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EU Emissions Allowance Transaction Annex to the 2005 ISDA Commodity Definitions
A Jolly Contrarian owner’s manual™
Settlement Disruption and Suspension in a Nutshell™
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| Settlement Disruption and Suspension in all its glory
Settlement Disruption Event: Means an event or circumstance beyond the control of the party affected that cannot, after the use of all reasonable efforts, be overcome and which makes it impossible for that party to perform its obligations either to deliver or to accept Allowances in accordance with the terms of an EU Emissions Allowance Transaction.
For the avoidance of doubt, the inability of a party to deliver Allowances as a result of insufficient Allowances in the relevant Specified Holding Account, whether caused by the low or non-allocation of Allowances by a Member State or any other state, the delay or failure of a Member State or Central Administrator to replace Allowances of the Third Compliance Period with Allowances for the Fourth Compliance Period, or the failure of a party to procure sufficient Allowances to meet its delivery obligations, shall not constitute a Settlement Disruption Event. This is not an exhaustive list of events which will not constitute a Settlement Disruption Event and is provided for the avoidance of doubt only.
If an event or circumstance which would otherwise constitute or give rise to a Settlement Disruption Event also constitutes a Suspension Event, it will be treated as a Suspension Event and will not constitute a Settlement Disruption Event.
Suspension Event: Means any date a party to the Agreement is unable to perform its delivery or acceptance obligations under and in accordance with an EU Emissions Allowance Transaction and the Scheme through a Relevant Registry as a result of the occurrence of any of the following events:
- (i) absence of Registry Operation; or
- (ii) the occurrence of an Administrator Event.
(d)(i)(4) Settlement Disruption Event
- (A) Notification of Settlement Disruption Event: Upon the occurrence of a Settlement Disruption Event, either party may notify the other party in writing of the commencement of the Settlement Disruption Event and the EU Emissions Allowance Transaction(s) affected by that Settlement Disruption Event. Where the notification is from the party affected by the Settlement Disruption Event, to the extent available to such party, it shall also provide details of the Settlement Disruption Event and a non-binding estimate of the extent and the expected duration of its inability to perform its obligations due to the Settlement Disruption Event.
- (B) Effect of Settlement Disruption Event: If a Settlement Disruption Event occurs, the obligations of both parties which would otherwise be required to be performed with respect to the EU Emissions Allowance Transaction(s) affected by the Settlement Disruption Event will be suspended for the duration of the Settlement Disruption Event and, subject to (d)(i)(4)(D) (Continuing Settlement Disruption Event) below, will not be required to be performed until the Settlement Disruption Event is overcome or ceases to exist. During the continuation of the Settlement Disruption Event, the party affected by the Settlement Disruption Event shall continue to use all reasonable endeavours to overcome the Settlement Disruption Event.
- (C) Settlement Disruption Event Delayed Performance: Subject to Part (d)(i)(4)(D)(Continuing Settlement Disruption Event) below, upon the Settlement Disruption Event being overcome or ceasing to subsist, both parties will be required, as soon as reasonably practicable but not later than the second Delivery Business Day following the date upon which the Settlement Disruption Event has been overcome or ceases to exist, to resume full performance of their obligations under this Agreement in respect of the relevant EU Emissions Allowance Transaction(s) (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any suspended obligations).
- (D) Continuing Settlement Disruption Event: In respect of an EU Emissions Allowance Transaction affected by a Settlement Disruption Event, where the Settlement Disruption Event continues:
- (I) during the period ending 9 Delivery Business Days after the original date that, but for the Settlement Disruption Event, would have been the Delivery Date for an EU Emissions Allowance Transaction; or
- (II) if such 9 Delivery Business Day period would end after the Reconciliation Deadline on or immediately following the original date that, but for the Settlement Disruption Event, would have been the Delivery Date for an EU Emissions Allowance Transaction, during the period ending on that Reconciliation Deadline; or
- (III) if such 9 Delivery Business Day period would end after the day that is 3 Delivery Business Days preceding the End of Phase Reconciliation Deadline on or immediately following the original date that, but for the Settlement Disruption Event, would have been the Delivery Date for an EU Emissions Allowance Transaction, during the period ending on the day that is 3 Delivery Business Days preceding that End of Phase Reconciliation Deadline,
