(21)In order to ensure a workable application of the rules on independence and prevention of conflicts of interest set out in Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 and to prevent them from becoming ineffective, there is a need for a sufficiently high number of credit rating agencies, unconnected with both the outgoing credit rating agency in case of rotation and the credit rating agency providing credit rating services in parallel to the same issuer. It is appropriate to require a strict separation of the outgoing agency from the incoming credit rating agency in the case of rotation as well as of the two credit rating agencies providing credit rating services in parallel to the same issuer. The credit rating agencies concerned should not be linked to each other by control, by being part of the same group of credit rating agencies, by being a shareholder or a member of or being able to exercise voting rights in any of the other credit rating agencies, or by being able to appoint members of the administrative or supervisory boards of any of the other credit rating agencies.