COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 8 December 1986 on the annual accounts
and consolidated accounts of banks and other financial institutions
(86/635/EEC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in
particular Article 54 (3) (g) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),
(1) OJ No C 130, 1.6.1981, p. 1, OJ No C 83, 24.3.1984, p. 6 and OJ No C 351,
31.12.1985, p. 24.
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2),
(2) OJ No C 242, 12.9.1983, p. 33 and OJ No C 163, 10.7.1978, p. 60.
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (3),
(3) OJ No C 112, 3.5.1982, p. 60.
Whereas Council Directive 78/660/EEC of 25 July 1978, based on Article 54 (3)
(g) of the Treaty, on the annual accounts of certain types of companies (4), as
last amended by Directive 84/569/EEC (5), need not be applied to banks and other
financial institutions, hereafter referred to as 'credit institutions', pending
subsequent coordination; whereas in view of the central importance of these
undertakings in the Community, such coordination is necessary;
(4) OJ No L 222, 14.8.1978, p. 11.
(5) OJ No L 314, 4.12.1984, p. 28.
Whereas Council Directive 83/349/EEC of 13 June 1983, based on Article 54 (3)
(g) of the Treaty, on consolidated accounts (6), provides for derogations for
credit institutions only until expiry of the deadline imposed for the
application of this Directive; whereas this Directive must therefore also
include provisions specific to credit institutions in respect of consolidated
accounts;
(6) OJ No L 193, 18.7.1983, p. 1.
Whereas such coordination has also become urgent because more and more credit
institutions are operating across national borders; whereas for creditors,
debtors and members and for the general public improved comparability of the
annual accounts and consolidated accounts of these institutions is of crucial
importance;
Whereas in virtually all the Member States of the Community credit institutions
within the meaning of Council Directive 77/780/EEC of the 12 December 1977 on
the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to
the taking up and pursuit of the business of credit institutions (7), having
many different legal forms, are in competition with one another in the banking
sector; whereas it therefore seems advisable not to confine coordination in
respect of these credit institutions to the legal forms covered by Directive
78/660/EEC but rather to opt for a scope which includes all companies and firms
as defined in the second paragraph of Article 58 of the Treaty;
(7) OJ No L 322, 17.12.1977, p. 30.
Whereas as far as financial institutions are concerned the scope of this
Directive should however be confined to those financial institutions taking one
of the legal forms referred to in Directive 78/660/EEC; whereas financial
institutions which are not subject to that Directive must automatically come
under this Directive;
Whereas a link with coordination in respect of credit institutions is necessary
because aspects of the provisions governing annual accounts and consolidated
accounts will have an impact on other areas of that coordination, such as
authorization requirements and the indicators used for supervisory purposes;
Whereas although, in view of the specific characteristics of credit
institutions, it would appear appropriate to adopt a separate Directive on the
annual accounts and consolidated accounts of such institutions, this does not
imply a new set of rules separate from those under Directives 78/660/EEC and
83/349/EEC; whereas such separate rules would be neither appropriate nor
consistent with the principles underlying the coordination of company law since,
given the important role which they play in the Community economy, credit
institutions cannot be excluded from a framework of rules devised for
undertakings generally; whereas, for this reason, only the particular
characteristics of credit institutions have been taken into account and this
Directive deals only with exceptions to the rules contained in Directives
78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC;
Whereas the structure and content of the balance sheets of credit institutions
differ in each Member State; whereas this Directive must therefore prescribe the
same layout, nomenclature and terminology for the balance sheets of all credit
institutions in the Community; whereas derogations should be allowed if
necessitated by the legal form of an institution or by the especial nature of
its business;
Whereas, if the annual accounts and consolidated accounts are to be comparable,
a number of basic questions regarding the disclosure of various transactions in
the balance sheet and off the balance sheet must be settled;
Whereas, in the interests of greater comparability, it is also necessary that
the content of the various balance sheet and off-balance sheet items be
determined precisely;
Whereas the same applies to the layout and definition of the items in the profit
and loss account;
Whereas the comparability of figures in the balance sheet and profit and loss
account also depends crucially on the values at which assets and liabilities are
entered in the balance sheet;
Whereas, in view of the particular risks associated with banking and of the need
to maintain confidence, provision should be made for the possibility of
introducing a liabilities item in the balance sheet entitled 'Fund for general
banking risks'; whereas it would appear advisable for the same reasons that the
Member States be permitted, pending subsequent coordination, to allow credit
institutions some discretion, especially in the valuation of loans and advances
and of certain securities; whereas, however, in this last case the Member States
should allow these same credit institutions to create the «Fund for general
banking risks» mentioned above; whereas it would also appear appropriate to
permit the Member States to allow credit institutions to set of certain charges
and income in the profit and loss account;
Whereas, in view of the special nature of credit institutions, certain changes
are also necessary with regard to the notes on the accounts;
Whereas, in the desire to place on the same footing as many credit institutions
as possible, as was the case with Directive 77/780/EEC, the relief under
Directive 78/660/EEC is not provided for in the case of small and medium-sized
credit institutions; whereas, nevertheless, if in the light of experience such
relief were to prove necessary it would be possible to provide for it in
subsequent coordination; whereas for the same reasons the scope allowed the
Member States under Directive 83/349/EEC to exempt parent undertakings from the
consolidation requirement if the undertakings to be consolidated do not together
exceed a certain size has not been extended to credit institutions;
Whereas the application of the provisions on consolidated accounts to credit
institutions requires certain adjustments to some of the rules applicable to all
industrial and commercial companies; whereas explicit rules have been provided
for in the case of mixed groups and exemption from subconsolidation may be made
subject to additional conditions;
Whereas, given the scale on which banking networks extend beyond national
borders and their constant development, the annual accounts and consolidated
accounts of a credit institution having its head office in one Member State
should be published in all the Member States in which it is established;
Whereas the examination of problems which arise in connection with the subject
matter of this Directive, notably concerning its application, requires the
cooperation of representatives of the Member States and the Commission in a
contact committee; whereas, in order to avoid the proliferation of such
committees, it is desirable that such cooperation take place in the Committee
provided for in Article 52 of Directive 78/660/EEC; whereas, nevertheless, when
examining problems concerning credit institutions the Committee will have to be
appropriately constituted;
Whereas, in view of the complexity of the matter, the credit institutions
covered by this Directive must be allowed a longer period than usual to
implement its provisions;
Whereas provision should be made for the review of certain provisions of this
Directive after five years' experience of its application, in the light of the
aims of greater transparency and harmonization,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
SECTION 1
PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS AND SCOPE
Article 1
1. Articles 2, 3, 4 (1), (3) to (5), 6, 7, 13, 14, 15 (3) and (4), 16 to 21, 29
to 35, 37 to 41, 42 first sentence, 45 (1), 46, 48 to 50, 51 (1), 54, 56 to 59
and 61 of Directive 78/660/EEC shall apply to the institutions mentioned in
Article 2 of this Directive, except where this Directive provides otherwise.
