Short Reads - On 4 May 2017 and 13 June 2017, the European Commission published two proposals to amend the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). After almost five years since EMIR entered into force, these proposals aim to lower the costs of compliance for market participants without compromising the objective of reducing systemic risks in the OTC derivatives market. The May 2017 proposal aims to reduce the regulatory burdens for corporates. The June 2017 proposal introduces a more pan-European approach to supervision of EU CCPs and ensures further supervisory convergence.

Short Reads - In the 'Guidance on leveraged transactions' (the "Guidance"), the European Central Bank (the "ECB") summarises key supervisory expectations concerning leveraged transactions, and the ongoing monitoring of both syndication risk and the fundamental quality of leveraged exposures. The Guidance will enter into force on 16 November 2017.

Short Reads - The Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (EU/2015/849) should have been implemented in the Netherlands before 26 June 2017. This deadline has not been met. The Dutch legislator indicated that the final text of the legislative proposal is expected after the summer of 2017. Meanwhile, there have been several developments on a European and national level with respect to anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing.

Short Reads - In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court ruled that if a company acting in its capacity as director of another company is liable based on a wrongful act (onrechtmatige daad), Dutch law provides that the natural persons who were acting as directors of that director-company at the time the liability arose are jointly and severally liable. The Supreme Court also ruled that a claimant is not required to state and prove that serious blame (ernstig verwijt) can be attributed to such natural persons acting as directors for the actions on which the liability of the director-company is based.