Following a submission from France Messagerie on 28 October 2022, today Arcep is publishing its opinion on the new technical, pricing, and contractual terms and conditions the company is proposing for 2023.
Despite the increased prices and cost cuts planned for 2023, France Messagerie’s economic and financial equilibrium remains a source of concern
The proposed technical, pricing, and contractual terms and conditions from France Messagerie include a proposed increase in the price of publications, daily newspapers and supplementary services, along with a cost-cutting plan for 2023. Although the proposed price changes and cost cuts for 2023 will help to improve France Messagerie’s financial health, these changes will not be enough to remedy the concerns that Arcep expressed in its previous opinions regarding the company’s financial health in the medium term. As a result, the Authority is once again urging the company to seek avenues to becoming more profitable.
France Messagerie must provide an assessment of its implementation of the new price list, along with information on services requiring a quote
The new draft of the technical, pricing, and contractual terms and conditions applicable to publications for 2023 introduces price changes that once again appear to give a significant advantage to the highest circulation publications. As a result, Arcep is requesting that France Messagerie provide it with a quantified assessment of the implementation of its new price list, by 31 March 2024 at the latest, so that it might analyse the impact of these changes in 2023.
Lastly, the price list that France Messagerie is proposing for 2023 refers to services that require a quote, which are impossible to assess in a concrete fashion, in accordance with the principles set out in the Bichet Act. To ensure the transparency of its technical, pricing, and contractual terms and conditions, Arcep is therefore requesting that, within a maximum two weeks, France Messagerie provide information on the services requiring a quote that the company supplied in 2022, followed by a detailed annual statement on these same services by 31 March 2023.