Looking back over the last decade it can be said with some justification that sig nificant progress has been achieved on the way towards fully integrated financial markets in Europe. The 1993 Internal Market initiative and the Euro introduction in 1999/2002 constitute important milestones. The integration process has further been intensified by market developments like the surge in mergers and acquisi tions and by technological innovations like internet based distribution. As a result, some market segments today do no longer have a national character. Nevertheless, this success should not...