Commission Regulation (EC) No 53/2009 of 21 January 2009 amending Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 adopting certain international accounting standards in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards International Accounting Standard (IAS) 32 and IAS 1 (Text with EEA relevance)

• Published date: 22 January 2009
• Subject Matter: Free movement of capital,Freedom of establishment,Internal market - Principles
• Official Gazette Publication: Official Journal of the European Union, L 17, 22 January 2009

2009R0053 — EN — 25.01.2009 — 000.001

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This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents

►B COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 53/2009 of 21 January 2009 amending Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 adopting certain international accounting standards in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards International Accounting Standard (IAS) 32 and IAS 1 (Text with EEA relevance) (OJ L 017, 22.1.2009, p.23)

Corrected by:

►C1 Corrigendum, OJ L 068, 13.3.2009, p. 33 (53/09)

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▼B

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 53/2009

of 21 January 2009

amending Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 adopting certain international accounting standards in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards International Accounting Standard (IAS) 32 and IAS 1

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 July 2002 on the application of international accounting standards ( 1 ), and in particular Article 3(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) By Commission Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 ( 2 ) certain international standards and interpretations that were extant at 15 October 2008 were adopted.

(2) On 14 February 2008, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) published amendments to International Accounting Standard (IAS) 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation and IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements — Puttable Financial Instruments and Obligations Arising on Liquidation, hereinafter ‘amendments to IAS 32 and IAS 1’. The amendments require certain instruments issued by companies that are currently classified as liabilities despite having characteristics similar to ordinary shares, to be classified as equity. Additional disclosures are required relating to those instruments and new rules should apply to their reclassification.

(3) The consultation with the Technical Expert Group (TEG) of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) confirms that the amendments to IAS 32 and IAS 1 meet the technical criteria for adoption set out in Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002. In accordance with Commission Decision 2006/505/EC of 14 July 2006 setting up a Standards Advice Review Group to advise the Commission on the objectivity and neutrality of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group's (EFRAG’s) opinions ( 3 ), the Standards Advice Review Group considered EFRAG's opinion on endorsement and advised the Commission that it is well balanced and objective.

(4) Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Accounting Regulatory Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 is amended as follows:

1. International Accounting Standard (IAS) 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation is amended as set out in the Annex to this Regulation;

2. IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements is amended as set out in the Annex to this Regulation;

3. International Reporting Financial Standard (IFRS) 7, IAS 39 and International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee's (IFRIC) Interpretation 2 are amended in accordance with the amendments to IAS 32 and IAS 1 as set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

Each company shall apply the amendments to IAS 32 and to IAS 1, as set out in the Annex to this Regulation, at the latest, as from the commencement date of its first financial year starting after 31 December 2008.

Article 3

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

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ANNEX

INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

IAS 32	Amendments to IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation
IAS 1	Amendments IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements

Reproduction allowed within the European Economic Area. All existing rights reserved outside the EEA, with the exception of the right to reproduce for the purposes of personal use or other fair dealing. Further information can be obtained from the IASB at www.iasb.org

AMENDMENTS TO IAS 32 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS: PRESENTATION AND IAS 1 PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

PUTTABLE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND OBLIGATIONS ARISING ON LIQUIDATION

Amendments to IFRSs

This document sets out amendments to IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation and IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements (as revised in 2007) and consequential amendments to IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures, IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement and IFRIC 2 Members’ Shares in Co-operative Entities and Similar Instruments. This document also contains amendments to the Basis for Conclusions on IAS 32 and IAS 1 and the illustrative examples accompanying IAS 32. The amendments result from proposals that were contained in an exposure draft of proposed amendments to IAS 32 and IAS 1—Financial Instruments Puttable at Fair Value and Obligations Arising on Liquidation published in June 2006.

Entities shall apply these amendments for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009. Earlier application is permitted. If entities apply these amendments for an earlier period, they shall disclose that fact.

Amendments to IAS 32

Financial Instruments: Presentation

In paragraph 11 of the Standard, the definitions of a financial asset and a financial liability are amended and the definition of a puttable instrument is added after the definition of fair value.

DEFINITIONS (SEE ALSO PARAGRAPHS AG3–AG23)

11 The following terms are used in this Standard with the meanings specified:

…

A financial asset is any asset that is:

(a) …

(d) a contract that will or may be settled in the entity’s own equity instruments and is:

(i) …

(ii) a derivative that will or may be settled other than by the exchange of a fixed amount of cash or another financial asset for a fixed number of the entity’s own equity instruments. For this purpose the entity’s own equity instruments do not include puttable financial instruments classified as equity instruments in accordance with paragraphs 16A and 16B, instruments that impose on the entity an obligation to deliver to another party a pro rata share of the net assets of the entity only on liquidation and are classified as equity instruments in accordance with paragraphs 16C and 16D, or instruments that are contracts for the future receipt or delivery of the entity’s own equity instruments.

A financial liability is any liability that is:

(a) a contractual obligation:

(i) to deliver cash or another financial asset to another entity; or

(ii) to exchange financial assets or financial liabilities with another entity under conditions that are potentially unfavourable to the entity; or

(b) a contract that will or may be settled in the entity’s own equity instruments and is:

(i) a non-derivative for which the entity is or may be obliged to deliver a variable number of the entity’s own equity instruments; or

(ii) a derivative that will or may be settled other than by the exchange of a fixed amount of cash or another financial asset for a fixed number of the entity’s own equity instruments. For this purpose the entity’s own equity instruments do not include puttable financial instruments that are classified as equity instruments in accordance with paragraphs 16A and 16B, instruments that impose on the entity an obligation to deliver to another party a pro rata share of the net assets of the entity only on liquidation and are classified as equity instruments in accordance with paragraphs 16C and 16D, or instruments that are contracts for the future receipt or delivery of the entity’s own equity instruments.

As an exception, an instrument that meets the definition of a financial liability is classified as an equity instrument if it has all the features and meets the conditions in paragraphs 16A and 16B or paragraphs 16C and 16D.

…

A puttable instrument is a financial instrument that gives the holder the right to put the instrument back to the issuer for cash or another financial asset or is automatically put back to the issuer on the occurrence of an uncertain future event or the death or retirement of the instrument holder.

The heading before paragraph 15 and paragraph 16 is amended. After paragraph 16, a heading, paragraphs 16A and 16B, another heading, paragraphs 16C and 16D, another heading and paragraphs 16E and 16F are added.

PRESENTATION

Liabilities and equity (see also paragraphs AG13-AG14J and AG25–AG29A)

…

16 When an issuer applies the definitions in paragraph 11 to determine whether a financial instrument is an equity instrument rather than a financial liability, the instrument is an equity instrument if, and only if, both conditions (a) and (b) below are met.

(a) …

(b) If the instrument will or may be settled in the issuer’s own equity instruments, it is:

(i) …

(ii) a derivative that will be settled only by the issuer exchanging a fixed amount of cash or another financial asset for a fixed number of its own equity instruments. For this purpose the issuer’s own equity instruments do not include instruments that have all the features and meet the conditions described in paragraphs 16A and 16B or paragraphs 16C and 16D, or instruments that are contracts for the future...