70In the second place, first, it should be noted that ex ante contributions to the SRF are collected from financial sector actors prior to and independently of any resolution operation (recital 102 of Regulation No 806/2014). Secondly, resolution instruments can only apply to entities which are failing or likely to fail and only when necessary to achieve the objective of financial stability in the public interest (Article 18(1) of Regulation No 806/2014; see also recital 61 of that regulation). In other words, even if an institution – which has duly paid its ex ante contributions – is failing or likely to fail, a resolution measure can only be envisaged if it is necessary in the public interest. There is no automatic link between the payment of the ex ante contribution and the resolution of the institution concerned. As the SRB argues, it is only the preservation of the public interest, and not the individual interest of an institution, which is the decisive factor for the use of the SRF (see also Article 67(2) of Regulation No 806/2014). The ex ante contribution paid by an institution for a given period does not give it an individual right to use the SRF in the event that that institution fails or is about to fail during that period.