2. Where reference is made in Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC to Articles 9
and 10 (balance sheet) or to Articles 23 to 26 (profit and loss account) of
Directive 78/660/EEC, such references shall be deemed to be references to
Articles 4 (balance sheet) or to Articles 27 and 28 (profit and loss account) of
this Directive.
3. References in Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC to Articles 31 to 42 of
Directive 78/660/EEC shall be deemed to references to those Articles, taking
account of Articles 35 to 39 of this Directive.
4. Where reference is made in the aforementioned provisions of Directive
78/660/EEC to balance sheet items for which this Directive makes no equivalent
provision, such references shall be deemed to be references to the items in
Article 4 of this Directive which include the assets and liabilities in
question.
Article 2
1. The coordination measures prescribed by this Directive shall apply to
(a) credit institutions within the meaning of the first indent of Article 1 of
Directive 77/780/EEC which are companies or firms as defined in the second
paragraph of Article 58 of the Treaty;
(b) financial institutions having one of the legal forms referred to in Article
1 (1), of Directive 78/660/EEC which, on the basis of paragraph 2 of that
Article, are not subject to that Directive.
For the purposes of this Directive 'credit institutions' shall also include
financial institutions unless the context requires otherwise.
2. The Member States need not apply this Directive to:
(a) the credit institutions listed in Article 2 (2) of Directive 77/780/EEC;
(b) institutions of the same Member State which, as defined in Article 2 (4) (a)
of Directive 77/780/EEC, are affiliated to a central body in that Member State.
In that case, without prejudice to the application of this Directive to the
central body, the whole constituted by the central body and its affiliated
institutions must be the subject of consolidated accounts including an annual
report which shall be drawn up, audited and published in accordance with this
Directive;
(c) the following credit institutions:
- in Greece: ETEBA (National Investment Bank for Industrial Development) and
******* ***** ***** (Investment Bank),
- in Ireland: Industrial and Provident Societies,
- in the United Kingdom: Friendly Societies and Industrial and Provident
Societies.
4. Without prejudice to Article 2 (3) of Directive 78/660/EEC and pending
subsequent coordination, the Member States may:
(a) in the case of the credit institutions referred to in Article 2 (1) (a) of
this Directive which are not companies of any of the types listed in Article 1
(1) of Directive 78/660/EEC, lay down rules derogating from this Directive where
derogating rules are necessary because of such institutions' legal form;
(b) in the case of specialized credit institutions, lay down rules derogating
from this Directive where derogating rules are necessary because of the special
nature of such institutions' business.
Such derogating rules may provide only for adaptations to the layout,
nomenclature, terminology and content of items in the balance sheet and the
profit and loss account; they may not have the effect of permitting the
institutions to which they apply to provide less information in their annual
accounts than other institutions subject to this Directive.
The Member States shall inform the Commission of those credit institutions,
possibly by category, within six months of the end of the period stipulated in
Article 47 (2). They shall inform the Commission of the derogations laid down to
that end.
These derogations shall be reviewed within 10 years of the notification of this
Directive. The Commission shall, if appropriate, submit suitable proposals. It
shall also submit an interim report within five years of the notification of
this Directive.
SECTION 2
GENERAL PROVISIONS CONCERNING THE BALANCE SHEET AND THE PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT
Article 3
In the case of credit institutions the possibility of combining items pursuant
to Article 4 (3) (a) or (b) of Directive 78/660/EEC shall be restricted to
balance sheet and profit and loss account sub-items preceded by lower-case
letters and shall be authorized only under the rules laid down by the Member
States to that end.
SECTION 3
LAYOUT OF THE BALANCE SHEET
The Member States shall prescribe the following layout for the balance sheet.
Assets
1. Cash in hand, balances with central banks and post office banks.
2. Treasury bills and other bills eligible for refinancing with central banks:
(a) Treasury bills and similar securities
(b) Other bills eligible for refinancing with central banks (unless national law
prescribes that such bills be shown under Assets items 3 and 4)
3. Loans and advances to credit institutions:
(a) repayable on demand
(b) other loans and advances
4. Loans and advances to customers
5. Debt securities including fixed- income securities:
(a) issued by public bodies
(b) issued by other borrowers, showing separately:
- own-debt securities (unless national law requires their deduction from
liabilities).
