Commissie positief over akkoord motorverzekeringen (en)
The European Commission has welcomed the political agreement on the proposed Fifth Motor Insurance Directive reached by the November 27th meeting of the EU's Council of Ministers responsible for competitiveness The proposed Directive would update and improve the provisions of current EU Motor Insurance Directives by making it easier for drivers to get insurance and by upgrading the protection of victims. The Commission's proposal was presented in June 2002 (see IP/02/838 and MEMO/02/133). The political agreement must now be formally adopted as a Common Position by the Council, after which it will return to the European Parliament for a second reading.
Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein said "I welcome today's agreement and hope the European Parliament will swiftly endorse the Council's text. The sooner this Directive is adopted, the sooner European citizens will be able to take advantage of the new provisions in terms of faster treatment of claims and better compensation for victims of accidents. "
The proposed Fifth Motor Insurance Directive would help millions of European citizens: drivers and potential victims of accidents as well as insurers. As well as improving protection for accident victims, it would make it easier for drivers to get and claim upon insurance, especially when buying or using vehicles outside their Member State of permanent residence, and to change insurers.
The political agreement sets a new minimum insurance amount for personal injuries of € 1 000 000 per victim, plus an option for Member States to apply a minimum amount of € 5 000 000 per accident (as requested by the European Parliament). For damage to property, the agreement sets a minimum amount of € 1 000 000 per accident, to come into force after a transitional period of 5 years.
Under the political agreement, pedestrians and cyclists would be designated as specific categories of accident victims. It stipulates that motor vehicle insurance would have to cover personal injuries suffered by pedestrians and cyclists and other non-motorised users of the roads who, as a consequence of an accident in which a motor vehicle is involved, were entitled to compensation in accordance with national civil law.
The Commission had indicated after the European Parliament adopted its opinion at first reading, in October 2003, that it could also accept some amendments on issues such as the improvement of the protection of victims of accidents caused by unidentified vehicles and the conditions under which statements relating to their claims record are provided to policy-holders in order to make it easier to change insurer. The Council's political agreement broadly retains these amendments.
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