EIOPA

EIOPA stands for the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority. It is a European Union supervisory authority established to oversee the insurance and occupational pensions sectors across EU member states. Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, EIOPA is part of the European System of Financial Supervisors, created after the 2008 financial crisis to foster greater coordination among EU regulators.

The authority’s mandate covers microprudential supervision of insurance undertakings and pension funds, as well as macroprudential surveillance to identify systemic risks that could affect stability across the EU. It develops EU-wide technical standards and guidelines, supports the consistent application of supervisory practices, and provides opinions on proposed EU legislation. EIOPA also conducts data collection and risk assessment, runs stress tests, and publishes risk dashboards and reports to inform supervisors, policymakers, and the public.

EIOPA plays a key role in cross-border supervision, coordinating actions for groups with operations in multiple member states and facilitating information exchange among national authorities. It also promotes consumer protection, market transparency, and supervisory convergence within the insurance and occupational pensions sectors.

Governance and structure: EIOPA is governed by a Management Board composed of representatives from EU member states and the European Commission, and it operates under the leadership of a chairperson and an executive director who oversees daily operations. As part of the European System of Financial Supervisors, EIOPA collaborates with the other EU authorities in ESFS to ensure a coherent, risk-aware regulatory framework across financial services.