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Bookstore in the Paris suburb of Saint-Mande: price fixed for delivery
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
France wants to set a minimum delivery fee of three euros by law for online book orders for less than 35 euros.
The plan aims to level the playing field in favor of independent bookstores, which are losing out to e-commerce giants.
This was announced by the French government on Friday.
It has been banned in France since 2014 to have books delivered to your home for free.
However, Amazon and other big retailers like France's Fnac have circumvented the ban by charging just one cent per delivery.
Local bookstores usually charge up to seven euros for the delivery of books.
The legislative proposal to close the one-cent loophole went through parliament in December 2021.
But the law could not come into force because the government had not yet decided on the amount of the minimum fee.
EU still has to agree
It now followed the proposal of the regulatory authority Arcep, which had listened to relevant market participants, and set it at three euros.
For the upper limit from which free delivery is allowed, the government decided on a higher threshold than proposed.
Amazon had previously emphasized the major role its deliveries played in rural areas.
Book trade associations emphasized the importance of diversity for book culture.
In a joint statement, the culture and finance ministries emphasized that the law will "adapt the book industry to the digital era" in which it creates a balance between large e-commerce platforms and the book trade.
The ministries announced that the European Commission would now be informed of the plan.
The minimum shipping fee will come into effect six months after EU approval.
feb/Reuters