- then on that 9th Delivery Business Day, Reconciliation Deadline or day that is 3 Delivery Business Days preceding the End of Phase Reconciliation Deadline (as the case may be), an [Additional Termination Event][Illegality][1] shall be deemed to have occurred in respect of which the relevant EU Emissions Allowance Transaction is the sole Affected Transaction, both parties are Affected Parties[, no Waiting Period will apply] and, if an Early Termination Date results from that Termination Event, then, for purposes of determining any amount payable under Section 6(e) in respect of that Early Termination Date:
- (i) if “Payment on Termination for Settlement Disruption” is specified to be applicable in the Annex to this Part 5 or the Confirmation for the relevant EU Emissions Allowance Transaction, it will be deemed that the requirement to perform the suspended obligations resumed on the Early Termination Date; or
- (ii) if “Payment on Termination for Settlement Disruption” is specified to be inapplicable in the Annex to this Part or the Confirmation for the relevant EU Emissions Allowance Transaction, it will be deemed that the parties had no further delivery or payment obligations in respect of the EU Emissions Allowance Transaction after the occurrence of the Settlement Disruption Event (other than in respect of any payment due by one party in connection with delivery obligations already performed by the other party); provided, however, that
- (i) Delivering Party shall promptly refund to Receiving Party any amount that may have been paid by Receiving Party in respect of the EU Emissions Allowance Transaction that is an Allowance Forward Transaction or a Call and
- (ii) Receiving Party shall promptly refund to Delivering Party any amount that may have been paid by Delivering Party in respect of an EU Emissions Allowance Transaction that is a Put (in each case, other than in respect of delivered Allowances) together with interest on that amount in the same currency as that amount for the period from (and including) the date that amount was paid to (but excluding) the date of termination of such EU Emissions Allowance Transaction, at the rate certified by the party required to refund the amount to be a rate offered to such party by a major bank in a relevant interbank market for overnight deposits in the applicable currency, such bank to be selected in good faith by that party for purposes of obtaining a representative rate that will reasonably reflect conditions prevailing at the time in the relevant market.
(d)(i)(5) Suspension Event
- (A) Notification of Suspension Event: Upon the occurrence of a Suspension Event, the party affected by the Suspension Event shall, as soon as reasonably practicable, notify the other party in writing of the commencement of the Suspension Event. To the extent available to the party affected by the Suspension Event, it shall also provide details of the Suspension Event including a non-binding estimate of the duration of its inability to perform its obligations due to the Suspension Event.
- (B) Effect of Suspension Event: Where a Suspension Event occurs, the obligations of both parties which would otherwise be required to be performed with respect to the EU Emissions Allowance Transaction(s) affected by the Suspension Event will be suspended for the duration of the Suspension Event and, subject to Part (d)(i)(5)(D)(Continuing Suspension Event) below, will not be required to be performed until the Suspension Event ceases to exist.
- (C) Suspension Event Delayed Performance: Subject to Part (d)(i)(5)(D)(Continuing Suspension Event) below, upon the Suspension Event ceasing to exist, both parties will be required to resume full performance of their obligations under this Agreement in respect of the relevant EU Emissions Allowance Transaction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any suspended obligations) as soon as possible but no later than the day that is the earlier of: (i) the tenth Delivery Business Day following the date on which the Suspension Event ceases to exist; and (ii) 3 Delivery Business Days prior to the End of Phase Reconciliation Deadline (the “Delayed Delivery Date”).
- In the event that the Allowances to be Delivered are delivered to Receiving Party on or before the Delayed Delivery Date following the occurrence of a Suspension Event as contemplated by Part (d)(i)(5)(B)(Effect of a Suspension Event) above, Receiving Party agrees to pay Delivering Party on the Delayed Payment Date:
- (I) for the purposes of an Allowance Forward Transaction, an amount equal to the sum of: (X) Allowance Purchase Price multiplied by the Number of Allowances delivered on or before the relevant Delayed Delivery Date; and (Y) the Cost of Carry Amount; or
- (II) for the purposes of an Allowance Option Transaction, an amount equal to the sum of: (X) the Allowance Strike Price multiplied by the Number of Allowances delivered on or before the relevant Delayed Delivery Date; and (Y) the Cost of Carry Amount.
- For the avoidance of doubt, the Cost of Carry Amount shall be identified in the relevant VAT Invoice sent to Receiving Party.
