France

This page contains information on statutory alcohol marketing regulations
in France (table 1); a description of the restrictions per medium (table 2); labelling information (table 3); information on non-statutory alcohol marketing regulations (table 4); the complaints procedure; and a summary about the French regulations on alcohol marketing, including exhaustive, downloadable documents from the ELSA & FASE research projects.

Updated May 2024

The legal regulations in France (Évin Law) summarized (2017):

The law applies to any drinks over 1.2% alcohol by volume and contains three core measures.

  • The first prohibits alcohol advertising through media targeted at young people, but other less intrusive media are allowed. Situations in which alcohol advertising is permitted are set out in the law: adult press, radio (between 12 am and 5 pm on weekdays, between midnight and 7 am on Wednesdays), billboards, online (Internet and apps, except sports organizations when young people are targeted and provided that the ads are not intrusive), inside points of sale (with a maximum sign requirement of 0.35 m² and tastings: e.g., at wine fairs), on leaflets and mail shots, alcohol delivery vehicles, special events (traditional fairs, etc.), wine museums and on objects used for alcohol consumption (e.g., glasses). Any medium not listed in the Évin Law is banned: on television, in cinemas, festivals, cultural and sporting events (sponsoring), etc.
  • The second measure controls advertising content in authorized situations: product information must only contain factual/informative data and objective qualities (e.g., proof, origin, composition and means of production). Consequently, attractive ads with positive, evocative images and/or text associating alcohol with pleasure, glamour, success, sport, sex, opinion leaders, etc., are not allowed.
  • The third measure requires the health warning ‘alcohol abuse is dangerous for health’ to appear on all alcohol advertisements.

Any sponsorship operation is prohibited when its purpose or effect is the direct or indirect propaganda or advertising of alcoholic beverages (L3323-2 Code de la Santé publique).


Table 1Statutory Alcohol marketing regulations in FranceCoverage
justicebnwLOI n° 2005 -102 du 11 février 2005 pour l'égalité des droits et des chances, la participation et la citoyenneté des personnes handicapéesLabelling/pregnancy
LOI HOPITAL PATIENT SANTE TERRITOIRE Titre III Prévention et Santé Publique. n°2009-879. Art. 93-94-96-97(V)Internet/digital media, promotional items and free offer/open bars and sale in petrol station; happy hours; internet; sale to minors. Authorized advertising media: grown-up Print media, radio (time bans), posters, commercial brochures, indications on delivery vehicles, holidays and traditional fairs, [NEW: on-line with the exception of those intended for the youth or published by the sports organizations (and under reserve that the advertising is neither intrusive or interstitial] (Article 97).
Decree of 2 October 2006 concerning the registration details of the message to sanitary character advocating the absence of alcohol consumption by pregnant women on the unit packaging of alcoholic beverages Decree on health warning for pregnant women which is mandatory on every alcohol content
Loi EvinTV, radio, cinema, sponsoring, internet/digital media, outdoor, print, promotional items
CODE DE SANTE PUBLIQUE (Public Health Code)
The rules that are introduced by above mentioned legislations are now in the Public health code, articles L. 3323-2 and following
Table 2 Statutory regulations per mediumType of statutory restrictions
TVTelevisionBan on alcohol advertising on TV (Loi Evin). Marketing of alcoholic drinks with a certification of quality and origin, and linked to a production region or to cultural, gastronomic or regional heritage is accepted since 2016.
Only product information, no lifestyle advertising (Loi Evin)
RadioMusic-Radio-iconOnly product information, no lifestyle advertising (Loi Evin); between 12 am and 5 pm on weekdays, between midnight and 7 am on Wednesdays;Marketing of alcoholic drinks with a certification of quality and origin, and linked to a production region or to cultural, gastronomic or regional heritage is accepted since 2016.
Outdoor marketingOutdoor AdvertisingOnly product information, no lifestyle advertising (Loi Evin);Marketing of alcoholic drinks with a certification of quality and origin, and linked to a production region or to cultural, gastronomic or regional heritage is accepted since 2016.
Printed mediaPrint mediaOnly product information, no lifestyle advertising (Loi Evin)
No advertisement in publications which target minors
CinemaCinemaTotal ban on advertising (Loi Evin); Marketing of alcoholic drinks with a certification of quality and origin, and linked to a production region or to cultural, gastronomic or regional heritage is accepted since 2016.
Internet/digital mediaOnlineAlcohol advertising on the internet was considered prohibited until the law n°2009-879 "Hôpital, Patient, Santé, Territoire" (2009) added online services to the list of permitted media, excluding web sites directed to young people and web sites run by sports organisations, and providing the commercials are not interstitial or intrusive.

Only product information, no lifestyle advertising, no sponsorship (Loi Evin)
Promotional itemssales promotionsExcept within the framework of holidays and declared traditional fairs … or when tastings in order to sale [NEW: it is forbidden to offer free of charge at will alcoholic drinks in a commercial purpose or to sell them all-inclusive price]. No alcohol can be sell in the petrol stations [CHANGE: between 6 pm and 8 am (vs <10pm-6am>)]. It is forbidden to them to sell cooled alcoholic drinks (Article 94 LOI HOPITAL PATIENT SANTE TERRITOIRE)
If retailers propose alcoholic drinks at a reduced price during a restricted period (happy hours), [NEW: he also has to propose them at a reduced price to non alcoholic drinks] (Article 96 LOI HOPITAL PATIENT SANTE TERRITOIRE)
The sale of alcoholic drinks [NEW: to the minors is forbidden (vs 16 years), as well as their offer for free to minors in bars and any markets or public places] (Article 97 LOI HOPITAL PATIENT SANTE TERRITOIRE)
(Sports) sponsorshipsponsorshipSponsorship is forbidden in all areas.
Table 3 Labelling informationDescriptionLegally binding or self-regulation
Health warnings:All the units of packaging of alcoholic drinks mention, in the conditions fixed by order of the minister of health and social security, a sanitary message with sanitary recommending no alcohol consumption by the pregnant women (Article 5 LOI n° 2005-102 du 11 février 2005)
Order of 2/10/20007. Message: " the consumption of alcoholic drinks during the pregnancy, even in small amounts can seriously damage the child's health " or a pictogram.
Legally binding (Article L. 3323-4 of the Public health code, the health warning has been a statutory obligation since the Evin law (1991)pregnancywhite
Every alcohol advertisings must contain a health warning : alcohol abuse is dangerous for health.
Ingredients/nutritional informationNo

A dashboard, published by Association Addictions France (2024) with most important decisions made by the Court since the adoption of Loi Evin:

https://view.genially.com/65d712d931187000145358d1/horizontal-infographic-diagrams-plan-projet-jurisprudence

Recent research related to alcohol marketing regulations in France:

Réduction des dommages associés à la consommation d’alcool

The following document contains an in depth (but older) overview of alcohol marketing regulations in France: alcohol-marketing-regulations-France.pdf

For even more (but older) information on alcohol marketing regulations in France, please take a look at France’s appendix to the 2007 ELSA (Enforcement of national Laws and Self-regulation on advertising and marketing of Alcohol) report.

For further information on alcohol marketing regulations in France contact Franck Lecas, Head of the loi Evin Unit in the Communication, Animation and Advocacy Department: Franck.lecas@addictions-france.org