France bans cold calling with strict new law

Cold calling is about to come to an end. Or at least in its current form. On Tuesday 11 August, a law backed by Emmanuel Macron's government will come into force, tightening the rules and banning these unsolicited nuisance calls. The aim is to protect consumers from intrusive commercial solicitations and to protect vulnerable people from fraudulent practices.

From now on it will be illegal to contact consumers without their prior consent. Consent that "can be withdrawn at any time", says Alice Vilcot, chief of staff at the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control.

However, the practice will still be allowed in two situations: when a company has already obtained your agreement, for example during a purchase, a visit to a shop or via a form, and when the call concerns a contract you have already signed.

The government says the law responds to years of consumer complaints. Authorities estimate that around three quarters of people in France receive at least one unsolicited sales call every week, and many receive more.

Content creator Micode highlights the same problem on his YouTube channel. In a lengthy investigation carried out over several months (source in French), he sheds light on how these call campaigns work, from aggressive techniques to schemes that discourage victims from taking legal action.

Back in 2024, eleven consumer organisations issued a joint call for a ban, denouncing the "relentless harassment of consumers through countless unwanted marketing calls to landlines and mobile phones, an intrusion that has become a regular part of their daily lives".

And the penalties for violating the law will be severe. Individuals may be fined up to 75,000 euros per call. Companies could face fines of up to 375,000 euros per call.

So far, ineffective measures

Over the past fifteen years, numerous measures have already been introduced: a ban on canvassing from mobile numbers starting with 06 or 07, as well as at certain times of the day or at weekends. But this ban applied only to a few sectors, such as the Personal Training Account, home adaptations for disability or old age, or energy-efficiency renovation. From now on, it will cover almost all sectors.

Another measure that had been introduced was signing up to a platform in order not to be contacted. "We are thus moving from an opt-out system to one based on prior consent", the finance ministry, Bercy, says with satisfaction.

But for the consumer association Que Choisir (source in French), the battle will not end there. Deprived of telephone calls, "many fraudsters will try to change the playing field and operate via door-to-door canvassing", warns its president, Marie-Amandine Stévenin. She is already calling for this practice to be regulated.

Concern in Morocco

The new French law has sparked concern in Morocco, where Employment Minister Younes Sekkouri told MPs that up to 50,000 jobs were at risk in the country's call centres. He said the industry had attracted around 100 million dollars in investment and generates more than one billion dollars in annual revenue in the country.

Low labour costs, a large French-speaking workforce and relatively weak trade unions have made Morocco an attractive destination for international companies, particularly French firms seeking to reduce their costs.

Youssef Chraïbi, president of the Moroccan Outsourcing Services Federation, told local daily Le Matin that the French market has historically accounted for more than 80% of the sector's revenue. "Pure telemarketing now accounts for only 15% to 20% of total activity", he added, noting that the sector has diversified beyond traditional call centre services.

Measures in other countries

Germany has had a similar system in place since 2009. The Netherlands strengthened its rules on canvassing last month. The country had already banned unsolicited sales calls, but companies can now no longer phone their own customers with promotional offers without prior permission.

Many other countries have adopted measures based on opt-out systems. In the United States, people can sign up to the National Do Not Call Registry, which reduces unwanted sales calls.

Canada has its own "Do Not Call List", while the United Kingdom has the Telephone Preference Service. Companies that call people who have opted out can be fined up to 500,000 pounds (583,000 euros) per call.