- (D) Continuing Suspension Event: Where:
- [(I)][2] a Suspension Event continues to exist on the Long-Stop Date, then an [Additional Termination Event]/[Illegality] shall be deemed to have occurred in respect of which the relevant EU Emissions Allowance Transaction is the sole Affected Transaction [,]/[and] both parties are Affected Parties [and no Waiting Period will apply]. The parties agree that the Long-Stop Date will be the Early Termination Date for the purposes of the relevant EU Emissions Allowance Transaction. For purposes of determining any amount payable under Section 6(e) in respect of that Early Termination Date, it will be deemed that the parties had no further delivery or payment obligations in respect of the EU Emissions Allowance Transaction after the occurrence of the Suspension Event (other than in respect of any payment due by one party in connection with delivery obligations already performed by the other party); provided, however, that (i) Delivering Party shall promptly refund to Receiving Party any amount that may have been paid by Receiving Party in respect of the EU Emissions Allowance Transaction that is an Allowance Forward Transaction or a Call and (ii) Receiving Party shall promptly refund to Delivering Party any amount that may have been paid by Delivering Party in respect of an EU Emissions Allowance Transaction that is a Put (in each case, other than in respect of delivered Allowances) together with interest on that amount in the same currency as that amount for the period from (and including) the date that amount was paid to (but excluding) the date of termination of such EU Emissions Allowance Transaction, at the rate certified by the party required to refund the amount to be a rate offered to such party by a major bank in a relevant interbank market for overnight deposits in the applicable currency, such bank to be selected in good faith by that party for purposes of obtaining a representative rate that will reasonably reflect conditions prevailing at the time in the relevant market.
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Comparison
Resources and Navigation
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Overview
Here is a comparison: compare them. See also our laborious, but probably wasted effort, of a table:
Summary
Priority
The same event can be a Settlement Disruption Event and a Suspension Event: both are events beyond the control of the counterparties and for which neither is at fault (in contrast to Failure to Deliver); however as Suspension Event is narrower, relating only to the failure of formal regulatory infrastructure in which the EUAs are held and registered, has priority over the wider Settlement Disruption Event (which would take in general market settlement issues) if the same event could otherwise be both.
Notification
Either party can notify a Settlement Disruption Event; only the party affected by a Suspension Event is required to give notice. Again, we suppose this has something to do with the more general nature of settlement disruption events.
Effect of event
In each case the practical upshot of the event is that the parties’ respective obligations are suspended. The parties have to try to overcome a Settlement Disruption Event; it being realistically beyond their gift to overcome a Suspension Event, they are not required to do that.
Delayed performance
Once the event is overcome the parties must resume their obligations: for a Settlement Disruption Event, within two Delivery Business Days; for a Suspension Event, within 10 Delivery Business Days — the fossil record does not reflect what the ’squad was thinking when it drew that distinction, but we must assume it was thinking something — for Suspension Events it underwent the exercise of crafting a tiresome waterfall of intermediate deadlines depending on whether the Suspension Event coincides with an End of Phase Reconciliation Deadline. You wouldn—t do that just for the giggles. Well, I wouldn’t.
The Suspension Event also contemplates an the cash payer paying an additional Cost of Carry Amount payment, and again the ’squad’s logic here does not leap off the page. If anyone happens to know, do write in.
“Continuing” Settlement Disruptions and Suspensions
Now things start getting properly baroque. Whether one is Suspended or suffering a Settlement Disruption, the ’squad contemplates the scenario where the disruption stretches out so far past the original scheduled Delivery Date that things have become ridiculous.
After that amount of time, of course, we must deal with the phantoms and succubi of unexpected reconciliation deadlines, End of Phase Reconciliation Deadlines and so on which, of course were hardly within the parties’ original contemplation, the original Delivery Date having been deliberately scheduled to fall before any of these could happen.
For a Settlement Disuption Event, at the end of an unseemly short period — it’s complex, but in any case not longer than nine Delivery Business Days after the original Delivery Date — an “Illegality” Termination Event will be deemed to occur.
For a Suspension the period is a lot, but arbitrarily, longer — maybe six months, maybe eighteen, depending on when your event happens in the Compliance Period — but eventually one gets to the same place: an Illegality, and a forced termination.
But just wait: the oddest thing here is that, in either case, once we get to that “let’s call the whole thing off” point, the Transaction is just wiped from the horizon as if it did not exist. No close out amount, no replacement value, nothing like that: Any partially settled pre-payments must be returned (unless the corresponding EUAs that have actually been delivered), and the parties just sort of skulk away as if they had never transacted in the first place. This is a bit like an ipso facto clause, isn’t it?
We have to confess we don’t understand its logic, however you characterise it.
A person who has sold an Allowance — who economically has expressed the opinion that it wants out of this exposure, now, even if it will agree to finance its carrying cost until later — possibly for the precise reason that it may become unfashionable, hard to transfer, illiquid, or of lower than present value — finds that, because said asset having become hard to transfer, exactly like she thought it would, she now has to suck the whole thing up, wave away all those juicy sale proceeds, and she doesn’t even get compensated for the Cost of Carry Amount she thought she was entitled to.
Don’t follow that.
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See also
References
- ↑ If the form of Master Agreement in which this Part is included is a 1992 ISDA the parties should specify “Additional Termination Event” or, if the form of Master Agreement which the Confirmation supplements is an 2002 ISDA the parties should specify “Illegality”.
- ↑ We think this number is superfluous, in that there is not a (II).
