Florence Lustman, the president of France Assureurs, was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo”, Sunday October 20. Floods, insurance prices, Barnier funds…She answered questions from Benjamin Fontaine and Antoine Comte.
Floods: “significant room for maneuver in this area of prevention”
“From the date the natural disaster order is issued, policyholders have 30 days to report their claims to the insurer.“, declares Florence Lustman, president of France Assureurs after the bad weather which affected the center-east of France this week. “The advice I can give is that the sooner you start your procedure, the sooner you will be able to receive compensation.”
The president of France Assureurs also insists on the need to make “prevention”. She considers that it is “a very effective response” to improve risk management. Florence Lustman recognizes that “there is still significant room for maneuver in this area of prevention.”
She believes that currently populations are not sufficiently prepared “to have the right reactions in the event of the arrival of a climatic event of exceptional intensity”, just like municipalities. “Only 40% of municipalities have a natural risk prevention plan, even though they themselves are exposed,” she regrets.
Insurance prices: “There is pressure on prices”
“From the moment the risks increase in frequency and intensity and the cost of repair also increases, there is indeed pressure on prices.“insurance premiums, explains Florence Lustman. This week, the boss of Maif, Pascal Demurger, confirmed on franceinfo an increase of 8 to 10% for 2025 due to the consequences of climate change.
The president of France Assureurs explains that for several years the “claims linked to climatic events“continue to increase, like the torrential rains and floods which have hit a large part of the country in recent days.
The head of the main professional representative body for insurance companies in France notes that at the same time repair costs are also increasing, “whether on housing through the prices of roofs or tiles or on cars“. “The cost of auto repair has been systematically increasing by 8.5% every year for years“, deplores Florence Lustman.
Barnier Fund: “Let’s stop the hold-up”
The president of France Assureurs also invites “stop the hold-up on the Barnier fund”a system to finance measures to prevent natural risks. Created in 1995 by Michel Barnier, this fund risks being reduced next year by the new budget. Florence Lustman recalls that “if mechanically the natural disaster surcharge increases to finance this natural disaster regime“, SO “the contribution to the Barnier fund, which is a percentage of this premium, will also increase“.
She believes that “this should represent approximately 450 million euros for 2025“, except that”today, we only find half, or 225 million euros“, what she judges”intolerable“. Florence Lustman therefore hopes that the “succession of exceptional events” allows “to convince the government and the deputies” at the time of examination of the 2025 finance bill in the hemicycle.
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