Lloyd's consortium Central and Eastern European Reinsurance Services Limited (CERES) has established a joint venture to market Synergy, the Eurobase insurance system, in 27 countries in central and eastern Europe.

David Wansborough-Jones, managing director of CERES, said: "With non-life premiums in the region set to double over the next five years, many of our ceding companies now have the critical mass to acquire valuable insurance software and distribution systems to put them ahead of the competition.

"Many systems in this region so far have been home-grown and now is the time to take advantage."