The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has outlined its work over the past year in its latest annual report, with a strong focus on supporting the objectives of the EU’s Savings and Investments Union (SIU).

According to the report, EIOPA continued to work actively on the pension agenda in 2025, given that a closer focus on retail investment and smarter saving for retirement will not only support the SIU but also address the pensions gap in the EU.

The report highlighted that a major milestone for EIOPA in 2025 was the delivery of its technical input on the reviews of the IORP II Directive and the Pan-European Personal Pension Product (PEPP) Regulation in September 2025.

The recommendation emphasised the need for value for money, an auto-enrolment system and the need for additional pension savings to address the pension gap in the EU.

In addition, the report noted that EIOPA has refined its approach to regulatory simplification and burden reduction, in line with the European Commission’s priorities.

The authority said it has achieved this through advocating for smarter, more harmonised regulation, alongside more effective supervision at the EU level, and has embedded this approach across many areas of work.
 
In 2025, the authority also outlined its new strategy for the coming years. The strategy focuses on three strategic pillars: strengthening the functioning of the single market, enhancing market and societal resilience against risks and making supervision simpler, bolder and faster.

Digital transformation was another key area of focus, reflecting the increasing dependence of the insurance and pensions sectors on technology and tech firms.

EIOPA noted that the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) will help strengthen the digital resilience of financial institutions across the EU by requiring them to better guard against IT disruptions such as cyberattacks or technical failures. 

Working alongside the other European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs), EIOPA established the oversight framework of critical third-party service providers (CTPPs), designated 19 CTPPs and began their oversight activities.

The authority also made modifications internally on digital transformation to support its role as the data hub for the EU insurance and pensions sectors.

During the year, EIOPA expanded its products and services with the use of new technologies in data analysis (SupTech), data publication and data sharing within the supervisory community, while contributing to data-driven supervision.

Additionally, the authority launched its fifth stress test of occupational pension funds last year, examining the sector’s sensitivity to rapid yield-curve movements, focusing on liquidity risks.

The results of the stress tests confirmed that the European occupational pensions sector has sufficient liquidity buffers to absorb shortfalls.

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