Le consommateur français entre loi Toubon et droit communautaire
Marc Frangi
« The French consumer between the Toubon Act and European law »
deals with the long tradition France has as regards the legal protection of the
French language both in international affairs (the international organisation
of co-operation between French speaking countries called the « francophonie »)
and in home affairs (vote of the Bas-Lauriol Act in 1975 and of the Toubon Act
in 1994, protecting the right for the people who are living in France to have
always an access in French language to any public or private service or
business). The adoption of the principle of « language which is easily
understood by consumers » by the European authorities in the directives 79/112
:CEE of December 18, 1978 and 2000/13/CE, of March 20, 2000, as applied by the
European Court of justice in several cases and the advice of the Commission of
July 27, 2002, are opening the possibility to use other languages than French
in product labelling if they are easily understandable or if the product
offered to consumers is sufficiently explained by other means (icons, etc.).
The French authorities, which form part of the Community’s legislator, but
which, at home, are confronted with a strong and popular movement in defense of
the French language, have not always reacted consistently nor taken the matter
as one of serious public policy concern. As legal matter, however, it is clear
ever since the enactment of the Toubon Act that mandatory labelling in French
does not mean labelling exclusively in French.
• 1 Introduction
• 2 La relative contradiction entre le régime juridique de la protéction linguistique du consommateur en France et la droit communautaire
— 2.1 Promotion linguistique nationale et droit
communautaire
— 2.2 L’arrêt de la CJCE du 12 septembre 2000
• 3 Une adaptation superficielle du régime juridique de la protection linguistique du consommateur aux règles européennes
— 3.1 La circulaire du 20 septembre 2001
— 3.2 Le décret du 1er août 2002
• 4 Conclusion