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Utilising the Lithuanian case, this article analyses what determines a country’s position on the transfer of national competency over banking policy to the EU level. In contrast to dominant explanations in scholarly literature, this article argues that Lithuania’s support for the banking union can be explained by the general pro-European orientation of the political system in the context of ambiguous aggregate economic costs and the benefits of the new institutional framework. In 2013, the EU Presidency also positively affected Lithuania’s stance. Finally, the decision about when to join the banking union was subordinated to the process of euro accession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the financial crisis numerous European governments decided to rescue domestic banks with public funds to prevent a collapse of the banking system. To internalize the public costs, bank levies have been introduced in many countries. This paper analyzes the German bank levy which was implemented from 2011 till 2014. We examine not only if banks shift the cost of the levy to their customers’ lending rates, but also whether there are spillovers to their local competitors. The German savings and cooperative banks are a perfect setting to study such effects as they only operate within well-defined regions, allowing us to identify their local competitors. Additionally, only some of them are subject to the levy due to a tax allowance. Firstly, we find that a bank that has to pay the bank levy raises its lending rate by about 0.14 percentage points. Secondly, we examine whether the increased lending rates of paying banks spill over to their local competitors. We find this indirect effect to be about one third of the size. Lastly, adverse effects of the levy on paying banks’ loan supply growth are absorbed by their competitors to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: First embodied by the European Supervisory Authorities in 2010, agency governance in the financial sector has gained momentum with the creation of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) – an EU agency with considerable competencies in banking prudential policy. Within a short period, backed by the ‘ESMA‐Short Selling case’ judgment, agencies have progressed from supporting the European Commission with their quasi‐rule making, to a more prominent role in the decision‐making process, potentially influencing policy‐makers' agenda. By engaging in a qualitative analysis of legal documents, official texts and relevant scholarship, this research note examines the formal framework and practical aspects of SRB's governance, in order to substantiate whether its establishment presents a ‘qualitative increase’ in financial sector agencification. At the same time, the research note highlights problematic issues arising because of the limitations set by the Meroni doctrine arguing that the Board's wide powers ‘on paper’ may prove challenging to implement in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic Annals-XXI / Ekonomìčnij Časopis-XXI is the property of Institute of Society Transformation and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The international financial crisis was followed by waves of domestic regulatory reforms, first and foremost, in the United States and the European Union. Post-crisis financial regulation was sometimes different across jurisdictions. Moreover, the United States and the European Union sought in various ways to (re)assert their regulatory power not only vis-à-vis the market, but also with regard to other jurisdictions, which often resisted the projection of regulatory power beyond national borders. Consequently, a handful of important postcrisis transatlantic regulatory disputes emerged concerning E.U. rules on hedge funds, U.S. rules on bank structure and E.U. and U.S. rules on over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives. These disputes mainly involved the terms of access to each other's markets, the equivalence between domestic rules, and the extraterritorial effects of those rules. Some of these disputes were also intra-E.U. disagreements, whenever the preferences of the United Kingdom were different from those of Continental countries and similar to those of the United States. The network structure of the financial industry and the patterns of financial interdependence across the Atlantic amplified the extra territorial effects of domestic reforms, but at the same time triggered an active involvement of the transnational financial industry in the management and, eventually, the settlement of these disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reformation of the bank systems' regulation and supervision in The European Union was founded on a macroprudential approach to monitor systemic risks and the vulnerabilities in a more effective way. Considered as the backbone of the new macroprudential supervision architecture, the Bank Union raises intense debates among the catching up economies. The fact that there are few studies on the costs and benefits of joining the Bank Union for the Central and Eastern European countries, explains the different views of the decision makers concerning this issue. The study stresses the manner in which macroprudential policies were implemented in Romania, as a particular case among the CEE countries, and the extent of their contribution to mitigating vulnerabilities and maintaining financial stability. The paper summarises the main arguments in favour of joining the Bank Union by emphasising the Romanian monetary authorities' stance compared to those of the neighbouring CEE countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the financial crises prevailing under European Union (EU). Topics discussed include remedies for international financial integration; analysis of economic and institutional developments relating to the EU financial services in the pre-crisis period; evolution of the EU Single Financial Market and its impact on Eurozone crisis; and features of European Banking Union for fighting with such crises.

