BRUSSELS, May 31 – French voters’ rejection of the new European Union constitution could strengthen the European Parliament’s hand as it examines the law that would give effect to the global Basel II bank safety rules in the 25-nation EU bloc, say analysts.

LONDON, May 2 – Global banking regulators’ plans to test the potential effects of the complex Basel II bank safety rules on banks around the world between October and December could be jeopardised by the delay in issuing US Basel II implementation details.

WASHINGTON, May 10 – Bankers and regulators around the world are hoping US Congressional hearings tomorrow will shed more light on the decision to postpone issuing detailed plans for implementing the complex Basel II bank safety regime in the US.

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2005 --The timetable for implementing the new Basel capital rules for banks around the world has been thrown into serious doubt. A test run of the new rules, known as Basel II, undertaken by banks in the US has suggested that the proposed regulatory framework may result in an unacceptable drop in bank capital. This could undermine bank solvency, the opposite of what bank regulators intend.

EU Commission moves quickly to prepare for negotiations over definition of bank capital. Controversy likely in US and Europe By Melvyn Westlake

Senior officials at the EU Commission in Brussels believe that the various national impediments preventing a single supervisor from overseeing the European operations of each cross-border banking group could be overcome by 2009. The removal of these impediments could pave the way for European cross-border groups to allocate regulatory capital according to the demands of their business activities, rather than the requirements of multiple national supervisors. And, it would allow such groups to report to one, consolidating - or lead - supervisor, usually the home supervisor in the country where the group is headquartered.

President George W. Bush tapped lawyer and former Treasury Department official John Dugan to be Comptroller of the Currency and oversee regulation of some of the largest US banks, the White House said in late February.

And they are optimistic about 2010 as a start date, despite the doubts. By David Keefe

In the late 1990s Thailand\'s banks faced melt-down. Thanks to growth, and firm action, they are earning their way back to health. New Basel capital regime to be implemented at end-2008

WASHINGTON - The big guns of the US federal banking regulators were out in early March, warning of tight and challenging deadlines and urging banks to expedite their plans for implementing the Basel II capital adequacy rules.