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The Commission adopted a report on the functioning of the Insurance Block Exemption Regulation (BER), which will expire on 31 March 2010.
The Report considers that two forms of co-operation specific to the insurance sector, namely agreements in relation to joint calculations and to insurance pools, should continue to benefit from a block exemption.
Even if the risk of non-co-operation in these areas may be low, the possibility that pro-competitive co-operation may diminish should be avoided. If the Commission decides to renew these exemptions, it will consider whether their structure and scope should be amended.
The Commission's preliminary findings also show that neither agreements on standard policy conditions (SPCs) nor agreements on security devices appear to be specific to the insurance sector.
A public hearing will take place on 2 June 2009. The Commission will publish a Communication to that effect before the end of 2009.