Recital 1

(1)As a result of differing national securities and insolvency laws, which are not harmonised at the Union level, there is a divergence in the level of protection for financial instruments held in custody for undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (‘UCITS’) clients from insolvency risks. In seeking to ensure strong client asset protection as provided for under Directive 2009/65/EC, while accommodating more robust national law requirements in relation to those non-harmonised areas, it is necessary to clarify the obligations relating to the safe-keeping of assets laid down in the Directive 2009/65/EC.