France Merger Control Thresholds 2026 (from 1 September 2026)

Last checked against the official text on 15 October 2026. Authority: Autorité de la concurrence.

Current thresholds

Previous amounts (superseded)

Who reviews, and is filing mandatory

Concentrations of national dimension in France are reviewed by the Autorité de la concurrence. The notification thresholds are in Article L. 430-2 of the Commercial Code. Article 24 of Law No. 2026-403 on the simplification of economic life, published in the Journal officiel in May 2026, raised them.

Filing is mandatory and prior: Article L. 430-3 requires a concentration that reaches the thresholds to be notified to the Autorité before it is carried out. The Autorité's FAQ states that the obligation does not depend on signing a binding agreement, and that a notification can be made once the parties can present a sufficiently developed project, for example after an agreement in principle, a letter of intent or the announcement of a public offer.

The tests from 1 September 2026

Under the general regime, the Autorité's merger-control page states that the combined worldwide turnover of the parties, excluding tax, must exceed EUR 250 million and the turnover achieved in France by at least two of the parties must exceed EUR 80 million. A third condition is that the transaction does not have a Union dimension and therefore falls outside the EU Merger Regulation.

For retail, Article L. 430-2, II sets lower amounts: EUR 100 million worldwide and EUR 20 million in France for at least two parties operating retail stores. Turnover is calculated under Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004, on the basis of the last closed financial year and audited accounts, as the FAQ recalls.

Which transactions the new amounts apply to

The law makes the date of notification decisive. The new amounts apply to concentrations notified to the Autorité from 1 September 2026 (Article 24, II). A transaction notified earlier stays under the regime in force on its notification date, even if it has not been decided by then. The FAQ also addresses a transaction signed before 1 September 2026 whose closing falls after it: if it is below the new amounts and not notified on or after that date, there is no failure to notify and no early implementation (gun-jumping) on that ground.

What changed in 2026

Four amounts moved. General regime: worldwide turnover from EUR 150 million to EUR 250 million, French turnover of two parties from EUR 50 million to EUR 80 million. Retail regime: worldwide turnover from EUR 75 million to EUR 100 million, French turnover from EUR 15 million to EUR 20 million. The old amounts applied until 31 August 2026. According to the Autorité's merger-control page, the separate thresholds for the overseas territories are unchanged.

What this page does not cover

This page does not cover the overseas-territory thresholds, the EU one-stop-shop and referral rules, review periods and fees, the substantive test, foreign-investment screening, or the ex-post review of transactions that fall below the thresholds. The wording of Article L. 430-2 itself was not read on Légifrance for this check: the amounts and dates come from the text of Article 24 as reproduced by the Autorité de la concurrence in its FAQ.

Changes log

• 15 October 2026: Page published. Figures checked against the text of Article 24 of Law No. 2026-403 as reproduced in the Autorité de la concurrence FAQ.
• 1 September 2026: New amounts apply to concentrations notified from this date: general regime 250 / 80, retail 100 / 20 (EUR million).

Frequently asked questions

What are the French merger control thresholds from 1 September 2026?

General regime: combined worldwide turnover above EUR 250 million and French turnover of at least two parties above EUR 80 million. Retail: EUR 100 million worldwide and EUR 20 million in France for at least two parties.

Do the new French thresholds apply to deals already signed?

They apply to concentrations notified to the Autorité de la concurrence from 1 September 2026. A transaction notified before that date stays under the previous regime; the date of signing does not decide which amounts apply.

What were the French thresholds before 1 September 2026?

Until 31 August 2026 the general regime was EUR 150 million worldwide and EUR 50 million in France, and the retail regime EUR 75 million and EUR 15 million.

Related

• EU Merger Control Thresholds 2026 - Complete Guide
• EU Form CO - How to Prepare a Merger Notification
• Turkey merger control thresholds 2026