Brussels, 07/04/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has cleared the proposed acquisition of the German insurance group Gerling by the insurer Talanx Aktiengesellschaft. The two companies are active in the field of life and non-life insurance. Talanx also provides reinsurance services and industrial insurance through subsidiaries. After looking at the proposal, the Commission noted that there were competition risks on the insurance segment regarding liability insurance for pharmaceutical companies in Germany, where Gerling and HDI Industrieversicherung AG, a Talanx subsidiary, are the closest rivals in Germany. Large-scale insurers are modestly present on this segment which is different from other industrial sectors as it is synonymous with lasting exposure to a high risk, the Commission commented. In order to obtain clearance, Talanx has committed to divest the pharmaceutical liability business of its subsidiary HDI to allow other competitors to gain a foothold in this market.