BIPAR's primary mission is to promote a European regulatory environment in which intermediaries can prosper and that, at the same time, ensures fair competition, an adequate level of consumer protection and a sound insurance market.

 

Lobbying at European level

BIPAR is recognised as the sole representative body for European insurance intermediaries by all relevant European and international organisations and authorities. In particular it is regularly consulted by the European Commission on all issues concerning this insurance sector.  BIPAR monitors the activities of these bodies and intervenes whenever necessary to promote and defend the legitimate interests of insurance intermediaries. In this respect BIPAR, with its permanent structure, has over the years proved to be an efficient and effective platform to develop co-ordinated actions in the interest of the European community of insurance intermediaries.

 

Political support at national level

Increasingly BIPAR is asked by its national member associations to assist them with the implementation process of EU legislation into national law. This allows BIPAR to play an essential role in ensuring a harmonised application throughout the EU of legal rules affecting the profession.

 

Information Platform

Over the years BIPAR has built up a unique know-how in public affairs issues related directly or indirectly business of insurance intermediaries and their professional associations throughout Europe.  Thanks to its widespread membership but also to its close contacts to the wider world through the World Federation of Insurance Intermediaries, BIPAR is in a unique position to inform its national member associations and the European practitioners on major developments.  Topical subjects of general interest to our national associations and their members are regularly developed in more detail and distributed in the form of comparative market reports, articles and brochures.

 

International Affairs

Two parallel evolutions - globalisation and the growing importance of EU affairs for any European practitioner - made BIPAR decide in early 1999 to focus exclusively on European affairs and to set up, in co-operation with regional structures from the other continents, a new federation called the World Federation of Insurance Intermediaries (WFII). As a result, BIPAR has outsourced its international activities (related to WTO, OECD, International Association of Insurance Supervisors, …) to WFII. This allows BIPAR to focus more directly on topics related to geographical Europe while continuing the defence of the interests of its European members in international issues through WFII.