(Adds detail)
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS, June 18 (Reuters) - Irish insurers' association
Insurance Ireland was charged by EU antitrust regulators on
Friday with restricting access to a data sharing platform used
in the country's motor vehicle insurance market following a
two-year investigation.
Insurance Ireland, which covers over 90% of the Irish motor
vehicle insurance market, runs a data system called Insurance
Link and sets conditions for accessing it.
The platform offers a non-life insurance claims data pool
and a facility for its users to request certain data about such
claims, enabling insurers to better assess risk and combat
potential fraud.
The European Commission said preliminary findings showed
that Insurance Ireland arbitrarily delayed or de facto denied
the access of certain insurers and their agents to Insurance
Link.
It said access since at least 2009 and until today was
linked to membership in the association.
"We have concerns that certain insurers and their agents
were put at a competitive disadvantage," European Competition
Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
"This prevented competitive entry of new players and thus
reduced Irish drivers' choice of motor insurance policies at
competitive prices," she said.
The Commission said it had sent a so-called statement of
objections to Insurance Ireland outlining charges of
anti-competitive practices.
Insurance Ireland could not immediately be reached for
comment.
Companies found guilty of breaching EU antitrust rules face
fines as much as 10% of their global turnover and orders to
change their business practices.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee
Editing by Mark Potter)