EC urges ‘innovative’ insurance industry to apply gender ruling fairly

22 December 2011

The European Commission has adopted guidelines to help the insurance industry implement unisex pricing, after the Court of Justice of the European Union controversially ruled that different premiums for men and women constitute sex discrimination.

The Commission said that it sees no reason why the 'innovative' and 'competitive' insurance industry cannot react to the new rules with price decreases as well as increases depending upon the risks, so long as it is not based on gender.

Battle-hardened corporate risk and insurance managers throughout Europe may beg to differ with the optimism shown by the EC in the insurance sector's willingness and ability to seek a chance to cut rates, particularly at a time of increasingly thin profit margins.

Full guidelines

© European Commission