The EU publishes its final report on the effectiveness of competition in the commercial insurance sector

On 25 September 2007 the European Commission (“Commission”) published its final Report on the effectiveness of competition in commercial insurance in the EU [1] . The Report follows the publication of an interim report at the beginning of 2007, and a substantial two-year investigation during which hundreds of detailed market questionnaires were sent out to industry participants. The Report’s main findings are concerns with: alignment of premiums in reinsurance and coinsurance; transparency and remuneration of brokers; the justifiability of the EU Block Exemption for insurance [2] ; and the existence of certain long-term contracts. The Commission has indicated it will not pursue any suspected historic infringements of EU competition law, preferring rather to allow the industry the