6. Shares and other variable-yield securities
7. Participating interests, showing separately:
- participating interests in credit institutions (unless national law requires
their disclosure in the notes on the accounts)
8. Shares in affiliated undertakings, showing separately:
- shares in credit institutions (unless national law requires their disclosure
in the notes on the accounts)
9. Intangible assets as described under Assets headings B and C.I of Article 9
of Directive 78/660/EEC, showing separately:
- formation expenses, as defined by national law and in so far as national law
permits their being shown as an asset (unless national law requires their
disclosure in the notes on the accounts)
- goodwill, to the extent that it was acquired for valuable consideration
(unless national law requires its disclosure in the notes on the accounts)
10. Tangible assets as described under Assets heading C.II of Article 9 of
Directive 78/660/EEC, showing separately:
- land and buildings occupied by a credit institution for its own activities
(unless national law requires their disclosure in the notes on the accounts)
11. Subscribed capital unpaid, showing separately:
- called-up capital (unless national law provides for called-up capital to be
included liabilities, in which case capital called but not yet paid must be
included either in this Assets item or in Assets item 14)
12. Own shares (with an indication of their nominal value or, in the absence of
a nominal value, their accounting par value to the extend that national law
permits their being shown in the balance sheet)
13. Other assets
14. Subscribed capital called but not paid (unless national law requires that
called-up capital be shown under Assets item 11
15. Prepayments and accrued income
16. Loss for the financial year (unless national law provides for its inclusion
under Liabilities item 14)
Total assets
Liabilities
1. Amounts owed to credit institutions:
(a) repayable on demand
(b) with agreed maturity dates or periods of notice
2. Amounts owed to customers:
(a) savings deposits, showing separately:
- those repayable on demand and those with agreed maturity dates or periods of
notice where national law provides for such a breakdown (unless national law
provides for such information to be given in the notes on the accounts)
(b) other debts
(ba) repayable on demand
(bb) with agreed maturity dates or periods of notice
3. Debts evidenced by certificates:
(a) debt securities in issue
(b) others
4. Other liabilities
5. Accruals and deferred income
6. Provisions for liabilities and charges:
(a) provisions for pensions and similar obligations
(b) provisions for taxation
(c) other provisions
7. Profit for the financial year (unless national law provides for its inclusion
under Liabilities item 14)
8. Subordinated liabilities
9. Subscribed capital (unless national law provides for called-up capital to be
shown under this item. In that case, the amounts of subscribed capital and
paid-up capital must be shown separately)
0. Share premium account
1. Reserves
2. Revaluation reserve
3. Profit or loss brought forward
4. Profit or loss for the financial year (unless national law requires that this
item be shown under Assets item 16 or Liabilities item 7)
Total liabilities
Off-balance sheet items
1. Contingent liabilities, showing separately:
- acceptances and endorsements
- guarantees and assets pledged as collateral security
2. Commitments, showing separately:
- commitments arising out of sale and repurchase transactions
Article 5
The following must be shown separately as sub-items of the items in question:
- claims, whether or not evidenced by certificates, on affiliated undertakings
and included in Assets items 2 to 5,
- claims, whether or not evidenced by certificates, on undertakings with which a
credit institution is linked by virtue of a participating interest and included
in Assets items 2 to 5,
- liabilities, whether or not evidenced by certificates, to affiliated
undertakings and included in Liabilities items 1, 2, 3 and 8.
- liabilities, whether or not evidenced by certificates, to undertakings with
which a credit institution is linked by virtue of a participating interest and
included in Liabilities items 1, 2, 3 and 8.
Article 6
1. Subordinated assets shall be shown separately as sub-items of the items of
the layout and the sub-items created in accordance with Article 5.
2. Assets, whether or not evidenced by certificates, are subordinated if, in the
event of winding up or bankruptcy, they are to be repaid only after the claims
of other creditors have been met.
Article 7
The Member States may permit the disclosure of the information referred to in
Articles 5 and 6, duly broken down into the various relevant items, in the notes
on the accounts.
Article 8
1. Assets shall be shown under the relevant balance sheet headings even where
the credit institution drawing up the balance sheet has pledged them as security
for its own liabilities or for those of third parties or has otherwise assigned
them as security to third parties.
2. A credit institution shall not include in its balance sheet assets pledged or
otherwise assigned to it as security unless such assets are in the form of cash
in the hands of that credit institution.
Article 9
1. Where a loan has been granted by a syndicate consisting of a number of credit
institutions, each credit institution participating in the syndicate shall
disclose only that part of the total loan which it has itself funded.
2. If in the case of a syndicated loan such as described in paragraph 1 the
amount of funds guaranteed by a credit institution exceeds the amount which it
has made available, any additional guarantee portion shall be shown as a
contingent liability (in Off-balance sheet item 1, second indent).
Article 10
1. Funds which a credit institution administers in its own name but on behalf of
third parties must be shown in the balance sheet if the credit institution
acquires legal title to the assets concerned. The total amount of such assets
and liabilities shall be shown separately or in the notes on the accounts,
broken down according to the various Assets and Liabilities items. However, the
Member States may permit the disclosure of such funds off the balance sheet
provided there are special rules whereby such funds can be excluded from the
assets available for distribution in the event of the winding-up of a credit
institution (or similar proceedings).
2. Assets acquired in the name of and on behalf of third parties must not be
shown in the balance sheet.
Article 11
Only those amounts which can at any time be withdrawn without notice or for
which a maturity or period of notice of 24 hours or one working day has been
agreed shall be regarded as repayable on demand.
Article 12
1. Sale and repurchase transactions shall mean transactions which involve the
transfer by a credit institution or customer (the 'transferor') to another
credit institution or customer (the 'transferee') of assets, for example, bills,
debts or transferable securities, subject to an agreement that the same assets
will subsequently be transferred back to the transferor at a specified price.
2. If the transferee undertakes to return the assets on a date specified or to
be specified by the transferor, the transaction in question shall be deemed to
be a genuine sale and repurchase transaction.
3. If, however, the transferee is merely entitled to return the assets at the
purchase price or for a different amount agreed in advance on a date specified
or to be specified, the transaction in question shall be deemed to be a sale
with an option to repurchase.
4. In the case of the sale and repurchase transactions referred to in paragraph
2, the assets transferred shall continue to appear in the transferor's balance
sheet; the purchase price received by the transferor shall be shown as an amount
owed to the transferee. In addition, the value of the assets transferred shall
be disclosed in a note in the transferor's accounts. The transferee shall not be
entitled to show the assets transferred in his balance sheet; the purchase price
paid by the transferee shall be shown as an amount owed by the transferor.
5. In the case of the sale and repurchase transactions referred to in paragraph
3, however, the transferor shall not be entitled to show in his balance sheet
the assets transferred; those items shall be shown as assets in the transferee's
balance sheet. The transferor shall enter under Off-balance sheet item 2 an
amount equal to the price agreed in the event of repurchase.
6. No forward exchange transactions, options, transactions involving the issue
of debt securities with a commitment to repurchase all or part of the issue
before maturity of any similar transactions shall be regarded as sale and
repurchase transactions within the meaning of this Article.
SECTION 4
SPECIAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO CERTAIN BALANCE SHEET ITEMS
Article 13
Assets: Item 1 - Cash in hand, balances with central banks and post office banks
1. Cash in hand shall comprise legal tender including foreign notes and coins.
2. This item may include only balances with the central banks and post office
banks of the country or countries in which a credit institution is established.
Such balances must be a readily available at all times. Other claims on such
bodies must be shown as loans and advances to credit institution (Assets item 3)
or as loans and advances to customers (Assets item 4).
Article 14
Assets: Item 2 - Treasury bills and other bills eligible for refinancing with
central banks
1. This item shall comprise, under (a), treasury bills and similar securities,
i. e. treasury bills, treasury certificates and similar debt instruments issued
by public bodies which are eligible for refinancing with the central banks of
the country or countries in which a credit institution is established. Those
debt instruments issued by public bodies which fail to meet the above condition
shall be shown under Assets sub-item 5 (a).
