Last week, 45 participants completed the second edition of the SSM Foundation Programme at Villa La Fonte, Florence. This six-month programme is part of the partnership between the European University Institute and the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) of the European Central Bank (ECB), created to support consistent and effective supervision across Europe. Since its inception in 2022, the programme has gathered more than 4000 participants in a variety of training activities.
During the last week of the SSM Foundation Programme, Pedro Teixeira, Director General of SSM Governance and Operations and sponsor of this programme, addressed recent challenges facing supervisors. He noted that deregulation is being promoted in some jurisdictions as a path to economic growth. Similar discussions are emerging in Europe, including proposals to ease supervisory requirements, lower capital buffers, and reassign supervision of certain banks to national authorities. He cautioned that these changes could undermine the original goals of the Banking Union. “We need to remain committed, technically competent, and guided by integrity, reinforcing the importance of strong, unified supervision in the face of growing external and internal pressures,” he said to the community of supervisors gathered in Florence.
The SSM Foundation Programme supports this approach by helping supervisors build knowledge and a shared understanding of their role. The curriculum covers core topics like credit and market risk and new areas like digitalisation, climate-related risks, and geopolitical developments. Participants also emphasised the value of connecting with peers across institutions, highlighting a growing sense of shared purpose.
Further to the SSM Foundation Programme, the EUI-ECB partnership includes dedicated programmes for newcomers and specialised deep dives on topics such as financial institutions, climate risks, and digital-related risks in supervision.
Since 2024, the focus of the partnership has also expanded to research, with the launch of the Banking Supervision Policy Working Paper Series (WPS) aiming to promote policy discussion and research on banking supervision. The call is open to ECB and National Competent Authorities (NCA) staff members in all SSM jurisdictions, as well as EUI researchers and members of other EU financial institutions.
In its first year, the series published ten contributions exploring policy and operational issues, some presented in a dedicated event at the ECB headquarters last February. The Call for Papers is open, and contributions are welcome on a rolling basis.
The partnership continues to invest in building supervisory capacity and cooperation. In a changing environment, it helps ensure that supervisors are prepared, aligned, and able to meet common challenges.