More Union for the EU’s IPO Market

In his assessment of the latest draft prospectus Regulation, Karel Lannoo argues that the text goes somewhat further than the European Commission has previously entertained, but it falls short of creating a European market. In his view, the Commission is hostage to its own (or member states’) unwillingness to expand the powers of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to become an EU-wide listing authority. In short, the Union that the EU wants to create for capital markets still seems a distant ambition.

Karel Lannoo is General Manager of ECMI and Chief Executive of CEPS.