Press Release: EU rules on gender-neutral pricing in insurance industry enter into force

Under new rules which enter into force on 21 December 2012, insurers in Europe will have to charge the same prices to women and men for the same insurance products without distinction on the grounds of sex. This means that insurance prices could rise or fall in the short term for certain categories of customers while they are likely to balance out over time.

The change comes after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that different premiums for men and women purely on the grounds of sex were incompatible with the principle of unisex pricing included in EU gender equality legislation, and with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Court outlaws use of gender to assess risk http://www.europeansources.info/record/court-outlaws-use-of-gender-to-assess-risk/

European Commission: MEMO/12/1012: Factsheet: EU rules on gender-neutral pricing in insurance http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-12-1012_en.htm

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