The former head of Swiss Re has warned that the litigious blame culture in Europe risks making some classes as uninsurable.
Walter Kielholz, speaking at the 50th annual congress of the European Federation of Insurance Associations, said: "Europe is a prime market for the `predator class' [of lawyers].
"The social and cultural barriers to a compensation culture are evaporating. Damage claims could soon make Europe as hazardous and uninsurable as the US."
He warned that the UK risked following the US by "degenerating into a regime which supports claims even if there is no damage and/or breach of duty or fault".
Kielholz claimed that the proportion of compensation flowing through the US liability system staying with lawyers had grown to one-third.
