Recital 1

(1)It is important to ensure that the objectives of Directive 2009/65/EC are achieved uniformly throughout the Member States to enhance the integrity of the internal market and offer legal certainty for its participants, including retail and institutional investors, competent authorities and other stakeholders. The form of a Regulation ensures a coherent framework for all market operators and is the best possible guarantee for a level playing field, uniform conditions of competition and the common appropriate standard of investor protection. Furthermore, it ensures the direct applicability of detailed uniform rules concerning the operation of undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) and depositaries, which by their nature are directly applicable and therefore require no further transposition at national level. Adopting a Regulation also ensures that the relevant amendments to Directive 2009/65/EC, as introduced by Directive 2014/91/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council ² , may all be applied from the same date in all Member States.