Recital 2

(2)Article 39(2) of Directive 2014/65/EU requires that branches of third-country firms that wish to provide investment services or to perform investment activities in the territory of a Member State, acquire prior authorisation of the competent authority of that Member State. Such branches are not allowed to provide investment services or perform investment activities in other Member States than the Member State where those branches received their authorisation. The European Commission can, however, adopt an equivalence decision in accordance with Article 47(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council ² stating that the legal and supervisory arrangements of that third country with regard to investment firms are equivalent to those that apply in the Union. In such a case, the authorised branches of investment firms that fall under the scope of such an equivalence decision would continue to be supervised by the competent authority of the Member State in which those branches are established, irrespective of whether they provide cross border services or performs cross border activities. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the format for the reporting of the information referred to in Article 41(3) of Directive 2014/65/EU is also apt for the reporting on such cross-border services and activities of those branches.