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CHAPTER VI SPECIFIC RULES IN RELATION TO ISSUERS ESTABLISHED IN THIRD COUNTRIES

28–30

Art. 28

Offer of securities to the public or admission to trading on a regulated market made under a prospectus drawn up in accordance with this Regulation

Where a third country issuer intends to offer securities to the public in the Union or to seek admission to trading of securities on a regulated market established in the Union under a prospectus drawn up in accordance with this Regulation, it shall obtain approval of its prospectus, in accordance with Article 20, from the competent authority of its home Member State.

Once a prospectus is approved in accordance with the first subparagraph, it shall entail all the rights and obligations provided for a prospectus under this Regulation and the prospectus and the third country issuer shall be subject to all of the provisions of this Regulation under the supervision of the competent authority of the home Member State.

Art. 29

Equivalence

1.A third country issuer may offer securities to the public in the Union or seek the admission to trading of securities on a regulated market established in the Union after prior publication of a prospectus drawn up and approved in accordance with, and which is subject to, the national laws of a third country (hereinafter ‘third country prospectus’), provided that all of the following conditions are met:

(a)the Commission has adopted an implementing act in accordance with paragraph 4;

(b)the third country issuer has filed the prospectus with the competent authority of its home Member State;

(c)the third country issuer has provided written confirmation that the prospectus has been approved by a third country supervisory authority and has provided the contact details of that authority;

(d)the prospectus fulfils the language requirements set out in Article 27;

(e)all relevant advertisements disseminated in the Union by the third country issuer comply with the requirements set out in Article 22(2) to (5);

(f)the competent authority of the home Member State or, where relevant, ESMA, has concluded cooperation arrangements with the relevant supervisory authorities of the third country issuer in accordance with Article 30.

2.Where, in accordance with paragraph 1, a third country issuer offers securities to the public or seeks an admission to trading on a regulated market in a Member State other than the home Member State, the requirements set out in Articles 24, 25 and 27 shall apply.

3.Where all criteria laid down in paragraph 1 are met, the third country issuer shall have the rights and be subject to all obligations in accordance with this Regulation under the supervision of the competent authority of the home Member State.

4.The Commission may adopt an implementing act, in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 45(2), determining that the legal and supervisory framework of a third country ensures that a third country prospectus complies with legally binding requirements which are equivalent to the requirements referred to in this Regulation, provided that all of the following conditions are met:

(a)the third country’s legally binding requirements ensure that the third country prospectus contains the necessary material information to enable investors to make an informed investment decision in a manner equivalent to the requirements laid down in this Regulation;

(b)where retail investors are allowed to invest in securities for which a third country prospectus is drawn up, that prospectus contains a summary providing the key information that retail investors need in order to understand the nature and the risks of the issuer, the securities and, where applicable, the guarantor, and that is to be read together with the other parts of that prospectus;

(c)the third country’s laws, regulations and administrative provisions on civil liability apply to the persons responsible for the information given in the prospectus, including at least to the issuer or its administrative, management or supervisory bodies, the offeror, the person asking for the admission to trading on a regulated market and, where applicable, the guarantor;

(d)the third country’s legally binding requirements specify the validity of the third country prospectus and the obligation to supplement the third country prospectus where a significant new factor, material mistake or material inaccuracy of the information included in that prospectus could affect the assessment of the securities, as well as the conditions for investors to exercise their withdrawal rights in such a case;

(e)the third country’s supervisory framework for the scrutiny and approval of third country prospectuses and the arrangements for the publication of third country prospectuses have an equivalent effect as the provisions referred to in Articles 20 and 21.

The Commission may make the application of such implementing act subject to the effective and continuous compliance by a third country with any requirements set out in that implementing act.

5.The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts, in accordance with Article 44, to supplement this Regulation by specifying further the conditions referred to in paragraph 4.

Art. 30

Cooperation with third countries

1.For the purpose of Article 29 and, where deemed necessary, for the purpose of Article 28, the competent authorities of the Member States or ESMA, upon the request of at least one competent authority, shall conclude cooperation arrangements concerning the exchange of information with supervisory authorities in third countries and the enforcement of obligations arising under this Regulation in third countries. Cooperation arrangements shall not be concluded with a third country that, in accordance with a delegated act in force adopted by the Commission pursuant to Article 9 of Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council (

17

), is on the list of jurisdictions which have strategic deficiencies in their national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism regimes that pose significant threats to the financial system of the Union, or that is listed in Annex I to the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes. Those cooperation arrangements shall ensure at least an efficient exchange of information that allows the competent authorities to carry out their duties under this Regulation.

Before concluding a cooperation arrangement in accordance with the first subparagraph, a competent authority shall inform ESMA and the other competent authorities thereof.

2.For the purpose of Article 29 and, where deemed necessary, for the purpose of Article 28, ESMA shall facilitate and coordinate the development of cooperation arrangements between the competent authorities and the relevant supervisory authorities of third countries. ESMA shall also, where necessary, facilitate and coordinate the exchange between competent authorities of information obtained from supervisory authorities of third countries that might be relevant to the taking of measures under Articles 38 and 39.

3.Cooperation arrangements on the exchange of information with supervisory authorities of third countries may be concluded only where the information disclosed is subject to guarantees of professional secrecy which are at least equivalent to those set out in Article 35. Such exchange of information shall be intended for the performance of the tasks of those supervisory authorities.

4.The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 44 to supplement this Regulation by determining the minimum content of the cooperation arrangements referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and the template document to be used for such cooperation arrangements.