EU leaders reach deal on bank recapitalisation

Scheme requires big banks to have 9% of capital by June as a one-off stabilisation measure.

The leaders of the European Union’s 27 member states this evening agreed on a plan to recapitalise Europe’s biggest banks in a bid to contain the effects of any further shocks in the eurozone.

Under the plan, big European banks will be required by June 2012 to have “9% of the highest quality capital” measured against assets, according to Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council. Van Rompuy said that the banks should raise capital from the private-sector where possible.

Where that proves impossible, member states will be obliged to provide capital in exchange for equity. The eurozone’s rescue fund, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), could be used as a last resort.

A statement issued by EU leaders after their meeting said that guarantees were needed for banks’ liabilities to ensure that they could obtain medium-term funding. They have asked the European Commission to work with the European Banking Authority, the European Investment Bank and the European Central Bank to explore options for a co-ordinated EU approach.

The broad outlines of the plan had been clear since a meeting of EU finance ministers on Saturday (22 October).

Heated debate

Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, said that the plan was adopted “after a short, heated debate” among the 27 leaders, before the eurozone leaders began their own meeting.

“An emotional element during the debate was the fact that this is not a permanent element,” Tusk said, referring to the “exceptional circumstances” that had made such a move necessary. “This will not be a permanent solution for the future.”

Jacek Rostowski, Poland’s finance minister, said: “The absolute determination of all member states and all institutions is that this should be a one-off.”

Although neither Tusk nor Van Rompuy gave a figure for the recapitalisation needs of EU banks, the total is expected to be around €109 billion.

Poland, one of the 10 member states that does not use the single currency, is the current holder of the rotating presidency of the EU’s Council of Ministers.

On the prospects for a comprehensive crisis response being finalised by eurozone leaders tonight, Tusk said: “I think we are very close to a full political agreement. However, there are some important details that might require some more debate. We need to be patient.”

But Tusk also stressed that the bank recapitalisation plan was part of the overall crisis response. “The recapitalisation of banks will work only when the euro area approves other elements that are currently being debated,” he said. “The bank recapitalisation without the remaining elements, without the firewall, wouldn’t have any chance of success.”

Tusk said that Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s embattled prime minister, had submitted a letter to the European Council to inform them of his government’s austerity measures. Tusk said that the letter included a “detailed work plan” from the government and was “very well received”.

David Cameron, the UK’s prime minister, said: “We’ve made good progress on the bank recapitalisation, it wasn’t watered down. But it will only go ahead when the other parts of the full package go ahead and further progress needs to be made tonight.”

Cameron was one of the leaders of non-eurozone countries who had insisted on a full Council meeting before the summit of eurozone leaders.

Leaders of the 17 eurozone countries are holding a separate meeting tonight to try to agree ways to increase the firepower of the eurozone rescue fund and cut the size of Greece’s debt as part of a package of measures to tackle the eurozone crisis.

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