This important and reasoned report concerns the plight of 1.5 million European citizens who had invested for their pensions in Equitable Life, one of Europe’s oldest and most respected and trusted mutual life assurance companies.

The directive covers non-life insurance, life insurance and reinsurance companies.

B. whereas the mandate of the Committee of Inquiry was to: (1) investigate alleged contraventions or maladministration in the application of Council Directive 92/96/EEC of 10 November 1992 on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to direct life assurance and amending Directives 79/267/EEC and 90/619/EEC (third life assurance Directive), now codified by Directive 2002/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 November 2002 concerning life assurance, by the United Kingdom's competent authorities in relation to the Equitable Life Assurance Society (Equitable Life), notably as regards th ...[+++]e regulatory regime and the monitoring of the financial health of insurance undertakings, including their state of solvency, the establishment of adequate technical provisions and the covering of those provisions by matching assets; (2) assess whether the Commission has properly fulfilled its duty to monitor the correct and timely transposition of Community law and identify whether systematic weaknesses contributed to the situation that has arisen; (3) assess allegations that the UK regulators consistently failed, over a number of years, and at least since 1989, to protect policy holders by exercising rigorous supervision of accounting and provisioning practices and the financial situation of Equitable Life; (4) assess the status of claims by non-UK European citizens and the adequacy of remedies available under UK and/or EU legislation for policy-holders from other Member States; and (5) make any proposals that it deems necessary in this matter,

B. whereas the mandate of the Committee of Inquiry set up pursuant to Decision 2006/469/EC was to: (1) investigate alleged contraventions or maladministration in the application of Council Directive 92/96/EEC of 10 November 1992 on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to direct life assurance and amending Directives 79/267/EEC and 90/619/EEC (third life assurance Directive) , now codified by Directive 2002/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 November 2002 concerning life assurance , by the United Kingdom's competent authorities in relation to the Equitable Life Assurance Socie ...[+++]ty (Equitable Life), notably as regards the regulatory regime and the monitoring of the financial health of insurance undertakings, including their state of solvency, the establishment of adequate technical provisions and the covering of those provisions by matching assets; (2) assess whether the Commission had properly fulfilled its duty to monitor the correct and timely transposition of Community law and identify whether systematic weaknesses contributed to the situation that had arisen; (3) assess allegations that the UK regulators consistently failed, over a number of years, and at least since 1989, to protect policy holders by exercising rigorous supervision of accounting and provisioning practices and the financial situation of Equitable Life; (4) assess the status of claims by non-UK European citizens and the adequacy of remedies available under UK and/or EU legislation for policy-holders from other Member States; and (5) make any proposals that it deemed to be necessary in this matter,

B. whereas the mandate of the Committee of Inquiry set up pursuant to Decision 2006/469/EC was to: (1) investigate alleged contraventions or maladministration in the application of Council Directive 92/96/EEC of 10 November 1992 on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to direct life assurance and amending Directives 79/267/EEC and 90/619/EEC (third life assurance Directive) , now codified by Directive 2002/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 November 2002 concerning life assurance , by the United Kingdom's competent authorities in relation to the Equitable Life Assurance Socie ...[+++]ty (Equitable Life), notably as regards the regulatory regime and the monitoring of the financial health of insurance undertakings, including their state of solvency, the establishment of adequate technical provisions and the covering of those provisions by matching assets; (2) assess whether the Commission had properly fulfilled its duty to monitor the correct and timely transposition of Community law and identify whether systematic weaknesses contributed to the situation that had arisen; (3) assess allegations that the UK regulators consistently failed, over a number of years, and at least since 1989, to protect policy holders by exercising rigorous supervision of accounting and provisioning practices and the financial situation of Equitable Life; (4) assess the status of claims by non-UK European citizens and the adequacy of remedies available under UK and/or EU legislation for policy-holders from other Member States; and (5) make any proposals that it deemed to be necessary in this matter,

Financial services covers financial intermediation and auxiliary services, except those of life insurance enterprises and pension funds (which are included in life insurance and pension funding) and other insurance services that are conducted between residents and non-residents.