The European Commission opened a formal antitrust investigation on Tuesday 14 May, to clarify the compatibility of the conditions of access to Insurance Ireland's Insurance Link data pooling system with EU competition law rules.
Insurance Ireland is an association of several companies in the insurance sector in Ireland. It manages a database, Insurance Link, which is made available to member companies, which in turn provide claims data to the database. The objective of this system is to facilitate the detection of potentially fraudulent behaviour and to ensure the accuracy of the information provided by potential clients to insurers.
The Commission does not dispute that certain data pooling agreements may contribute to effective competition. However, it questions whether the conditions imposed on companies wishing to participate and access the database may place them at a competitive disadvantage on the Irish motor insurance market compared to companies that already have access to it.
If this were the case, this practice would be contrary to EU competition law rules, which is why the Commission will investigate. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)