How can local and regional authorities make life safer? How can they prevent accidents? How can they manage accidents which happen? And how can they manage the risk involved?

All these questions are of current concern to local and regional authorities and particularly their elected representatives and management services.

In order to help local and regional authorities find an answer to these questions, CEMR, in cooperation with the Municipal Insurance Group of IULA (International Union of Local Authorities), has launched a European network for the exchange of experience on risk management in local government.

At the first meeting, hosted by the SCOR Reinsurance Company in Paris, representatives of national associations of local and regional authorities, specialised organisations set up by these associations and insurance companies working for territorial authorities from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Israel, Malta, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, discussed the ways in which risk management is handled in their authorities.

The work of this network - named PRIMEUR (Public Risk Management in Europe) - will begin with an exchange of experience and information over the coming months and will meet again, thanks to the support of SCOR in Paris in June 1998.