Different plans for winding down banks in Eurozone

Elke König, candidate to head EU Single Resolution Board, says smaller banks will not be subject to the same plans applicable to big international banks

MEP Alfred Sant
MEP Alfred Sant

Elke König said that smaller and less complex banks will not be subject to the same plans applicable to big international banks once a new body which will be responsible for winding down failed Eurozone banks is up and running. 

König, the sole candidate to chair the EU Single Resolution Board (SRB), was quizzed by Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee at a public hearing and Maltese MEP Alfred Sant asked the current head of the German Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) whether she would feel stronger in dealing with problems of banks from Malta or Cyprus, but would be more cautions when dealing with big banks from Germany or France.  

“How confident am I that the political pressure will not be felt different, when it comes to small versus larger countries, or small versus larger banks?  I think we are committed to the European clause and to a level playing field, which for me means proportionality also in resolution planning. You don't need the same plan for fairly smaller, less complex banks that you might need for the big banks, very international banks but clearly the system holds through for everyone, including if need be, if you have to unwind the banks,” König told Alfred Sant.