Insurers can contribute towards a more sustainable Europe in multiple ways: through stewardship, investment and divestment strategies, and co-investment with governments in key green infrastructure programs, Insurance Europe's president, Andreas BRANDSTETTER, CEO and chairman of UNIQA Insurance Group, explained, speaking at the 11th International Insurance Conference taking place on 23 May in Bucharest.

"A fair and constructive debate on the future of the insurance industry is more than welcome now, in the context of the new challenges and opportunities that are arising". This is the official message sent by the President of Romania, Klaus IOHANNIS, with the occasion of The 11th International Insurance Conference, organized by Insurance Europe and taking place on 23 May in Bucharest.

During the 11^th International Insurance Conference, organized by Insurance Europe in Bucharest, Nilay OZDEN, Managing Director, FINPRO Practice Leader, MARSH, Continental Europe, talked about the role of cyber insurance for bolstering resilience.

The gross written premiums of Croatian insurers totaled HRK 2.93 billion (EUR 396 million) in the first three months of 2019, up by 5.97% on the year, the Croatian Insurance Bureau informed.

The gross written premiums of Albanian insurers increased 10.8% y-o-y during January-March 2019, reaching ALL 3.93 billion or EUR 31.3 million, as the official figures provided by the Albanian FSA showed.

MAI CEE Insurance Brokers, Central and Eastern Europe's leading insurance and reinsurance broker, having partners in over 140 countries, announced last Friday (May 17) the appointment of Piotr CIESLAK as Group CEO, according to MAI CEE official statement.

As of May 1, 2019, 7 out of 16 companies, providing MTPL insurance, showed negative trend y-o-y, although total GWP of the segment increased by 14%, to KZT 22.9 billion, Allinsurance.kz reports with reference to the data of the National Bank of Kazakhstan.

In 1Q2019, Azeri insurers generated GWP in the amount of AZN 201.17 million (EUR 105.38 million), 4.17% more y-o-y, according to the statistical data, published by The Financial Market Supervisory Authority of Azerbaijan (FIMSA).

In the first quarter of 2019, Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) saw an increase of 2.9% in GWP, compared to the first quarter of 2018. Profit before taxes also increased by 8.7%, while the net result increased by 10.5%.

Turkey-based Halkbank announced the acquisition of Macedonian Nova Insurance, and now shows interest in investing in Moldova, too. Halkbank is already active in North Macedonia and Serbia, making Moldova the third country in the region Halkbank wants to develop.

Total GWP of Armenian insurers in the 1^st quarter amounted to AMD 16.5 billion (EUR 30.28 million), 17.4% more y-o-y in local currency (vs 47.6% a year ago according to the insurer's portfolio data), market results from ArmInfo show.

For the first three months of this year, INGOSSTRAKH's net profit decreased by 20% to RUB 2.5 billion. Profit before tax for this period dropped by 18%, ASN reports in reference to the insurer's statement.

The Financial Market Supervisory Authority of Azerbaijan (FIMSA) has restricted the license of the only state commercial insurer AzerSigorta, the regulator announced. Azerbaijan's Bureau of Compulsory Insurance (ISB) also restricted the insurer's access to its information system.

With new technologies enabling both operational efficiency and a superior customer experience, from artificial intelligence to IoT technology and mobile customer communication methods, evidence shows now is a critical time for claims transformation in Europe.

During the second part of the Motor Insurance Conference from FIAR 2019 - the International Insurance and Reinsurance Forum, specialists debated, among other topics, the trends in damage management, the impact of technologies or "the right of use".

The evolution of motor claims and damages, changes and benefits brought by the Motor Insurance Directive, complaints management and beyond were among the topics debated at FIAR 2019 - Motor Insurance Conference. Here are some of the main conclusions.

The third day of conferences from FIAR 2019 brings in the Motor Insurance Conference.

Gabriel BERNARDINO, Chairman of EIOPA, received the XPRIMM Award for the Contribution to the development of the European Insurance Market during the 5^th Edition of European Consumer Protection Conference.

The professional training of insurance professionals and how new digital tools can be used by agents to sell insurance policies were among the topics discussed during the second part of the Brokers Conference from FIAR 2019 - the International Insurance and Reinsurance Forum.

The Conference on Catastrophic Risks and Reinsurance, held on Tuesday, May 21st, during the International Insurance and Reinsurance Forum - FIAR 2019, examined the impact of climate change on reinsurance and catastrophic risk modelling.