France to ban unsolicited telemarketing calls from August 11

France is introducing a ban on unsolicited telemarketing calls, with the new rules taking effect on August 11. The legislation, supported by President Emmanuel Macron's government, was approved by parliament last year. It replaces an earlier opt-out system in which consumers could add their numbers to a state-run register. Officials acknowledged that some call centres ignored the list.

Under the incoming regime, companies will be barred from contacting consumers without their prior consent, according to Alice Vilcot, chief of staff at the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Prevention of Fraud. Consent can be withdrawn at any time, she said. The measure responds to years of complaints: authorities estimate that about three-quarters of French residents receive at least one unwanted sales call per week.

Parliament passed the law last year after 11 consumer organisations jointly demanded a ban, describing the calls as relentless harassment of people on landlines and mobile phones. Fines for illegal calls will reach €75,000 per call for individuals and €375,000 per call for companies. Consumers can still opt in by ticking a consent box, and firms may contact customers with new offers if a contractual relationship already exists. Reports can be filed through a government website. The authorities last year fined an Ireland-based company €6 million for breaching the previous no-call rules.

The ban has raised concerns in Morocco, a major outsourcing hub for French firms. Employment minister Younes Sekkouri told lawmakers that up to 50,000 jobs could be at risk in Moroccan call centres. The industry has attracted around $100 million in investment and generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue, he said. Morocco's appeal comes from low labour costs, a large French-speaking workforce and relatively weak unions. Youssef Chraïbi, head of the Moroccan Federation for Outsourcing Services, said the French market historically accounts for more than 80 percent of the sector's income, though pure telemarketing now represents only 15 to 20 percent of total activity.

Germany has had a similar ban since 2009. The Netherlands tightened its rules last month, extending restrictions to calls made by companies to their own customers. Many other countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, use opt-out registers; in Britain, firms that call people who have opted out can be fined up to $670,000 per call.