France bans unsolicited telemarketing calls starting August 11

The law takes effect

France has banned unsolicited telemarketing calls under a law that entered into force on Tuesday, August 11. The measure, backed by President Emmanuel Macron's government and approved by parliament last year, prohibits businesses from contacting consumers without their prior consent. "That consent can be withdrawn at any time," said Alice Vilcot, chief of staff at the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Prevention of Fraud (DGCCRF).

Years of complaints

Authorities estimate that about three-quarters of people in France receive at least one unsolicited sales call every week, and many receive more. In 2024, eleven consumer organizations issued a joint call for a ban, denouncing what they described as relentless harassment of consumers through countless unwanted calls to both landlines and mobile phones.

Until now, people who wanted to avoid such calls had to register their number with a government-run opt-out service, but consumer groups said some call centers ignored the list. Vilcot noted that an Ireland-based company was fined €6 million last year for calling people who had signed up to it.

Fines and exceptions

Individuals who make illegal calls can be fined up to €75,000 ($87,000) per call, while companies face up to €375,000 ($435,000) per call. Unsolicited calls can be reported through a government website. The ban is not absolute: consumers can give consent, for example by ticking a box on a form, and companies may still contact existing customers with new commercial offers when a contractual relationship already exists.

Abroad and in Morocco

Germany has had a similar ban since 2009. Many other countries rely on opt-out systems: the national Do Not Call registry in the United States, its equivalent in Canada, and the Telephone Preference Service in the UK, where fines can reach £500,000 ($670,000) per call.

France's law has raised concerns in Morocco, where employment minister Younes Sekkouri said in March that between 40,000 and 50,000 jobs were at risk in the country's call centers; the French market accounts for more than 80% of the sector's revenue there.