France bans unsolicited telemarketing calls, with hefty fines for violators

PARIS (AP) — France has banned unsolicited telemarketing calls under a new law aimed at protecting consumers from intrusive sales pitches and shielding vulnerable people from fraudulent commercial practices.

The law backed by President Emmanuel Macron's government entered into force Tuesday.

While several countries have tried opt-out systems, France is hoping more muscular obligatory opt-in rules will be more effective.

Here’s a look at the measure and its potential impact.

Previously in France, people who wanted to avoid marketing calls had to register their number with a government-run service, but consumer groups said some call centers ignored the list.

Now, “businesses are prohibited from contacting consumers without their prior consent,” said Alice Vilcot, chief of staff at the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Prevention of Fraud. “That consent can be withdrawn at any time.”

The government says the law is a response to years of consumer 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, 11 consumer organizations issued a joint call for a ban, denouncing “relentless harassment of consumers through countless unwanted telemarketing calls to both landlines and mobile phones — an intrusion that has become a regular part of their daily lives.”

Parliament approved the law last year.

Individuals who make illegal calls can be fined up to 75,000 euros ($87,000) per call. Companies can face fines of up to 375,000 euros ($435,000) per call.

There are exceptions. Consumers may consent to receive marketing calls, for example by checking a consent box on a form. Companies can contact customers with new commercial offers if they already have a contractual relationship.

People can report unsolicited calls through a government website.

Vilcot noted that an Ireland-based company was fined 6 million euros ($6.9 million) last year for violating France’s previous telemarketing rules by calling people on the no-call list.

France’s new law has raised concerns in Morocco, where the minister of employment, Younes Sekkouri, told lawmakers up 50,000 jobs were at risk in the country’s call centers. Sekkouri said the industry has attracted around $100 million in investment and generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue in the country.

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

Youssef Chraïbi, president of the Moroccan Federation for Outsourcing Services, told the local daily Le Matin that the French market has historically accounted for more than 80% of the industry’s revenue.

“Pure telemarketing now represents only 15% to 20% of total activity,” Chraïbi said, adding that the sector has increasingly diversified beyond traditional call center services.

Neighboring Germany has had a similar ban since 2009.

The Netherlands tightened rules on telemarketing calls last month. The country had already banned unsolicited sales calls but now, companies are not allowed anymore to call their own customers with promotional offers without previous authorization.

Many other countries rely on opt-out systems.

In the United States, people can sign up for the national Do Not Call registry , which cuts down on unwanted sales calls, Canada has its own Do Not Call list , while the U.K. has the Telephone Preference Service .

In Britain, companies that call people who have opted out can be fined up to 500,000 pounds ($670,000) per call.

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Molly Quell in The Hague, Netherlands, and Akram Oubachir in Casablanca, Morocco, contributed to this report.