This article uses the frontier technique to highlight the differences in the impact of the global financial crisis on the efficiency of 783 commercial banks from the EU during the period 2004–2010. We emphasise the distinctions between large and small banks, publicly traded and privately held banks, as well as the statuses of banks’ country of origin, especially for the year in which they joined the EU and held eurozone membership. Our results show that the crisis has a significant and positive impact on both the cost and profit inefficiencies of the commercial banks from the EU, and that this impact is higher on eurozone banks. In terms of cost efficiency, the most affected by the crisis are the large publicly traded banks, operating in old members of the EU. With regard to the profit inefficiency, the global financial crisis seems to have had a lower impact on the large public banks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article investigates the impact of bank-specific, market-specific and macroeconomic factors on the profitability of the banking sector in Serbia in the period 2004–2011. We use three panel datasets: for all banks in a sample and for domestic and foreign banks. The Hausman test was performed in order to test whether a fixed or a random effects model should be used in the regression analysis. The results are compared to the findings of previous research which was focused on EU countries. Moreover, the crisis effect on the profitability of banks in Serbia has been considered. The results show that bank-specific and market-specific factors have influence on bank profitability, but macroeconomic factors do not. We find that influence of liquidity ratio and a measure of financial development on profitability of banks are in contrast in Serbia compared to EU countries. The results also show that different factors influence profitability of domestic and foreign banks and that crisis has an opposite effect on profitability of domestic and foreign banks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We analyze lender of last resort (LOLR) lending during the European sovereign debt crisis. Using a novel data set on all central bank lending and collateral, we show that weakly capitalized banks took out more LOLR loans and used riskier collateral than strongly capitalized banks. We also find that weakly capitalized banks used LOLR loans to buy risky assets such as distressed sovereign debt. This resulted in a reallocation of risky assets from strongly to weakly capitalized banks. Our findings cannot be explained by classical LOLR theory. Rather, they point to risk taking by banks, both independently and with the encouragement of governments, and highlight the benefit of unifying LOLR lending and bank supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the conflict between the objectives of (1) sustaining market discipline and (2) safeguarding financial stability in the context of bank resolution. Whereas the former demands full enforcement of applicable legal rules when crisis situations occur, the latter requires a more pragmatic and flexible approach. This somewhat paradoxical situation could be explained in the context of the Legal Theory of Finance. The article argues that in order to achieve both objectives of market discipline and financial stability, it is necessary to address the tension between the two objectives when designing a bank recovery and resolution framework. It is suggested that the application of contingent convertible instruments as part of amended regulatory capital requirements and bail-in measures under newly introduced bank resolution regimes need to be applied more gradually than currently foreseen by the EU legislator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Banking Union, which formally commenced its operations on 4th November 2014, is an institutional response of the European Union to the financial crisis of 2008-2009. From the institutional economics perspective it has been a breakthrough comparable to the decision on the establishment of economic and monetary union. The aim of the paper is to analyze some institutional change related to the process of integration of banking sector in the euro zone countries within the architecture of the Banking Union. The focus of the analysis is on the fit between existing institutions, to a large extent formal one meaning legal framework to a newly introduced regulations. We employ a descriptive analysis which is frequently used as the method within new institutional economics. Through scrutiny of institutional development we come to the conclusion that the banking union is not well-designed institutional scheme for potential crisis ahead. In particular, we argue about potential weaknesses of the process due to the adjustment of new framework to the existing institutional conditions. The major risks come from complexity of previous institutional settings and replaying them with the new harmonized set of regulation that are accompanied this diversity of informal institutions in different Member States as well as not harmonized set of sanction system. However, we envisage that such changes are necessary in order to avoid externalities caused by complicated and overlapping institutional design of the Banking Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Banking Union has significantly changed both the legal and the political landscape of the EU. All supervision of banks in the Euro Area will now ultimately be the responsibility of the ECB and no longer of the national banking supervisors, and a new European Agency and ultimately the Commission, in cooperation with the Council of Ministers, will be responsible for the resolution of banks facing serious difficulties. This article explores the main constitutive elements of the Banking Union, how they came into being and how they interact both within the Banking Union itself and with the EU as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article argues that many of the issues that are causing trouble in the eurozone today had long been debated, but not solved, prior to the beginning of the so-called euro crisis. Three thematic examples are used to show this: the decade-long discussion surrounding economic convergence and the question of a transfer union; the dispute over the alleged use of financial mechanisms as a substitute for addressing structural economic weaknesses; and the development of European banking regulation and supervision before the creation of the single currency. Finally, the article argues that even though some of the features of today’s crises – in particular the debt and deficit issues – were outlined at the time of the euro’s introduction, some important recent developments such as the various new operations undertaken by the European Central Bank were not. This should command modesty and cautiousness in the analysis of the evolution of the euro crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper studies from a legal and economical perspective the European Banking Union, the latest set of measures adopted by the European Union in order to assure the stability of Europe's financial and banking system and to prevent future crises. At the same time, the paper analyzes the influence this new institutional and legal mechanism could have on the Romanian financial and banking system, if our country is to take part in the European Banking Union. The paper will discuss the four European legal texts, namely the EU Regulation No 575/2013 and the three directives concerning the