Hellenic Insurance Law Association(HILA) – AIDA Conference
The works of the international conference, dealing with the major contemporary topic “Life, Health and Pension Insurance in the New Economic Environment” and organized by the Hellenic Insurance Law Association – the Greek Chapter of the International Insurance Law Association (AIDA ) – in association with AIDA, were completed in Athens, Greece, 7-9 May 2014.
The conference was by unanimous agreement considered an outstanding success, while, from the part of the AIDA executives, it was deemed as one of the best conferences organised by a national Chapter and held at an international level.
Its unique success lies in the central thematic chosen and on the outstanding speakers, leading law experts, such as Prof. Van Hulle – Former Head of Insurance and Pensions of the European Commission and other well-known Professors, such as M. Wandt, S. Ünan, I. Rokas, O. Contreras-Strauch, O. Chatzinikolaou-Aggelidou, along with leading top executives from the insurance industry and respective academics, such as Mr. Μ. Khalaf – President of MetLife Europe, Middle East, Africa; Mr. A. Sarrigeorgiou – President of the Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies, as well as its former Presidents, Mr. M. Moissis and Prof. M. Nektarios; Prof. L. Liaropoulos; Ms. P. Schuermans – the Coordinator for Insurance and Occupational Pensions Policy Development in the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA); E. Zerveas – President, Hellenic Consumers’ Ombudsman etc.
The particular topics under discussion during the main conference, on 9 May 2014, focused on: whether long-term life insurance is a reliable solution, in the long ran, that justifies the respective savings investment and the ways for assuring its credibility/solvency; whether private insurance is indeed an answer to the increasing problem of the public/social insurance systems’ inefficiency; the need to understand/evaluate the implication/precise cost that arises from the undertaking of obligation to grant pensions on a long term basis; the customer-centered approach within the framework of constantly changing markets and the issue of transparency in the pricing of personal insurance and as regards to the respective price readjustments.
On the previous day, 8 May 2014, meetings, with large attendance, were also held by ten AIDA Working Parties active in research of insurance law and related matters, for many years now, in the fields: “Climate Change”, “Reinsurance”, “Civil Liability Insurance”, “Personal Insurance & Pensions”, “Distribution of Insurance Products”, “Credit Insurance & Surety”, “Motor Insurance”, “New Technologies, Prevention & Insurance”, “State Supervision of Insurance” and “Consumer Protection & Dispute Resolution”.
The Greek Chapter of AIDA, is grateful to the conference sponsors Allianz, MetLife, Generali, to the law firms Rokas and M&P Bernitsas, to Alpha Bank, Piraeus Insurance and Reinsurance Brokerage, HIBA, Carpenter Turner, Ecovis and Dynamis, who with their assistance and support contributed to making it such a successful international event, something which benefited and contributed to the much needed extroversion of the insurance market and to its legal/regulatory environment.