Choice of method

1. In assessing whether the exclusive application of method 1 is not appropriate, thus allowing the group solvency to be calculated in accordance with method 2 or a combination of methods 1 and 2 laid down in Articles 230 to 233 of Directive 2009/138/EC, the group supervisor shall, in consultation with the other supervisory authorities concerned and the participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking or the insurance holding company or the mixed financial holding company, consider all of the the following elements:

(a) whether the amount and quality of information available in relation to a related undertaking would not be sufficient for it to be subject to method 1;

(b) whether a related undertaking is not covered by a group internal model, in the cases where a group internal model, approved in accordance with Article 231 of Directive 2009/138/EC, is used for the calculation of the consolidated group Solvency Capital Requirement;

(c) whether, for the purposes of paragraph (b), the risks that are not captured in the group internal model are immaterial in relation to the overall risk profile of the group;

(d) whether the use of method 1 in relation to a related undertaking or several related undertakings would be overly burdensome and the nature, scale and complexity of the risks of the group are such that the use of method 2 in relation to that related undertaking or those related undertakings does not materially affect the results of the group solvency calculation;

(e) whether intra-group transactions are not significant both in terms of volume and value of the transaction;

(f) where the group includes third country related insurance or reinsurance undertakings, whether delegated acts have been adopted pursuant to paragraphs 4 or 5 of Article 227 of Directive 2009/138/EC, determining that the solvency regimes of those third countries are equivalent or provisionally equivalent.

2. The method or combination of methods chosen shall be applied in a consistent manner over time. The group supervisor shall require the participating insurance or reinsurance undertaking or the insurance holding company or the mixed financial holding company to revert to method 1 in relation to any related undertaking where the use of method 2 or a combination of methods 1 and 2 is no longer justified considering the elements referred to in paragraph 1.