Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque, in a written answer on 3 July 2026, signalled that the European Commission is exploring options for an EU mechanism to pool natural disaster risks but has not yet committed to a specific proposal. The answer, responding to a question from S&D MEP César Luena, comes after the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) published a joint paper proposing a common pool funded by insurers and national schemes, with a public backstop of between EUR 10 billion and EUR 65 billion for extreme events. Albuquerque noted that the Commission has launched a public consultation under the European integrated framework for climate resilience, covering insurance among other topics, and that stakeholder feedback will inform future policy reflection.
The answer contained no concrete proposals, numerical targets, or deadlines, instead emphasising that the Commission is 'closely following developments' and that the EIOPA-ESM paper provides a 'useful in-depth assessment'.
the Commission prioritises risk prevention and climate adaptation alongside any insurance expansion, and is not yet leaning toward any specific model (voluntary pool, national scheme participation, or backstop). Institutional follow-up will depend on the consultation results; no timeline was given.
The answer impacts insurers, who may face new pooling obligations; EU member states, which would need to coordinate national schemes; and households in disaster-prone areas, who could benefit from lower premiums but may see reduced incentives for risk reduction if coverage expands.