France has enacted a sweeping ban on unsolicited telemarketing calls, shifting from an opt-out system to mandatory opt-in rules in an effort to protect consumers from aggressive sales pitches and shield vulnerable populations from fraudulent commercial practices.

The law, backed by President Emmanuel Macron's government, entered into force on Tuesday. Under the new framework, businesses are expressly prohibited from contacting consumers without their prior consent.

"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 "That consent can be withdrawn at any time."

Previously, French residents who wished to avoid marketing calls had to register their phone numbers with a government-run service. However, consumer groups reported that numerous call centers simply ignored the list.

The government describes the measure as a direct response to years of consumer complaints. Authorities estimate that approximately three-quarters of people in France receive at least one unsolicited sales call every week, with many receiving multiple such calls.

In 2024, eleven consumer organizations issued a joint appeal demanding a ban, condemning what they called "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 legislation last year.

Under the new law, individuals who make illegal calls face fines of up to 75,000 euros ($87,000) per call. Companies can be fined up to 375,000 euros ($435,000) per call. The per-call penalty structure makes France's regime one of the most punitive in Europe, reflecting a broader continental regulatory philosophy that treats marketing consent as a consumer protection issue rather than a commercial convenience. This approach aligns with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, which since 2018 has required explicit consent for processing personal data, establishing a legal foundation that France has now extended specifically to telemarketing.

Certain exceptions apply. Consumers may voluntarily consent to receive marketing calls, such as by checking a consent box on a form. Additionally, companies may contact existing customers with new commercial offers when a contractual relationship is already in place.

Consumers can report unsolicited calls through a dedicated 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 registered on the no-call list. That case underscores the enforcement challenges French authorities face when calls originate from companies based in other EU member states or operate from outside the bloc entirely.

The new French law has sparked concern in Morocco, where Employment Minister Younes Sekkouri told lawmakers that up to 50,000 jobs could be at risk in the country's call center industry. Sekkouri said the sector has attracted approximately $100 million in investment and generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue nationally.

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

Youssef Chraïbi, president of the Moroccan Federation for Outsourcing Services, told the Moroccan 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, noting that the sector has increasingly diversified beyond traditional call center services into customer support, technical help desks, and back-office operations.

France's approach follows similar measures elsewhere in Europe. Germany has maintained a comparable ban since 2009. Last month, the Netherlands tightened its telemarketing rules further: while the country had already prohibited unsolicited sales calls, companies are now also barred from calling their own existing customers with promotional offers without prior authorization.

Many other countries continue to rely on opt-out systems. In the United States, consumers can register with the national Do Not Call registry to reduce unwanted sales calls. Canada maintains its own Do Not Call list, while the United Kingdom operates the Telephone Preference Service. In Britain, companies that call individuals who have opted out can face fines of 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.