On April 21, 2015, the Council of the European Union (“Council”) issued a mandate to the European Commission (“Commission”) to negotiate an agreement with the United States on reinsurance. The mandate consists of a decision authorizing the opening of talks and directives for the negotiation of the agreement. The Commission will negotiate on the EU’s behalf, in consultation with a Council committee. The agreement will be concluded by the Council with the consent of the European Parliament.

These negotiations would be initial steps towards possible removal of collateral requirements in both jurisdictions in order to ensure a risk-based determination for all reinsurers in relation to credit for reinsurance. The Commission likely will negotiate with the Federal Insurance Office (“FIO”), which has authority under the Dodd-Frank Act to negotiate international agreements on behalf of the United States. Any such agreement reached by the FIO would pre-empt state laws, in this case the Model Credit for Reinsurance Act. It will be interesting to see how the NAIC reacts to this development.