Latest Europe Headlines
All the headlines from our Europe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Japan P&I Club Ship Insurer Sets New Rules on Iran Oil Transport
Apr 11 2012 // Ship owners covered by Japan P&I club must alert the maritime insurer in advance of any plans to transport Iranian oil and petrochemicals that could fall foul of Western sanctions, the insurer said. The United States...
Best Lowers, Withdraws Omega Specialty Ratings; Affirms Lloyd’s Syndicate 958
Apr 11 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Ltd. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a+” of Lloyd’s Syndicate 958, which is managed...
U.S., Europe Urged to Offer Product Safety Training to Importers
Apr 6 2012 // Food and drug regulators in the U.S., Europe and other developed countries should offer training, technology and expertise to developing nations in Asia, Latin America and other regions to better assure the safety of...
China P&I Club to Stop Indemnity Coverage for Tankers with Iran Oil
Apr 5 2012 // Key ship insurer, China P&I Club, will halt indemnity coverage for tankers carrying Iranian oil as of July amid tightening Western sanctions against OPEC’s second largest oil producer, two club officials told...
Accenture to Team with SAS Institute for Sweden’s Folksam Solvency II Regs
Apr 4 2012 // Global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company Accenture announced that it will team with SAS Institute “to implement the SAS Risk Management for Insurance solution group-wide at Folksam,...
Melting Arctic May Redraw Global Geopolitical Map
Apr 3 2012 // This year’s frenzy of oil and gas exploration in newly accessible Arctic waters could be the harbinger of even starker changes to come. If, as many scientists predict, currently inaccessible sea lanes across the top...
PERILS Updates Europe Industry Exposure Database for 2012
Apr 2 2012 // PERILS AG, the independent Zurich-based company providing industry-wide European catastrophe insurance data, has updated its Europe Industry Exposure Database with revised “market-wide property sums insured for...
IBM’s Algorithmics, Insurers Analyze Solvency II Compliance Preparation
Mar 30 2012 // Despite delays and complaints the European Union’s Solvency II regulations, which cover the insurance industry, are slowly but surely moving forward. While most of the industry is primarily concerned with the...
Iran Oil Costs to Surge with EU Ship Insurance Ban
Mar 29 2012 // A widely expected ban on European insurance cover for Iranian oil exports from July 1 is threatening to curtail shipments and raise costs for major buyers such as Japan and South Korea, insurance industry sources say. Last...
Ratings Recap: Saturn, CCR, Arch (Pref. Shares)
Mar 29 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” to Vermont-based Saturn Insurance Inc., and has assigned a...
Lloyd’s CEO Ward on 2011 Loss: ‘Not a Bad Result’
Mar 29 2012 // At first glance that statement may seem a little strange, considering that Lloyd’s reported an overall loss for the year of £516 million ($822 million). But considering that overall insured losses for the year from...
OECD Says Euro Zone Public Debt Crisis Far from Over
Mar 27 2012 // The euro zone’s public debt crisis is not over despite calmer financial markets this year, the OECD said on Tuesday, with a warning that the bloc’s banks remain weak, debt levels are still rising and fiscal...
Seafarers’ Org. Lauds EU’s Extension of Somali Anti-piracy Operations
Mar 26 2012 // The SOS – SaveOurSeafarers – campaign announced that it “welcomes the extension of the EU counter- piracy operation until end 2014, and the EU decision to broaden the scope of its naval operation in the Gulf...
EU Council Extends Somalia Counter-piracy Operation; OK’s Coastal Missions
Mar 23 2012 // The Council of the European Union has prolonged the EU’s counter-piracy operation Atalanta by two more years, until December 2014. The Council also said that the decision “extended the force’s area of...
EU Agrees to Some Iran Oil Insurance Exemptions – Until July
Mar 23 2012 // The European Union will allow some insurance on Iranian oil shipments before its full embargo starts on July 1, member states agreed on Thursday, responding to concerns from Asian importers heavily reliant on the EU for...
U.S. Chamber, European Business Call for Removing Transatlantic Trade Barriers
Mar 21 2012 // The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and BUSINESSEUROPE have issued the following statement in a letter signed by twelve U.S. and European business associations to President Obama and EU Presidents Van Rompuy and Barroso, calling...
Celent Survey Forecasts Insurers to Spend $140.6 Billion on Technology in 2012
Mar 21 2012 // Global information technology spending by insurance companies is expected to reach $140.6 billion in 2012, an increase of 6.3 percent over 2011, according to a new report from Celent, part of the Oliver Wyman (MMC) group....
U.S. Exempts 11 Countries from Iran Oil Sanctions; China, India Exposed
Mar 21 2012 // The United States exempted Japan and 10 EU nations from financial sanctions because they have significantly cut purchases of Iranian oil, but left Iran’s top customers China and India exposed to the possibility of...
EU Fails to Agree on Exemptions for Iran Oil Transport Insurance
Mar 20 2012 // European Union diplomats on Tuesday postponed a decision on whether to grant any exemptions to insurance provided for Iranian crude shipments when the bloc implements oil sanctions on Iran, an EU diplomat said. Asian oil...
EU Foreign Ministers Set Talks on Tanker Insurance for Iran Oil Embargo
Mar 16 2012 // EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss how the bloc’s Iran oil embargo will impact shipping insurance when they hold a scheduled meeting next week, an industry source said on Friday. The ministers are due to...