2. This item shall comprise, under (b), bills eligible for refinancing with
central banks, i. e. all bills held in portfolio what were purchased from credit
institutions or from customers to the extent that they are eligible, under
national law, for refinancing with the central banks of the country or countries
in which a credit institution is established.
Article 15
Assets: Item 3 - Loans and advances to credit Institutions
1. Loans and advances to credit institutions shall comprise all loans and
advances arising out of banking transactions to domestic or foreign credit
institutions by the credit institution drawing up the balance sheet, regardless
of their actual designations.
The only exception shall be loans and advances represented by debt securities or
any other security, which must be shown under Assets item 5.
2. For the purposes of this Article credit institutions shall comprise all
undertakings on the list published in the Official Journal of the European
Communities pursuant to Article 3 (7) of Directive 77/780/EEC, as well as
central banks and official domestic and international banking organizations and
all private and public undertakings which are not established in the Community
but which satisfy the definition in Article 1 of Directive 77/780/EEC.
Loans and advances to undertakings which do not satisfy the above conditions
shall be shown under Assets item 4.
Article 16
Assets: Item 4 - Loans and advances to customers
Loans and advances to customers shall comprise all types of assets in the form
of claims on domestic and foreign customers other than credit institutions,
regardless of their actual designations.
The only exception shall be loans and advances represented by debt securities or
any other security, which must be shown under Assets item 5.
Article 17
Assets: Item 5 - Debt securities including fixed-income securities
1. This item shall comprise negotiable debt securities including fixed-income
securities issued by credit institutions, by other undertakings or by public
bodies; such securities issued by the latter, however, shall be included only if
they are not to be shown under Assets item 2.
2. Securities bearing interest rates that vary in accordance with specific
factors, for example the interest rate on the inter-bank market or on the
Euromarket, shall also be regarded as debt securities including fixed-income
securities.
3. Only repurchase and negotiable own-debt securities may be included in
sub-item 5 (b).
Article 18
Liabilities: Item 1 - Amounts owed to credit institutions
1. Amounts owed to credit institutions shall include all amounts arising out of
banking transactions owed to other domestic or foreign credit institutions by
the credit institution drawing up the balance sheet, regardless of their actual
designations.
The only exception shall be liabilities represented by debt securities or by any
other security, which must be shown under Liabilities item 3.
2. For the purposes of this Article credit institutions shall comprise all
undertakings on the list published in the Official Journal of the European
Communities pursuant to Article 3 (7) of Directive 77/780/EEC, as well as
central banks and official domestic and international banking organizations and
all private and public undertakings which are not established in the Community
but which satisfy the definition in Article 1 of Directive 77/780/EEC.
Article 19
Liabilities: Item 2 - Amounts owed to customers
1. Amounts owed to customers shall include all amounts owed to creditors that
are not credit institutions within the meaning of Article 18, regardless of
their actual designations.
The only exception shall be liabilities represented by debt securities or by any
other security, which must be shown under Liabilities item 3.
2. Only deposits which satisfy the conditions laid down in national law shall be
treated as savings deposits.
3. Savings bonds shall be shown under the corresponding sub-item only if they
are not represented by negotiable certificates.
Article 20
Liabilities: Item 3 - Debts evidenced by certificates
1. This item shall include both debt securities and debts for which negotiable
certificates have been issued, in particular deposit receipts, «bons de caisse»
and liabilities arising out of own acceptances and promissory notes.
2. Only acceptances which a credit institution has issued for ist own
refinancing and in respect of which it is the first party liable ('drawee')
shall be treated as own acceptances.
Article 21
Liabilities: Item 8 - Subordinated liabilities
Where it has been contractually agreed that, in the event of winding up or of
bankruptcy, liabilities, whether or not evidenced by certificates, are to be
repaid only after the claims of all other creditors have been met, the
liabilities in question shall be shown under this item.
Article 22
Liabilities: Item 9 - Subscribed capital
This item shall comprise all amounts, regardless of their actual designations,
which, in accordance with the legal structure of the institution concerned, are
regarded under national law as equity capital subscribed by the shareholders or
other proprietors.
Article 23
Liabilities: Item 11 - Reserves
This item shall comprise all the types of reserves listed in Article 9 of
Directive 78/660/EEC under Liabilities item A.IV, as defined therein. The Member
States may also prescribe other types of reserves if necessary for credit
institutions the legal structures of which are not covered by Directive
78/660/EEC.
The types of reserve referred to in the first paragraph shall be shown
separately, as sub-items of Liabilities item 11, in the balance sheets of the
credit institutions concerned, with the exception of the revaluation reserve
which shall be shown under item 12.
Article 24
Off-balance sheet: Item 1 - Contingent liabilities
This item shall comprise all transactions whereby an institution has
underwritten the obligations of a third party.
Notes on accounts shall state the nature and amount of any type of contingent
liability which is material in relation to an institution's activities.
Liabilities arising out of the endorsement of rediscounted bills shall be
included in this item only if national law does not require otherwise. The same
shall apply to acceptances other than own acceptances.
Sureties and assets pledged as collateral security shall include all guarantee
obligations incurred and assets pledged as collateral security on behalf of
third parties, particularly in respect of sureties and irrevocable letters of
credit.
Article 25
Off-balance sheet: Item 2 - Commitments
This item shall include every irrevocable commitment which could give rise to a
risk.
Notes on accounts shall state the nature and amount of any type of commitment
which is material in relation to an institution's activities.
Commitments arising out of sale and repurchase transactions shall include
commitments entered into by a credit institution in the context of sale and
repurchase transactions (on the basis of firm agreements to sell with options to
repurchase) within the meaning of Article 12 (3).
SECTION 5
LAYOUT OF THE PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT
Article 26
For the presentation of the profit and loss account, the Member States shall
prescribe one or both of the layouts provided for in Articles 27 and 28. If a
Member State prescribes both layouts it may allow undertakings to choose between
them.
Article 27
Vertical layout
1. Interest receivable and similar income, showing separately that arising from
fixed-income securities
2. Interest payable and similar charges
3. Income from securities:
(a) Income from shares and other variable-yield securities
(b) Income from participating interests
(c) Income from shares in affiliated undertakings
4. Commissions receivable
5. Commissions payable
6. Net profit or net loss on financial operations
7. Other operating income
8. General administrative expenses:
(a) Staff costs, showing separately:
- wages and salaries
- social security costs, with a separate indication of those relating to
pensions
(b) Other administrative expenses
9. Value adjustments in respect of Assets items 9 and 10
10. Other operating charges
11. Value adjustments in respect of loans and advances and provisions for
contingent liabilities and for commitments.
