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EU Emissions Allowance Transaction Annex to the 2005 ISDA Commodity Definitions
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(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.
(d)(iv) Abandonment of Scheme
(1) If before the Delivery Date the Scheme is, as a result of official written public pronouncement by the European Community, no longer scheduled to proceed or is to be discontinued, either party may, by written notice to the other party, terminate the relevant EU Emissions Allowance Transaction, in which case neither party shall have any further delivery or payment obligations under or in respect of that EU Emissions Allowance Transaction (other than in respect of any payment due by one party in connection with delivery obligations already performed by the other party) and, for the avoidance of doubt, a payment shall not be due under Section 6(e) of the Agreement or otherwise in respect of such termination.
(2) In the event of a termination in accordance with sub-clause (1) 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 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 which is a Put 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 the EU Emissions Allowance Transaction in accordance with sub-clause (1), 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
There are thee discrete “then I woke up and it was all a dream” scenarios in the ISDA EU Emissions Annex.
Section (d)(i)(4)(D) is the part of the Settlement Disruption Event where things seem to have ground to an irretrievable halt, and ISDA’s crack drafting squad™ has concluded the best thing to do is for everyone to just forget whatever it was they were expecting to get out of the transaction, and put everything back how they found it and walk away. Curious, we call it. Curious. And most un-ninjery.
Section (d)(i)(5)(D) is the equivalent provision for Suspension Events. It is most curious and really makes me think the JC must have missed something big here, because the sort of things you would expect to be consistent across various events that delay scheduled settlement: Suspension, Settlement Disruption and so on — things like Cost of Carry compensation — are different, whereas the one thing that you would expect to, well, to not be there at all, frankly — the then I woke up and it was all a dream termination sequence — is curiously consistent.
Section (d)(iv), about Abandonment of Scheme, similarly, weirdly, plumps for the just a dream scenario. You would think a Forward seller, whether outright or of an option, who thought she had got those confounded Allowances off her desk, might be dismayed to find them right back on there at just the point where they became utterly valueless.
Summary
Continuing Settlement Disruption Event
Some rather magical (in the sense of being quite impenetrable) thinking from ISDA’s crack drafting squad™ here, in the name of seeking a long-stop to a Settlement Disruption Event. Since there is this Reconciliation Deadline concept — 30 April each year — by which time, certain EUAs have to be surrendered, an ongoing settlement disruption can be a rather fraught thing. Emissions Allowances can suddenly, by government fiat, become worthless in a way that most other financial instruments cannot.
What happens? Well, after 9 delivery Business Days (or such shorter period as may be dictated by Reconciliation Deadlines) the disruption is deemed to be an Illegality — I know, I know: it isn’t even close to being an Illegality[3] — and depending on whether Payment on Termination for Settlement Disruption applies, the parties either have to perform their obligations after all — odd, since the Settlement Disruption Event is ongoing, and Q.E.D. they can’t — or the transaction is basically voided ab initio and both parties walk away, refunding any put or call premiums they may previously have received.
Suspension Event
Someone has got a mind infested by nefarious phantoms, readers: either the ISDA’s crack drafting squad™ does, collectively, or the JC does. We are totally not ruling out the JC, to be clear. But this is too weird.
A Suspension Event happens when the official infrastructure falls over so that the parties can’t transfer Allowances to settle a Transaction. It is the fault of neither party — therefore to be distinguished from a Failure to Deliver, which generally will be. While there is overlap between Settlement Disruption Events and Suspension Events (in that both are things beyond the parties’ control) Suspension Event, being narrower and related to the failure of official infrastructure, trumps Settlement Disruption Event where they both apply to the same event. Generalia specialibus non derogant, I suppose.
Note the Long-Stop Date concept, which references 1 June in a year following a set of seemingly arbitrary two-year spells in the Fourth Compliance Period and relates only to Suspension Events, not Settlement Disruption Events, and also appears to bear no relation at all to the Reconciliation Deadline at the end of April in each year.
We have compared Settlement Disruption Events and Suspension Events here.
A curiosity to which the JC has not yet found a plausible answer is why there is a Cost of Carry adjustment for Suspension Events that run over the scheduled Delivery Date, but not for other, ordinary Settlement Disruption Events (or for that matter, Failures to Deliver).
There is no at-market termination provision at a Long-Stop
Also, the “then I woke up and it was all a dream” method of resolving irreconcilable suspensions. Unlike for Settlement Disruption Event, ISDA’s Carbon Squad did not provide for “Payment on Termination for Suspension Event”. We are baffled by this, as we have mentioned elsewhere: it defaults the position to one where the person who thought they had sold forward a risk finds, for reasons entirely beyond their control, that not only was that risk transfer ineffective, but the risk has come about and the asset is, effectively worth zero. If you consider the position of someone who was, for example, financing someone else’s Allowance allocation — hardly out of the question, since that is basically the point of a Forward Purchase Transaction this is transparently the wrong outcome, since the Seller — the person who is borrowing against its Allowances — gets to keep the money. Madness.
Abandonment of Scheme
What happens if, in its infinite wisdom, the European Union decides that an Emissions Trading Scheme is a silly idea and we should just embrace a future as Venusians, or Scottish vintners or something similar. You may see people tinker around with this — our favourite is “... or there is a proposal to abandon the Scheme... ” which given its looseness (there’s always some wingnut from a minority in an some oil-burning pressure group proposing something like that) and the lack of consequences beyond the transaction should it happen or not happen — it isn’t like it is an illegality or something where you can go to prison if you blithely carry on — there really seems no sensible call for this.
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See also
Template:M sa EUA Annex all a dream
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).
- ↑ In a nutshell, a real ISDA Illegality happens where, “for reasons beyond the Affected Party’s control, (not counting a lack of authorisation), it would be illegal in any relevant jurisdiction to comply with any material term of a Transaction”; Settlement Disruption is most certainly not that.