(1)

The total amount of the annual supervisory fees to be levied under Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1163/2014 (ECB/2014/41) should cover, but not exceed, the expenditure incurred by the European Central Bank (ECB) in relation to its supervisory tasks in the relevant fee period. This expenditure primarily consists of costs directly related to the ECB's supervisory tasks, such as direct supervision of significant entities, oversight of the supervision of less significant entities and performance of horizontal tasks and specialised services. It also includes costs indirectly related to the ECB's supervisory tasks, such as services provided by the ECB's support business areas, including premises, human resources management, administrative services, budgeting and controlling, accounting, legal, communication and translation services, internal audit, and statistical and information technology services.

(2)

To calculate the annual supervisory fees payable in respect of significant supervised entities and significant supervised groups, and less significant supervised entities and less significant supervised groups, the total costs should be split on the basis of the expenditure allocated to the relevant functions that perform the direct supervision of significant supervised entities and significant supervised groups and the indirect supervision of less significant supervised entities and less significant supervised groups.

(3)

The total amount of the annual supervisory fees for 2018 should be calculated as the sum of: (a) the estimated annual costs of supervisory tasks for 2018, based on the approved ECB budget for 2018, taking into account any developments in the estimated annual costs expected to be incurred by the ECB that were known at the time this Decision was adopted; and (b) the surplus or deficit from 2017.

(4)

The surplus or deficit should be determined by deducting the actual annual costs of the supervisory tasks incurred for 2017, as reflected in the ECB's Annual Accounts for 2017 (3), from the estimated annual costs levied for 2017 set out in the Annex to Decision (EU) 2017/760 of the European Central Bank (ECB/2017/11) (4).

(5)

In accordance with Article 5(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1163/2014 (ECB/2014/41), fee amounts related to previous fee periods that were not collectible, interest payments received in accordance with Article 14 and amounts received or refunded in accordance with Article 7(3) of that Regulation, if any, should also be taken into account in the estimated annual costs of supervisory tasks for 2018,