The Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) and European insurance law association AIDA Europe have announced a group of high level speakers for their joint event in Paris on 3 June.

In keeping with the title of the event, European Insurance Law: When Theory Meets Practice, the speakers are a mixture of eminent insurance law experts and insurance and risk management practitioners from several European countries.

FERMA’s executive manager, Florence Bindelle, said: “We are building a relationship with AIDA Europe that will help us strengthen our representation for our members with the European Commission on insurance law, such as the current discussion on insurance contract law.”

The experts and practitioners will address four important current issues:

Co-insurance: who owes what, when and to whom?

• Alberto Monti, Professor of Law at the Institute for Advanced Study IUSS, Pavia, Italy
• Herman Cousy, Professor at KU Leuven
• Christian Bouckaert, Senior Partner of SCP Brouckaert Ormen Passemar Sportes, France

Serial claims: When fiction trumps reality

• Jérôme Kullmann, Director of the Institut des Assurances de Paris, France
• David Kendall, Partner and Co-Chair of the international insurance and Reinsurance Department, Edwards Wildman Palmer, UK
• Nicholas Rönneberg, Senior Executive Manager claims management, Munich Re, Germany

Embargo: The discordant music of European and national public orders

• Manfred Wandt, Professor and Director of the Insurance Law Institute, University of Frankfurt am Main, Germany
• Harry Daugird, Senior Risk Advisor Risk Management Insurance, ABB, Germany
• Christian Felderer, General Legal Counsel and Executive Vice President of SCOR Holding, Switzerland
• Robert Walsh, Group Financial Crime Officer, AXA Group Legal and Compliance, United States

D&O: Phantasm on forbidden guarantees

• Jo Willaert, Corporate Risk Manager, Agfa-Gevaert, Belgium
• Ottó Csurgó, Chief Executive Officer, CIG Pannonia EMABIT, Hungary
• Jorge Angell, Senior Partner of LC Rodrigo Abogados, insurance and reinsurance special, party counsel and arbitrator for litigation/arbitration

More details are available at AIDA-FERMA Conference 2013
Journalists are welcome to attend the event which will take place on 3 June 2013 from 9.00 to 18.00 at the AXA Auditorium, 25 avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris. Contact FERMA event organiser, Véronique De Hertogh, at veronique.dehertogh@ferma.eu to register.

Notes on the topics
Coinsurance: who owes what, when and to whom?
Coinsurance, the use of several insurers to underwrite a single large risk or programme, is a continuing subject of discussion at European level as DG Competition again questions this practice. Although this is the most common way of placing large risks, is it really foolproof? Are the rules clear enough so that bad surprises are avoided at the time insurance is most needed: when there are large claims to be paid?

Serial claims: When fiction trumps reality
General liability policies usually include coverage for serial claims which have one single cause, but long discovery periods may extend for several years. Only one aggregate indemnity amount is available. Are claims settled on a first come, first served basis or at the end with a shared amount for everyone? How might the new EU Collective Redress Directive affect this?

Embargo: The discordant music of European and national public orders
With the world political scene changing constantly, and new conflicts appearing, it is difficult to keep track of global commercial trade rules and regulations, including embargoes. How do or should insurance contracts apply to specific risks when such legal constraints exist?

D&O: Phantasm on forbidden guarantees
A very large number of European board members are covered by a D&O policy. How extensive is this coverage? Some guarantees are legally “forbidden” according to brokers and insurers. What does the law really say?