In order to make the profession of newsagent more attractive, and to better satisfy customers’ expectations in terms of press selection, the “Bichet Act” entrusts the print media industry’s interprofessional organisation with the task of establishing the rules governing press title assortment, and determining the quantities displayed at points of sale (PoS), for non-political or general news publications registered with and recognised by France’s Joint Commission for Press Publications and Agencies (CPPAP).
Stakeholders signed an interprofessional agreement in July 2021[1], as well as an amendment to that agreement[2] in December 2024 bringing changes to the rules used to determine the number of copies shipped to PoS. Arcep issued an opinion – on 7 December 2021[3] and 20 February 2025[4] – assessing the compliance of these agreements with the principles of the Bichet Act.
In February 2026, stakeholders submitted a new amendment to this interprofessional agreement to Arcep, bringing changes to the rules governing title assortment and for determining the number of copies shipped to points of sale for non-political or general news “CPPAP” newspapers and periodicals.
Today, Arcep is launching a call for comments on this amendment to the interprofessional agreement, with a view to drafting an Opinion assessing its compliance with the principles of the Bichet Act. All interested stakeholders (publishers, newsagents, messaging services, fulfilment centres, those responsible for calculating the number of copies shipped to PoS, etc.) are invited to share their comments on the draft amendment by 6:00 pm (Paris time) on 20 March 2026, by email to the following address: distribution-presse[a]arcep.fr.