12. Value re-adjustments in respect of loans and advances and provisions for
contingent liabilities and for commitments.
13. Value adjustments in respect of transferable securities held as financial
fixed assets, participating interests and shares in affiliated undertakings
14. Value re-adjustments in respect of transferable securities held as financial
fixed assets, participating interests and shares in affiliated undertakings
15. Tax on profit or loss on ordinary activities
16. Profit or loss on ordinary activities after tax
17. Extraordinary income
18. Extraordinary charges
19. Extraordinary profit or loss
20. Tax on extraordinary profit or loss
21. Extraordinary profit or loss after tax
22. Other taxes not shown under the preceeding items
23. Profit or loss for the financial year
Article 28
Horizontal layout
A. Charges
1. Interest payable and similar charges
2. Commissions payable
3. Net loss on financial operations
4. General administrative expenses:
(a) Staff costs, showing separately:
- wages and salaries
- social security costs, with a separate indication of those relating to
pensions
(b) Other administrative expenses
5. Value adjustments in respect of Assets items 9 and 10
6. Other operating charges
7. Value adjustments in respect of loans and advances and provisions for
contingent liabilities and for commitments
8. Value adjustments in respect of transferable securities held as financial
fixed assets, participating interests and shares in affiliated undertakings
9. Tax on profit or loss on ordinary activities
10. Profit or loss on ordinary activities after tax
11. Extraordinary charges
12. Tax on extraordinary profit or loss
13. Extraordinary loss after tax
14. Other taxes not shown under the preceding items
15. Profit for the financial year
B. Income
1. Interest receivable and similar income, showing separately that arising from
fixed-income securities
2. Income from securities:
(a) Income from shares and other variable-yield securities
(b) Income from participating interests
(c) Income from shares in affiliated undertakings
3. Commissions receivable
4. Net profit on financial operations
5. Value re-adjustments in respect of loans and advances and provisions for
contingent liabilities and for commitments
6. Value re-adjustments in respect of transferable securities held as financial
fixed assets, participating interests and shares in affiliated undertakings
7. Other operating income
8. Profit or loss on ordinary activities after tax
9. Extraordinary income
10. Extraordinary profit after tax
11. Loss for the financial year
SECTION 6
SPECIAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO CERTAIN ITEMS IN THE PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT
Article 29
Article 27, items 1 and 2 (vertical layout)
Article 28, items A 1 and B 1 (horizontal layout)
Interest receivable and similar income and interest payable and similar charges.
These items shall include all profits and losses arising out of banking
activities, including:
(1) all income from assets entered under Assets items 1 to 5 in the balance
sheet, however calculated. Such income shall also include income arising from
the spreading on a time basis of the discount on assets acquired at an amount
below, and liabilities contracted at an amount above, the sum payable at
maturity;
(2) all charges arising out of liabilities entered under Liabilities items 1, 2,
3 and 8, however calculated. Such charges shall also include charges arising
from the spreading on a time basis of the premium on assets acquired at an
amount above, and liabilities contracted at an amount below, the sum payable at
maturity;
(3) income and charges resulting from covered forward contracts, spread over the
actual duration of the contract and similar in nature to interest;
(4) fees and commission similar in nature to interest and calculated on a time
basis or by reference to the amount of the claim or liability.
Article 30
Article 27, item 3 (vertical layout)
Article 28, item B 2 (horizontal layout)
Income from shares and other variable-yield securities, from participating
interests, and from shares in affiliated undertakings
This item shall comprise all dividends and other income from variable-yield
securities, from participating interests and from shares in affiliated
undertakings. Income from shares in investment companies shall also be included
under this item.
Article 31
Article 27, items 4 and 5 (vertical layout)
Article 28, items A 2 and B 3 (horizontal layout)
Commissions receivable and commissions payable
Without prejudice to Article 29, commissions receivable shall include income in
respect of all services supplied to third parties, and commissions payable shall
include charges for services rendered by third parties, in particular
- commissions for guarantees, loans administration on behalf of other lenders
and securities transactions on behalf of third parties,
- commissions and other charges and income in respect of payment transactions,
account administration charges and commissions for the safe custody and
administration of securities,
- commissions for foreign currency transactions and for the sale and purchase of
coin and precious metals on behalf of third parties,
- commissions charges for brokerage services in connection with savings and
insurance contracts and loans.
Article 32
Article 27, item 6 (vertical layout)
Article 28, item A 3 or item B 4 (horizontal layout)
Net profit or net loss on financial operations.
This item covers:
1. the net profit or loss on transactions in securities which are not held as
financial fixed assets together with value adjustments and value re-adjustments
on such securities, taking into account, where Article 36 (2) has been applied,
the difference resulting from application of that article; however, in those
Member States which exercise the option provided for in Article 37, these net
profits or losses and value adjustments and value re-adjustments shall be
included only in so far as they relate to securities included in a trading
portfolio;
2. the net profit or loss on exchange activities, without prejudice to Article
29, point 3;
3. the net profits and losses on other buying and selling operations involving
financial instruments, including precious metals.
Article 33
Article 27, items 11 and 12 (vertical layout)
Article 28, items A 7 and B 5 (horizontal layout)
Value adjustments in respect of loans and advances and provisions for contingent
liabilities and for commitments
Value re-adjustments in respect of loans and advances and provisions for
contingent liabilities and for commitments.
1. These items shall include, on the one hand, charges for value adjustments in
respect of loans and advances to be shown under Assets items 3 and 4 and
provisions for contingent liabilities and for commitments to be shown under
Off-balance sheet items 1 and 2, on the other hand, credits from the recovery of
written-off loans and advances and amounts written back following earlier value
adjustments and provisions.
2. In those Member States which exercise the option provided for in Article 37,
this item shall also include the net profit or loss on transactions in
securities included in Assets items 5 and 6 which are neither held as financial
fixed Assets as defined in Article 35 (2) nor included in a trading portfolio,
together with value adjustments and value re-adjustments on such securities
taking into account, where Article 36 (2) has been applied, the difference
resulting from application of that article. The nomenclature of this item shall
be adapted accordingly.
