EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY FINANCIAL SERVICES FORUM (EPFSF): FOR EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND DIALOGUE

The European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum (EPFSF) was founded in May 2000 to foster a dialogue between the European Parliament and the financial services industry. It provides a forum for an open and informal discussion of the policy issues affecting financial services.The forum does not lobby.

The Forum consists of a number of Members of the European Parliament who form a Steering Committee, together with Financial Industry Members, a wide range of leading players in the European financial industry, supported by a secretariat. The Steering Committee gives direction to the activities of the forum, and the Financial Industry Committee undertakes the task of arranging and inviting speakers, writing short briefing papers, and managing the secretariat. An Administrative Committee is elected at the Annual General Meeting to deal with day-to-day administration of these matters.

The Forum is financed by member contributions set annually by the General Assembly.The Forum organises events on a monthly basis. Attended by a large number of interested MEPs, these meetings focus on a variety of topics, with high-level, expert guest speakers from the financial industry, consumer groups, and relevant authorities, regulators and officials. Meetings are open to all MEPs, and if they are not able to come, their assistants, the relevant Parliament committee staff, secretariats of political groups as well as the relevant officials of the European Commission. Every industry member is also invited, as well as representatives from five observers  (BEUC-European Consumer Organisation; EuroFinuse- European Federation of Financial Services; Finance Watch; FSUG- Financial Services User Group and UEAPME- European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Financial industry representatives who are not members may apply to attend subject to availability of places.

Objectives

The main purposes of the Forum are:

• to promote integration of a single European market for financial services across national borders, which is globally competitive and to the benefit of the European economy as well as suppliers and consumers of financial services;
• to provide a focal point and resources for members of the European Parliament interested in financial services issues as well as a forum for industry-Parliamentary dialogue;
• to deploy the joint expertise of its financial industry Members to spread factual information about financial markets and services to the European Parliament via briefs, meetings, study visits and other regular activities as appropriate.

Members include : EBF-European Banking Federation ; AFME- Association for Financial Markets in Europe; APCIMS- Association of Private Client Investment Managers and Stockbrokers; Banco Santander; Barclays; BBVA-Banco Bilbao Vizwaya Argentaria; BlackRock; BNP Paribas; CFA Institute; CitiGroup; Commerzbank AG; Crédit Agricole; Danske Bank; Deutsche Bank AG; Deutsche Börse Group; DTCC-The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation; EAPB- European Association of Public Banks; ECSDA-European Central Securities Depositories Association; EFAMA- European Fund and Asset Management Association; EMF- European Mortgage Federation; EPIF- European Payment Institutions Federation; ESBG- European Savings Banks Group; Euroclear; EUSIPA- European Structured Investment Products Association; FEE- Federation of European Accountants; FESE- Federation of European Securities Exchanges; FOA- Futures and Options Association; Goldman Sachs International; HSBC; ING Group; Insurance Europe; Intesa Sanpaolo; ISDA-International Swaps and Derivatives Association; JP Morgtan; Lloyds Banking Group; Nasdaq OMX; NVB- Dutch Banking Association; PensionsEurope; Prudential plc; Royal Bank of Scotland; Société Générale; Standard and Poor’s; State Street; UBS; UniCredit; VISA Europe; Western Union Payment Services; WKO- Vienna Economic Chamber.