Insurance Europe frames the sector as a strategic asset in a fractured global backdrop, where geopolitical tension and economic pressure keep rising and policy responses often lag behind market reality.
The group argues Europe needs sharper coordination and stronger execution, not layered rules that slow capital flows or complicate risk transfer across borders.
Frédéric de Courtois, President of Insurance Europe, ties regulatory discipline directly to economic outcomes.
He points to the cost of excessive rules hitting households, businesses, and investment pipelines at the same time, which, honestly, leaves little room for inefficiency.
Preserving the strategic leadership of European insurers and reinsurers is preserving Europe’s leadership. Every unnecessary rule has a cost, for families, businesses, and the investments Europe urgently needs.
Frédéric de Courtois, President of Insurance Europe
“European leaders have a real chance this week to prove that competitiveness and simplification are real priorities, not just slogans.”
Insurance still anchors Europe’s financial system in ways other sectors haven’t matched. The industry holds €9.5 tn in assets, with roughly 70% deployed across the EU through equities and both corporate and sovereign debt, feeding long-term financing needs without the volatility seen in shorter capital cycles.
According to Beinsure analysts, insurers also drive retail investment participation, with savings and retirement products accounting for about 70% of household investment exposure, which shifts how capital markets behave over time.
Europe maintains a strong global position in insurance and reinsurance, even as it loses ground in other financial segments.
The region accounts for around 30% of global insurance activity and close to 50% of reinsurance, supported by a concentration of major carriers and established domestic markets.
We think that concentration still gives Europe leverage, though pressure from US and Asian competitors keeps building.
The Savings and Investments Union sits at the centre of current policy debates, though execution remains uneven across member states.
Insurance Europe pushes for explicit recognition of insurers’ role in mobilising long-term capital, especially as governments try to expand retail investment channels and pension coverage.
Initiatives like Savings and Investments Accounts need to include insurance-based solutions rather than narrowing product access, or participation stalls before it scales.
Pension reform carries similar weight. The Pan-European Personal Pension Product framework, in its current shape, needs to reflect national differences while allowing insurers to structure products that match long-term liabilities with predictable returns, otherwise uptake stays muted and capital allocation suffers.
Regulatory pressure, though, keeps stacking. Multiple frameworks overlap, sometimes awkwardly, which drives up compliance costs and drags on operational efficiency.
Insurance Europe calls for a measurable reduction in administrative burden, with a 25% cut set as a benchmark, alongside strict use of the One in, One out rule to prevent regulatory creep from creeping right back in.
Supervisory authorities play a bigger role than before, though their mandates often stretch beyond initial legislative intent.
Insurance Europe argues for tighter scope control, where technical standards follow political agreements rather than reshape them midstream.
Competitiveness should sit alongside financial stability and consumer protection in supervisory priorities, not treated as an afterthought.
Legislative sequencing continues to trip firms up. Delays in technical standards combined with overlapping deadlines leave companies juggling incomplete frameworks, which creates legal uncertainty and pushes up compliance costs.
The Lamfalussy process, introduced to streamline financial legislation, now struggles to deliver speed or clarity, and sometimes slows things further.
National governments add another layer through gold-plating, where local rules extend beyond EU requirements without clear justification.
Insurance Europe calls for stricter discipline here, pushing for consistency across member states so firms don’t navigate fragmented rulebooks inside a single market.
Reporting requirements remain another friction point. The group backs a once-only model, where firms submit data in a single format and authorities share it across jurisdictions, cutting duplication and reducing operational drag across compliance teams.
Insurance Europe supports a targeted simplification package for financial services, focusing on a narrow set of high-impact measures rather than broad legislative resets.
Among the proposals, the group calls for withdrawing the Financial Data Access initiative and stepping back from minimum harmonisation of Insurance Guarantee Schemes, both seen as adding complexity without clear gains.
The organisation also pushes for a pause on the Insurance Recovery and Resolution Directive to reassess scope and timelines, alongside adjustments to Solvency II reporting and governance requirements following the recent review.
Further changes target the EU Green Taxonomy, accounting standards affecting SMEs, and overlaps under the Digital Operational Resilience Act, where compliance layers keep building without clear coordination.
These changes, in Insurance Europe’s view, would redirect focus toward long-term investment across areas like energy transition, defence, and innovation, while maintaining protection for households and businesses.
The broader message stays consistent throughout, cut excess rules, keep the system predictable, and let capital move where Europe needs it most.
