Today, in the Parliament's Economy Committee, an important new step was taken with the approval, at second reading, of the bill reforming credit rules. Championed by the Minister of Economy, David Clarinval, the bill notably aims to strengthen the right to be forgotten when a consumer must take out insurance as part of a credit agreement. With this text, Minister Clarinval guarantees citizens better protection of their privacy and allows them to move on after certain past difficulties, without being permanently penalised in their access to essential services, particularly insurance.
The bill concretely strengthens the right to be forgotten by broadening its scope. Currently, this right is limited to consumers or self-employed people who must take out insurance as part of a mortgage or professional credit. This right means that an insurer cannot impose an additional premium or refuse cover on the grounds that the person suffered from cancer in the past. After five years from the end of a successful treatment, or even less for a number of specific types of cancer, the insurer can no longer take this client's medical history into account. This bill extends this right to be forgotten to all insurance policies required as part of a consumer credit agreement, that is, credit not requiring a mortgage guarantee.
David Clarinval, Minister of Economy: “A woman or man cured of cancer who today takes out a decreasing term life insurance policy as part of a mortgage credit has the right not to be charged an additional premium or refused cover by insurers because of their health condition, if it is no longer relevant. Thus, cancer conditions can no longer be taken into account by the insurer after a period of five years, or shorter in certain cases, following the end of successful treatment, provided there has been no relapse within that period. The bill also extends this right to be forgotten to insurance policies taken out as part of consumer credit.”