Recital 10

(10)Current and recent financial turbulence has underlined the importance of ensuring effective consumer protection across all financial sectors. It is appropriate, therefore, to strengthen the confidence of customers and to make regulatory treatment of the distribution of insurance products more uniform in order to ensure an adequate level of customer protection across the Union. The level of consumer protection should be raised in relation to Directive 2002/92/EC in order to reduce the need for varying national measures. It is important to take into consideration the specific nature of insurance contracts in comparison to investment products regulated under Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council ⁴ . The distribution of insurance contracts, including insurance-based investment products, should therefore be regulated under this Directive and be aligned with Directive 2014/65/EU. The minimum standards should be raised with regard to distribution rules and a level playing field should be created in respect of all insurance-based investment products.