3. The Member States may permit the charges and income covered by these items to
be set off against each other, so that only a net item (income or charge) is
shown.
4. Value adjustments in respect of loans and advances to credit institutions, to
customers, to undertakings with which a credit institution is linked by virtue
of participating interests and to affiliated undertakings shall be shown
separately in the notes on the accounts where they are material. This provision
need not be applied if a Member State permits setting-off pursuant to paragraph
3.
Article 34
Article 27, items 13 and 14 (vertical layout)
Article 28, items A 8 and B 5 (horizontal layout)
Value adjustments in respect of transferable securities held as financial fixed
assets, participating interests and shares in affiliated undertakings
Value re-adjustments in respect of transferable securities held as financial
fixed assets, participating interests and shares in affiliated undertakings.
1. These items shall include, on the one hand, charges for value adjustments in
respect of assets shown in Assets items 5 to 8 and, on the other hand, all the
amounts written back following earlier value adjustments, in so far as the
charges and income relate to transferable securities held as financial fixed
assets as defined in Article 35 (2), participating interests and shares in
affiliated undertakings.
2. The Member States may permit the charges and income covered by these items to
be set off against each other, so that only a net item (income or charge) is
shown.
3. Value adjustments in respect of these transferable securities, participating
interests and shares in affiliated undertakings shall be shown separately in the
notes on the accounts where they are material. This provision need not be
applied if a Member State permits setting off pursuant to paragraph 2.
SECTION 7
VALUATION RULES
Article 35
1. Assets items 9 and 10 must be valued as fixed assets. The assets included in
other balance sheet items shall be valued as fixed assets where they are
intended for use on a continuing basis in the normal course of an undertakings's
activities.
2. Where reference is made to financial fixed assets in Section 7 of Directive
78/660/EEC, this term shall in the case of credit institutions be taken to mean
participating interests, shares in affiliated undertakings and securities
intended for use on a continuing basis in the normal course of an undertaking's
activities.
3. (a) Debt securities including fixed-income securities held as financial fixed
assets shall be shown in the balance sheet at purchase price. The Member States
may, however, require or permit such debt securities to be shown in the balance
sheet at the amount repayable at maturity.
(b) Where the purchase price of such debt securities exceeds the amount
repayable at maturity the amount of the difference must be charged to the profit
and loss account. The Member States may, however, require or permit the amount
of the difference to be written off in instalments so that it is completely
written off by the time when the debt securities are repaid. The difference must
be shown separately in the balance sheet or in the notes on the accounts.
(c) Where the purchase price of such debt securities is less than the amount
repayable at maturity, the Member States may require or permit the amount of the
difference to be released to income in instalments over the period remaining
until repayment. The difference must be shown separately in the balance sheet or
in the notes on the accounts.
Article 36
1. Where transferable securities which are not held as financial fixed assets
are shown in the balance sheet at purchase price, credit institutions shall
disclose in the notes on their accounts the difference between the purchase
price and the higher market value of the balance sheet date.
2. The Member States may, however, require or permit those transferable
securities to be shown in the balance sheet at the higher market value at the
balance sheet date. The difference between the purchase price and the higher
market value shall be disclosed in the notes on the accounts.
Article 37
1. Article 39 of Directive 78/660/EEC shall apply to the valuation of credit
institutions' loans and advances, debt securities, shares and other
variable-yield securities which are not held as financial fixed assets.
2. Pending subsequent coordination, however, the Member States may permit:
(a) loans and advances to credit institutions and customers (Assets items 3 and
4) and debt securities, shares and other variable-yield securities included in
Assets items 5 and 6 which are neither held as financial fixed assets as defined
in Article 35 (2) not included in a trading portfolio to be shown at a value
lower than that which would result from the application of Article 39(1) of
Directive 78/660/EEC, where that is required by the prudence dictated by the
particular risks associated with banking. Nevertheless, the difference between
the two values must not be more than 4% of the total amount of the assets
mentioned above after application of the aforementioned Article 39;
(b) that the lower value resulting from the application of subparagraph (a) be
maintained until the credit institution decides to adjust it;
(c) where a Member State exercises the option provided for in subparagraph (a),
neither Article 36 (1) of this Directive nor Article 40 (2) of Directive
78/660/EEC shall apply.
Article 38
1. Pending subsequent coordination, those Member States which exercise the
option provided for in Article 37 must permit and those Member States which do
not exercise that option may permit the introduction of a Liabilities item 6 A
entitled 'Fund for general banking risks'. That item shall include those amounts
which a credit institution decides to put aside to cover such risks where that
is required by the particular risks associated with banking.
2. The net balance of the increases and decreases of the 'Fund for general
banking risks' must be shown separately in the profit and loss account.
Article 39
1. Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currency shall be translated at
the spot rate of exchange ruling on the balance sheet date. The Member States
my, however, require or permit assets held as financial fixed assets and
tangible and intangible assets, no covered or not specifically covered in either
the spot or forward markets, to be translated at the rates ruling on the dates
of their acquisition.
2. Uncompleted forward and spot exchange transactions shall be translated at the
spot rates of exchange ruling on the balance sheet date.
The Member States may, however, require forward transactions to be translated at
the forward rate ruling on the balance sheet date.
3. Without prejudice to Article 29(3), the differences between the book values
of the assets, liabilities and forward transactions and the amounts produced by
translation in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be shown in the profit
and loss account. The Member States may, however, require or permit differences
produced by translation in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 to be included, in
whole or in part, in reserves not available for distribution, where they arise
on assets held as financial fixed assets, on tangible and intangible assets and
on any transactions undertaken to cover those assets.
4. The Member States may provide that positive translation differences arising
out of forward transactions, assets or liabilities not covered or not
specifically covered by other forward transactions, or by assets or liabilities
shall not be shown in the profit and loss account.
5. If a method specified in Article 59 of Directive 78/660/EEC is used, the
Member States may provide that any translation differences shall be transferred,
in whole or in part, directly to reserves. Positive and negative translation
differences transferred to reserves shall be shown separately in the balance
sheet or in the notes on the accounts.
6. The Member States may require or permit translation differences arising on
consolidation out of the retranslation of an affiliated undertaking's capital
and reserves or the share of a participating interest's capital and reserves at
the beginning of the accounting period to be included, in whole or in part, in
consolidated reserves, together with the translation differences arising on the
translation of any transactions undertaken to cover that capital and those
reserves.
