THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms [OJ L 176, 27.6.2013, p. 1.], and in particular Article 503(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Article 496 of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 allows competent authorities to waive, for certain covered bonds and until 31 December 2017, the threshold of 10 % referred to in Article 129(1)(d)(ii) of that Regulation and Article 129(1)(f)(ii) of that Regulation.

(2) Article 503(4) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 obliges the Commission to review the appropriateness of that possibility for the competent authorities and to decide whether that possibility should be made permanent. The Commission requested the European Banking Authority to provide technical advice on that issue. That request resulted in the ‘Report on EU Covered Bond Frameworks and Capital Treatment’. The Commission used that report to further assess the supervisory and regulatory arrangements applicable to covered bonds and subsequently presented to the European Parliament and the Council a report on Article 503 of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013.