Activites

• 2001/02/23 Final act published in Official Journal
• 2000/05/19 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
  • T5-0250/2000 summary

    The European Parliament adopted its report drafted by Werner LANGEN (EPP/ED, Germany) on the Commission report on the operation of the block exemption regulation of the insurance industry. It called on the Commission to extend block exemption in line with the three-tier economic approach it has developed. It advocated the amendment of the regulation in connection with co-insurance and co-reinsurance groups, with regard to thresholds and factoring out the lead insurer, and the definition of relevant world market, if foreign risks account for more than 20% of the risks covered. On insurance companies' right of termination, the six-month period should be extended to one year. The Parliament took the view that the claims sttlement area should be incorporated into the block exemption Regulation when the review scheduled for 2003 takes place and in consumers'interests, direct settlement by a persons' own insurer should be allowed. Claims settlement agreements should not lead to an increase in premiums.�

• 2000/04/04 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A5-0104/2000
• 1999/11/19 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1999/05/12 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(1999)0192 summary

    PURPOSE: Commission report on the operation of Commission Regulation 3932/92 concerning the application of Article 81.3 of the EC Treaty (former Article 85.3) on certain categories of agreements, decisions and concerted practices in the field of insurance. CONTENT: Regulation 3932/92 applies to two types of agreements concerning the competition parameters which, at the time of the adoption of the Regulation, had just been the subject of deregulation at Community level, such as premia and policy conditions. The objective of the Regulation was to accompany this deregulation process and to ensure that newly created competition would not be restricted by self-regulatory initiatives going beyond the limits of what is justified because of the particularities of the insurance sector. Experience shows that the implementation of Title II relating to the calculation of commercial premia is not easy because of the technical nature of the subject. In those cases where data regarding (gross) commercial premia operated by insurers were collected, the Commission's services were reassured by the differentiation in these premia. As far as policy conditions are concerned, experience demonstrates that there is an application problem of another nature. Among the so-called 'black' clauses, those that are most damaging to competition, there are in fact several that will become exempt from the moment when their authors declare that they are not binding on the insurers. The Commission indicates that the examination of co-insurance 'pools'in regard to title IV of the Regulation will remain a priority. As far as agreements that fall under title V (safety equipment) as well as those mentioned in the Council's enabling Regulation, the Commission specifies that it will only take action in the case of claims and solely to the extent that the national jurisdictions or competition authorities are not better placed to examined them. A hearing on these questions could, if deemed appropriate, be foreseen.�

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(1999)0192
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A5-0104/2000
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0250/2000

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)