7. The Member States may require or permit the income and expenditure of
affiliated undertakings and participating interests to be translated on
consolidation at the average rates of exchange ruling during the accounting
period.
SECTION 8
CONTENTS OF THE NOTES ON THE ACCOUNTS
Article 40
1. Article 43 (1) of Directive 78/660/EEC shall apply, subject to Article 37 of
this Directive and to the following provisions.
2. In addition to the information required under Article 43 (1) (5) of Directive
78/660/EEC, credit institutions shall disclose the following information
relating to Liabilities item 8 (Subordinated liabilities):
(a) in respect of each borrowing which exceeds 10% of the total amount of the
subordinated liabilities:
(i) the amount of the borrowing, the currency in which it is denominated, the
rate of interest and the maturity date or the fact that it is a perpetual issue;
(ii) whether there are any circumstances in which early repayment is required;
(iii) the terms of the subordination, the existence of any provisions to convert
the subordinated liability into capital or some other form of liability and the
terms of any such provisions.
(b) an overall indication of the rules governing other borrowings.
3. (a) In place of the information required under Article 43 (1) (6) of
Directive 78/660/EEC, credit institutions shall in the notes on their accounts
state separately for each of the Assets items 3 (b) and 4 and the Liabilities
items 1 (b), 2 (a), 2 (b) (bb) and 3 (b) the amounts of those loans and advances
and liabilities on the basis of their remaining maturity as follows:
- not more than three months,
- more than three months but not more than one year,
- more than one year but not more than five years,
- more than five years.
For Assets item 4, loans and advances on call and at short notice must also be
shown.
If loans and advances or liabilities involve payment by instalments, the
remaining maturity shall be the period between the balance sheet date and the
date on which each instalment falls due.
However, for five years after the date referred to in Article 47 (2) the Member
States may require or permit the listing by maturity of the assets and
liabilities referred to in this Article to be based on the originally agreed
maturity or period of notice. In that event, where a credit institution has
acquired an existing loan not evidenced by a certificate, the Member States
shall require classification of that loan to be based on the remaining maturity
as at the date on which it was acquired. For the purposes of this subparagraph,
the originally agreed maturity for loans shall be the period between the date of
first drawing and the date of repayment; the period of notice shall be deemed to
be the period between the date on which notice is given and the date on which
repayment is to be made; if loans and advances or liabilities are redeemable by
instalments, the agreed maturity shall be the period between the date on which
such loans and advances or liabilities arose and the date on which the last
instalment falls due. Credit institutions shall also indicate for the balance
sheet items referred to in this subparagraph what proportion of those assets and
liabilities will become due within one year of the balance sheet date.
(b) Credit institutions shall, in respect of Assets item 5 (Debt securities
including fixed-income securities) and Liabilities item 3 (a) (Debt securities
in issue), indicate what proportion of assets and liabilities will become due
within one year of the balance sheet date.
(c) The Member States may require the information referred to in subparagraphs
(a) and (b) to be given in the balance sheet.
(d) Credit institutions shall give particulars of the assets which they have
pledged as security for their own liabilities or for those of third parties
(including contingent liabilities); the particulars should be in sufficient
detail to indicate for each Liabilities item and for each Off-balance sheet item
the total amount of the assets pledged as security.
4. Where credit institutions have to provide the information referred to in
Article 43 (1) (7) of Directive 78/660/EEC in Off-balance sheet items, such
information need not be repeated in the notes on the accounts.
5. In place of the information required under Article 43 (1) (8) of Directive
78/660/EEC, a credit institution shall indicate in the notes on its accounts the
proportion of its income relating to items 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 of Article 27 or to
items B 1, B 2, B 3, B 4 and B 7 of Article 28 by geographical markets, in so
far as, taking account of the manner in which the credit institution is
organized, those markets differ substantially from one another. Article 45 (1)
(b) of Directive 78/660/EEC shall apply.
6. The reference in Article 43 (1) (9) of Directive 78/660/EEC to Article 23 (6)
of that Directive shall be deemed to be a reference to Article 27 (8) or Article
28 (A 4) of this Directive.
7. By way of derogation from Article 43 (1) (13) of Directive 78/660/EEC, credit
institutions need disclose only the amounts of advances and credits granted to
the members of their administrative, managerial and supervisory bodies, and the
commitments entered into on their behalf by way of guarantees of any kind. That
information must be given in the form of a total for each category.
Article 41
1. The information prescribed in Article 15 (3) of Directive 78/660/EEC must be
given in respect of assets held as fixed assets as defined in Article 35 of this
Directive. The obligation to show value adjustments separately shall not,
however, apply where a Member State has permitted set-offs between value
adjustments pursuant to Article 34 (2) of this Directive. In that event value
adjustments may be combined with other items.
2. The Member States shall require credit institutions to give the following
information as well in the notes on their accounts:
(a) a breakdown of the transferable securities shown under Assets items 5 to 8
into listed and unlisted securities;
(b) a breakdown of the transferable securities shown under Assets items 5 and 6
into securities which, pursuant to Article 35, are or are not held as financial
fixed assets and the criterion used to distinguish between the two categories of
transferable securities;
(c) the value of leasing transactions, apportioned between the relevant balance
sheet items;
(d) a breakdown of Assets item 13, Liabilities item 4, items 10 and 18 in the
vertical layout or A 6 and A 11 in the horizontal layout and items 7 and 17 in
the vertical layout or B 7 and B 9 in the horizontal layout in the profit and
loss account into their main component amounts, where such amounts are important
for the purpose of assessing the annual accounts, as well as explanations of
their nature and amount;
(e) the charges paid on account of subordinated liabilities by a credit
institution in the year under review;
(f) the fact that an institution provides management and agency services to
third parties where the scale of business of that kind is material in relation
to the institution's activities as a whole;
(g) the aggregate amounts of assets and of liabilities denominated in foreign
currencies, translated into the currency in which the annual accounts are drawn
up;
(h) a statement of the types of unmatured forward transactions outstanding at
the balance sheet date indicating, in particular, for each type of transaction,
whether they are made to a material extent for the purpose of hedging the
effects of fluctuations in interest rates, exchange rates and market prices, and
whether they are made to a material extent for dealing purposes. These types of
transaction shall include all those in connection with which the income or
expenditure is to be included in Article 27, item 6, Article 28, items A 3 or B
4 or Article 29 (3), for example, foreign currencies, precious metals,
transferable securities, certificates of deposit and other assets.
