"The pressure to merge tends to be rising," Joerg Schneider said in an interview published on Saturday by Boersen-Zeitung.

"Perhaps there will be pressure to consolidate among the smaller companies," he said. "But among the larger re-insurers I do not expect mergers because these could entail a significant business loss," he added.

The pricing pressure in the reinsurance industry is a temporary development and demand will increase again markedly in the medium-term, he said, without being more specific about timeframe.

Touching on developments in the first quarter, Schneider said Munich Re had seen lower claims burdens from major losses, "something which will have a positive impact" on financial results.

(Reporting by Marilyn Gerlach; Editing by Pravin Char)