On 6 June 2016, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) issued an update of its Q&A on practical questions regarding the European Markets Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR).

The updated Q&A includes new answers in relation to the clearing obligation, specifically about the self-categorisation that is necessary in order to establish which counterparties belong to which categories. The Q&A also provides clarifications on how counterparties should handle the situation where some of their counterparties have not provided the information on the category they belong to.

The purpose of this document is to promote common supervisory approaches and practices in the application of EMIR. It provides responses to questions posed by the general public, market participants and competent authorities in relation to the practical application of EMIR. The content of this document is aimed at competent authorities under the Regulation to ensure that in their supervisory activities their actions are converging along the lines of the responses adopted by ESMA. It should also help investors and other market participants by providing clarity on the requirements under EMIR.