SECTION 9
PROVISIONS RELATING TO CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS
Article 42
1. Credit institutions shall draw up consolidated accounts and consolidated
annual reports in accordance with Directive 83/349/EEC, in so far as this
section does not provide otherwise.
2. Insofar as a Member State does not have recourse to Article 5 of Directive
83/349/EEC, paragraph 1 of this Article shall also apply to parent undertakings
the sole object of which is to acquire holdings in subsidiary undertakings and
to manage such holdings and turn them to profit, where those subsidiary
undertakings are either exclusively or mainly credit institutions.
Article 43
1. Directive 83/349/EEC shall apply, subject to Article 1 of this Directive and
paragraph 2 of this Article.
2. (a) Articles 4, 6, 15 and 40 of Directive 83/349/EEC shall not apply.
(b) The Member States may make application of Article 7 of Directive 83/349/EEC
subject to the following additional conditions:
- the parent undertaking must have declared that it guarantees the commitments
entered into by the exempted undertaking; the existence of that declaration
shall be disclosed in the accounts of the exempted undertaking;
- the parent undertaking must be a credit institution within meaning of Article
2 (1) (a) of this Directive.
(c) The information referred to in the first two indents of Article 9 (2) of
Directive 83/349/EEC, namely:
- the amount of the fixed assets and
- the net turnover
shall be replaced by:
- the sum of items 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 in Article 27 or B 1, B 2, B 3, B 4 and B 7
in Article 28 of this Directive.
(d) Where, as a result of applying Article 13 (3) (c) of Directive 83/349/EEC, a
subsidiary undertaking which is a credit institution is not included in
consolidated accounts but where the shares of that undertaking are temporarily
held as a result of a financial assistance operation with a view to the
reorganization or rescue of the undertaking in question, the annual accounts of
that undertaking shall be attached to the consolidated accounts and additional
information shall be given in the notes on the accounts concerning the nature
and terms of the financial assistance operation.
(e) A Member State may also apply Article 12 of Directive 83/349/EEC to two or
more credit institutions which are not connected as described in Article 1 (1)
or (2) of that Directive but are managed on a unified basis other than pursuant
to a contract or provisions in the memorandum or articles of association.
(f) Article 14 of Directive 83/349/EEC, with the exception of paragraph 2, shall
apply subject to the following provision.
Where a parent undertaking is a credit institution and where one or more
subsidiary undertakings to be consolidated do not have that status, those
subsidiary undertakings shall be included in the consolidation if their
activities are a direct extension of banking or concern services ancillary to
banking, such as leasing, factoring, the management of unit trusts, the
management of dataprocessing services or any other similar activity.
(g) For the purposes of the layout of consolidated accounts:
- Articles 3, 5 to 26 and 29 to 34 of this Directive shall apply;
- the reference in Article 17 of Directive 83/349/EEC to Article 15 (3) of
Directive 78/660/EEC shall apply to the assets deemed to be fixed assets
pursuant to Article 35 of this Directive.
(h) Article 34 of Directive 83/349/EEC shall apply in respect of the contents of
the notes on consolidated accounts, subject to Articles 40 and 41 of this
Directive.
SECTION 10
PUBLICATON
Article 44
1. The duly approved annual accounts of credit institutions together with the
annual reports and the reports by the persons responsible for auditing the
accounts shall be published as laid down by national law in accordance with
Article 3 of Directive 68/151/EEC (1).
(1) OJ No L 65, 14.3.1968, p. 8.
National law may, however, permit the annual report not to be published as
stipulated above. In that case, it shall be made available to the public at the
company's registered office in the Member State concerned. It must be possible
to obtain a copy of all or part of any such report on request. The price of such
a copy must not exceed its administrative cost.
2. Paragraph 1 shall also apply to the duly approved consolidated accounts, the
consolidated annual reports and the reports by the persons responsible for
auditing the accounts.
3. However, where a credit institution which has drawn up annual accounts or
consolidated accounts is not established as one of the types of company listed
in Article 1 (1) of Directive 78/660/EEC and is not required by its national law
to publish the documents referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article as
prescribed in Article 3 of Directive 68/151/EEC, it must at least make them
available to the public at its registered office or, in the absence of a
registered office, at its principal place of business. It must be possible to
obtain copies of such documents on request. The prices of such copies must not
exceed their administrative cost.
4. The annual accounts and consolidated accounts of a credit institution must be
published in every Member State in which that credit institution has branches
within the meaning of the third indent of Article 1 of Directive 77/780/EEC.
Such Member States may require that those documents be published in their
official languages.
5. The Member States shall provide for appropriate sanctions for failure to
comply with the publication rules referred to in this Article.
SECTION 11
AUDITING
Article 45
A Member State need not apply Article 2 (1) (b) (iii) of Directive 84/253/EEC
(2) to public savings banks where the statutory auditing of the documents of
those undertakings referred to in Article 1 (1) of that Directive is reserved to
an existing supervisory body for those savings banks at the time of the entry
into force of this Directive and where the person responsible complies at least
with the conditions laid down in Article 3 to 9 of Directive 84/253/EEC.
(2) OJ No L 126, 12.5.1984, p. 20.
SECTION 12
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 46
The Contact Committee established in accordance with Article 52 of Directive
78/660/EEC shall, when meeting as constituted appropriately, also have the
following functions:
(a) to facilitate, without prejudice to Articles 169 and 170 of the Treaty,
harmonized application of this Directive through regular meetings dealing in
particular with practical problems arising in connection with its application;
(b) to advise the Commission, if necessary, on additions or amendments to this
Directive.
Article 47
1. The Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and
administrative provisions necessary for them to comply with this Directive by 31
December 1990. They shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof.
2. A Member State may provide that the provisions referred to in paragraph 1
shall first apply to annual accounts and consolidated accounts for financial
years beginning on 1 January 1993 or during the calendar year 1993.
3. The Member States shall communicate to the Commission the texts of the main
provisions of national law which they adopt in the field governed by this
Directive.
Article 48
Five years the date referred to in Article 47 (2), the Council, acting on a
proposal from the Commission, shall examine and if need be revise all those
provisions of this Directive which provide for Member State options, together
with Articles 2 (1), 27, 28 and 41, in the light of the experience acquired in
applying this Directive and in particular of the aims of greater transparency
and harmonization of the provisions referred to by this Directive.
Article 49
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 8 December 1986.
For the Council
The President
N. LAWSON