France has banned unsolicited telemarketing calls unless consumers have given prior permission, in a move described by a consumer advocacy group as a “small revolution” for consumers.The ban, which took effect on Tuesday, applies to businesses across all sectors. Companies can still contact customers about an existing contract, but they must obtain consent before making marketing calls.A 2025 parliamentary report found that 97% of people in France were annoyed by unsolicited sales calls. It also found that 72% of French people received calls on their mobile phones at least once a week, while 38% said they were contacted daily.The report described telemarketing as “one of those rare issues that unites people in France”.Businesses making marketing calls will now need prior approval from consumers and must retain evidence of that consent.Consumer advocacy group Que Choisir Ensemble welcomed the move, calling it a “small revolution” for the sales industry.“It cannot be stressed enough that peace and quiet is a right, and it is time to stop exposing consumers to unwanted solicitations,” the group said in a statement.Its president Marie-Amandine Stévenin said the issue extended beyond telephone marketing.“This observation also holds true online and on the street, which are saturated with demands to consume,” she said.Stévenin said the organisation had long campaigned “for an end to the automatic assumption that someone in their home or private life is a potential customer.”“This is a victory for consumers, the vast majority of whom do not want to receive sales calls,” she said.The new restrictions have raised concerns among businesses and in Morocco, where the call-centre industry relies heavily on the French market.A Moroccan government minister estimated that the restrictions could put up to 50,000 jobs at risk, according to a report in newspaper Le Matin.France’s direct-selling industry has also criticised the new requirements.Frédéric Billon, head of the Fédération de la Vente Directe (FVD), said companies would face additional administrative burdens.“You’ll have to obtain written consent from your customer, and you’ll also have to keep proof of that consent,” Billon said in comments reported by the New York Times.
European countries take different approaches
France’s move comes as Germany, Austria and Italy already have restrictions on unsolicited telemarketing calls.The UK has a less restrictive approach. Most cold calls remain legal as long as the recipient has not objected and the number is not on the statutory list covering people or businesses that do not wish to receive such calls.
