Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 is amended as follows:

(1) in Article 11, the following paragraph is inserted:

‘1a. Where an offer of securities is addressed solely to qualified investors as defined in point (e) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council [Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market, and repealing Directive 2003/71/EC (OJ L 168, 30.6.2017, p. 12).’;], communication of information to those qualified investors for the purposes of negotiating the contractual terms and conditions of their participation in an issuance of bonds by an issuer that has financial instruments admitted to trading on a trading venue, or by any person acting on its behalf or on its account, shall not constitute a market sounding. Such communication shall be deemed to be made in the normal exercise of a person’s employment, profession or duties as provided for in Article 10(1) of this Regulation, and therefore shall not constitute unlawful disclosure of inside information. That issuer or any person acting on its behalf or on its account shall ensure that the qualified investors receiving the information are aware of, and acknowledge in writing, the legal and regulatory duties entailed and are aware of the sanctions applicable to insider dealing and unlawful disclosure of inside information.

(2) in Article 13, the following paragraphs are added: