(17)In March 2020, the Group of Central Bank Governors and Heads of Supervision revised the implementation timeline of the final elements of the Basel III framework. While most of the final elements still need to be implemented in Union law, the leverage ratio buffer requirement for global systemically important institutions has already been implemented through the amendments introduced by Regulation (EU) 2019/876. Therefore, and in order to ensure a level playing field internationally for institutions established in the Union and operating also outside the Union, the date of application for the leverage ratio buffer requirement set out in that Regulation should be deferred by one year to 1 January 2023. With the application of the leverage ratio buffer requirement postponed, during the postponement period there would be no consequences resulting from a failure to meet that requirement as set out in Article 141c of Directive 2013/36/EU and no related restriction on distributions set out in Article 141b of that Directive.