What happens if my organisation's customers wish to make SEPA Scheme payments but my organisation is not operationally ready? Can my organisation make SEPA Scheme payments without joining the SEPA Scheme?

It will not be possible to make Scheme payments until your organisation is a Scheme Participant.

What happens if my organisation is a Participant in a SEPA Scheme but is asked by customers to make Scheme payments to an organisation that is not yet a SEPA Scheme Participant?

Such a payment cannot be executed within the Scheme and, if possible, will need to be executed through another channel.

Where do I obtain the Risk Management/ Mitigation Annexes?

The Risk Management Annexes are being made available to Applicants in the first instance by the EPC Secretariat.

What are Scheme Participants’ obligations under the Rulebooks with regard to risk management?

Scheme obligations relating to the Risk Management Annex (Annex of the SEPA Credit Transfer Scheme Rulebook) are defined in section 5.7 with regard to Originator PSPs and in section 5.8 with regard to Beneficiary PSPs in the SCT

I am a Belgian qualified lawyer and I have been asked to sign the Legal Opinion for adherence to the Scheme of a Belgian Applicant. Do I have to assess whether the Rulebook is legal, valid and binding under Belgian law?

No, you can assume that that the Rulebook is legal, valid and binding as a matter of general Belgian contract law, but your Legal Opinion must cover whether the Applicant would be subject to specific legal constraints, or other

My internal legal counsel informed me that he/she has not passed the Bar exam and/or is not admitted as a lawyer to a Bar association and/or is not subject to the professional supervision of the relevant Bar association but has obtained a University Law Degree or the state exam to be a judge or a lawyer. Can he/she sign the Legal Opinion?

In my country the internal legal counsel is not allowed to use the relevant title listed in the Directive 98/5 of 16 February 1998 while working in-house. Can he/she still sign the Legal Opinion?

Yes, provided that he/she is allowed by the laws applicable in your country to sign a Legal Opinion on which the EPC can legally rely upon.