Competition, antitrust and trade
Introduced in 2005, French regulations have stipulated that single agreements concluded between suppliers and distributors must be signed by 1 March of each year at the latest. This due date, commonly referred to as the “March deadline”, sets the pace for the entire annual commercial negotiation calendar. It requires the parties to formalise, before this date, the terms of sale, commercial cooperation commitments and all the obligations that will govern their relationship for the coming year.In recent years, various factors have called into question the continuation of this March deadline.