Recital 9

Disparities and obstacles to the internal market


Legislative disparities and uneven national regulatory or supervisory approaches with regard to ICT riskany reasonably identifiable circumstance in relation to the use of network and information systems which, if materialised, may compromise the security of the network and information systems, of any technology dependent tool or process, of operations and processes, or of the provision of services by producing adverse effects in the digital or physical environment trigger obstacles to the functioning of the internal market in financial services, impeding the smooth exercise of the freedom of establishment and the provision of services for financial entitiesas defined in Article 2, points (a) to (t) operating on a cross-border basis. Competition between the same type of financial entitiesas defined in Article 2, points (a) to (t) operating in different Member States could also be distorted. This is the case, in particular, for areas where Union harmonisation has been very limited, such as digital operational resilience testingas defined in Article 24, or absent, such as the monitoring of ICT third-party riskan ICT risk that may arise for a financial entity in relation to its use of ICT services provided by ICT third-party service providers or by subcontractors of the latter, including through outsourcing arrangements. Disparities stemming from developments envisaged at national level could generate further obstacles to the functioning of the internal market to the detriment of market participants and financial stability.