudential authorities
of EU Member States must be able to tighten settings of prudential
instruments to levels above those provided for in EU legislation in a
timely fashion and based on local economic conditions. Our citizens
would not understand if we failed to address serious systemic risks,
leading to damage to the economy, just because authorities were
prevented from dealing with it appropriately and promptly.

Needless to say, this needs to be done without jeopardising the
integrity of the Single Market. This is indeed possible. The use of
macro-prudential powers at both European and national levels can, and
must, be reconciled with the prevention of violations of the four
fundamental freedoms of the EU. The ESRB, given its mandate, can review
decisions taken at the national level by the competent macro-prudential
institutions, to signal any violation to the Commission and ensure that
national authorities take account of possible cross-border spillovers.

With this in mind, we have reviewed, and will continue to review,
the draft EU regulations for banking (CRD/CRR), market infrastructure
(EMIR) and insurance (Solvency II) from a macro-prudential perspective
to ensure that policy-makers have the necessary flexibility to act. And
in line with our mandate for macro-prudential oversight in the EU, when
appropriate, we will make suggestions to this Parliament, and the other
EU legislators, to strengthen the macro-prudential aspects of draft EU
regulations. ESRBs ongoing work on structural, medium-term issues

Let me now finally say a few words about the ESRBs ongoing work on
more structural, medium-term issues. Against a backdrop of concern about
developments in exchange-traded products and high-frequency trading, the
ESRB has responded with macro-prudential perspectives to two public
consultations initiated by the European Securities and Markets Authority
(ESMA) in these areas.

First, on UCITS exchange-traded funds and structured UCITS, the
ESRB response available on the ESRBs website is focused on ensuring
that lessons from the past on financial innovation are taken on board in
a pre-emptive way. Our experience, for example, with complex,
asset-backed securities in the run-up to the current crisis has shown
that the risks in complex products may be poorly understood; and not
just by retailers, but also by institutional and other investors.

Given the opacity and complexity of some of the current UCITS
structured products for example synthetic ETFs the ESRB suggests
looking into the possibility of withdrawing the UCITS label from such
structures, as this would help to keep UCITS products simple. And it
would also help to protect and maintain trust in the UCITS label should
complex products give rise to problems in the future.

Second, on high-frequency trading, the ESRBs response also
available on our website acknowledges that financial innovation and
technological advances have contributed to the ability of financial
markets to provide adequate financial services to the real economy.
Nonetheless, experience has also shown that unrestrained financial
innovation contains often the threat of systemic risk and that therefore
technological significant changes need to be fully understood and
monitored carefully.

This calls for further investigation into the potential detrimental
impact of high-frequency trading on liquidity and the possible
amplifying impact on market shocks. The ESRB suggests possible measures
to promote the monitoring and surveillance of algorithmic and
high-frequency trading and also proposes further measures of a more
pro-active nature for example, crisis management tools and structural
measures that merit further study.

Let me now conclude this overview of work conducted by the ESRB in
the first few months of its existence. I am proud to have had the honour
of being the first Chair of the ESRB together with Mervyn King and
Andrea Enria a body which I know is also close to your hearts. I would
like to wish the ESRB and my successor, Mario Draghi, all the very best
and continuing fruitful interaction with this Committee.

Thank you for your attention.

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