capital requirements for the banking system, the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and the deposit guarantee schemes, which, together, set up the European Banking Union's legal frame. Further, the paper will study the implementation and the transposition of these European provisions into national law. The study's conclusions will take into consideration the advantages and disadvantages connected to Romania's participation to the European Banking Union, by showing that, in the context of the introduction of the single currency, the participation to the Banking Union is a necessary exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the article is to briefly describe the main amendments introduced by the Directive 49/2014/EU on Deposit Guarantee Schemes and to analyse the potential impact of those amendments on the applicable Spanish legislation regarding this matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 4 November this year, the European Central Bank assumed the banking supervisory powers over credit entities within the Eurozone through a new system known as the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). The SSM is the first pillar in the construction of the European Banking Union and will imply significant changes to the way banks are monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies the main dimensions of capital regulation. We use survey data from 142 countries from the World Bank's (2013) database covering various aspects of bank regulation. Using multiple explorative factor analysis, we identify two main dimensions of capital regulation: complexity of capital regulation and stringency of capital regulation. We show that even countries with a common legal and regulatory framework differ substantially in terms of capital regulation. For example, the level of stringency of capital regulation varies substantially across the EU countries, potentially distorting the level playing field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The banking union has been seen as "a panacea" for solving the system risks of the EU banking system. This paper objectives are to find out if is the banking union, with is strong and week sides, will be right answer to solve the actual issues that EU banking system has as: the fragmentation in the EU single market, the deterioration in asset quality, the need for recapitalization and the quality of banks' loan portfolios. According with most of the experts the banking union will strength the process of economic integration. On the other side, the non-euro area member states are questioning about "equal rights and obligations for all Member States" inside the banking union. But, with all pros and cons of the banking union, the ECB's making decisions and tasks can be questioned, although its role of supervisor can not be disputed. The most important thing is that the banking union breaks the vicious circle between banks and sovereign debts, and ends "to big to fail". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the future of the banking industry in the European Union (EU). Topics include the European Commission's proposed regulation of the banking industry, the main objectives of the proposed banking reforms, and efforts to ban proprietary trading. Information is provided on the separation of trading activity and the duties of credit institutions.

The 2008 global financial crisis produced very different responses in Ireland and Denmark. While both countries embraced depositor guarantee schemes and recapitalisation programmes, these were designed and adopted in significantly different ways. Crucially, the Irish state initially assumed full responsibility for sector losses and only later defined terms for industry contributions. In Denmark, a negotiated settlement from the outset transferred most of the risk associated with banking failures collectively to the banking sector. The article assesses two explanations for these different responses: (1) variations in domestic exposure to the financial industry, notably its relative size, dominant business models and exposure to real estate markets and (2) variations in institutional features, notably banking sector preferences and legacies of collective action. While limited explanatory power can be attributed to the former, collaborative legacies decisively swayed policy responses in Denmark and Ireland in the hectic weeks of late September and early October 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The virulent European Union hedge fund debate led many observers to suspect a paradigmatic battle between liberal market economies and countries in favour of tighter regulation. By contrast, this article points to the economic interests that drove government agendas. However, national preferences were not defined by the aggregate of a country's economic interests, but by very specific stakeholders only, despite the existence of opponents with considerable resources. This article argues that the unequal success of financial lobbyists depended on how their demands fitted into the government's overarching negotiation strategy. The primacy of government objectives, in turn, resulted from the high saliency of financial regulation and hedge funds in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing financial turmoil has brought into sharp relief the importance of financial services regulation. Yet, we still know relatively little about how financial regulation is negotiated within the EU, in particular which policy actors are most influential and what are the mechanisms that allow them to exercise influence. This paper addresses these questions using Social Network Analysis (SNA), focusing on the banking regulation network and one core piece of legislation: the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD). Of particular interest is the flow of influence among the key actors. Triangulating an in-depth case study with qualitative interview data and social network analysis, this work investigates a number of hypotheses, associating brokerage roles and extroversion with relative influence in the policy making process. We find that influential actors are those that hold key structural positions in this network and by implication appear to have a better understanding of network topography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper opts for the stochastic frontier methodology to investigate the impact of structural reforms on profit efficiency in the banking industry of four new European Union Member States over the period 1999–2003. Our findings suggest that reforms in the banking market are of vital importance for profitability, as they assert a positive impact on profit efficiency, whereas reforms in the non-bank financial sector appear to hinder profit efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Rivista di Studi Politici Internazionali is the property of Edizioni Studium S.r.l and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A letter to the editor is presented which discusses the articles included in the 24th edition of the "Journal of Public International Affairs" including banking regulation in the European Union, immigration policy in the U.S., and public policy.

Reports on the separate initiatives of the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development to reform the global exchange of banking information related to tax issues. Possible banking transparency on tax issues; International information exchange in criminal and civil tax cases; End to anonymous accounts.