FILE PHOTO: Chairperson of European Banking Authority (EBA) Andrea Enria attends a debate with the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in Brussels, Belgium September 26, 2016. REUTERS/Yves Herman

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A new banking giant resulting from a merger must have extra capital and a legal structure that allows authorities to wind it down if it fails, the European Central Bank’s top watchdog said on Thursday.

“If a bank becomes too big, complex or interconnected... it needs to have additional capital,” Andrea Enria said when asked in the European Parliament about a possible tie-up between Germany’s Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank.

“Even if you become big you should be resolvable so the banks should prove that they have structures that are not preventing a smooth resolution in case of crisis,” he added.

“These are the two main safeguards that you need to look at when you look at mergers,” Enria said.