Commission clears France's 4.5 billion euro riot reinsurance scheme

The European Commission has authorised a French public reinsurance scheme covering riot and civil-unrest risk, with an overall budget of EUR 4.5 billion and a horizon running to 2036. The decision was adopted on 24 July 2026 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 September 2026 under reference C/2026/4998. The scheme is to be operated by the Caisse Centrale de Réassurance and is open to all economic sectors eligible for aid.

The clearance was granted under Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in the category of State aid cases where the Commission raises no objections. The aid carries the number SA.120391 and is classified as a scheme, with the stated objective of sectorial development. The notice records that the decision is a text with EEA relevance.

What the scheme covers

The measure is titled “Dispositif de réassurance publique du risque émeutes et mouvements populaires” — a public reinsurance arrangement for riot and popular-movement risk. Its legal basis is Article 171 of the 2026 Finance Law No 2026-103 of 19 February 2026.

The published parameters are:

• Overall budget: EUR 4 500 000 000
• Duration: 24 July 2026 to 23 July 2036
• Form of aid: subsidised services and guarantee
• Type of measure: scheme
• Objective: sectorial development
• Economic sectors: all economic sectors eligible to receive aid

The aid takes the form of subsidised services and a guarantee, meaning the state-backed reinsurer absorbs part of the risk that private insurers would otherwise carry alone. The notice records no specific region, and the scheme is open to every economic sector eligible for aid.

Granting authority and procedure

The granting authority is the Caisse Centrale de Réassurance, at 157, Boulevard Haussmann, 75008 Paris, France. The Member State concerned is France.

The authorisation sits within the Commission’s standard State aid procedure, under which Member States notify measures and the Commission verifies their compatibility with the internal market. The authentic text of the decision, with all confidential information removed, is available through the Commission’s competition case search under the case instrument SA.

Duration and access

The scheme runs for ten years, from 24 July 2026 to 23 July 2036, matching the duration recorded in the notice. The entry appears in the C series of the Official Journal dated 29 September 2026 and carries the European Legislation Identifier http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/4998/oj.

The decision gives French insurers and the businesses they cover a state-backed reinsurance backstop for riot and civil-unrest losses over the coming decade. By clearing the scheme without objections, the Commission removes legal uncertainty for the Caisse Centrale de Réassurance and for the policyholders relying on the guarantee, while fixing the scheme’s budget and expiry date in the official record.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, C series, C/2026/4998, 29 September 2026, notices (official reference: C/2026/4998).