The press benefits from preferential postal rates for its routing and distribution by the operator in charge of the public transport and press distribution service mission, La Poste.
The tariff schedule, on which these tariffs are based, takes into account the weight of publications, the urgency and the readiness of shipments.
Daily newspapers, weeklies and supplements of a political and general information (IPG) nature as well as daily newspapers regularly providing information and comments on the news of all sports disciplines also benefit from exemplary assistance for the press titles posted.
National dailies with low advertising resources and local dailies with low classifieds resources receive an increased copy subsidy.
After several months of work, representatives of the press publishers, the President and CEO of the La Poste Group, the President of the Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse (Arcep), the representative of the Minister of Economy, Finance and Recovery and the Minister of Culture, have signed February 14, 2022 a memorandum of understanding on the reform of press transport.
It is implementing an ambitious reform with strong financial support from the State over the period 2022-2026. The objectives of this reform are, on the one hand, to provide press publishers with greater freedom, quality and predictability in their distribution to subscribers, but also to guarantee a public press postal service at a preferential rate throughout the territory, while improving its economic balance.
This protocol thus offers unprecedented visibility to the entire industry, through the monitoring of the evolution of postal rates for all press families. It also encourages titles to make greater use of porting networks, to reduce the use of direct mail for sending daily and weekly newspapers. For their part, the porting networks which have signed an agreement with the State must ensure that their flows are open to all publications certified by the Joint Commission on Publications and News Agencies, essential and indispensable condition for the success of this reform. At the same time, this reform reinforces the public service mission entrusted to La Poste by law, while at the same time maintaining its economic balance.
The creation of a press distribution quality observatory, to be set up within ARCEP, is another step forward in this protocol.
To learn more:
Signature of the State-Post Press Memorandum of Understanding of 23 July 2008
Post and electronic communications code, article L4, article R1-1-17, Articles D18 to D28.
Law no. 90-568 of 2 July 1990, as amended, on the organisation of the public postal service and on France Télécom, article 2.
Decree no. 2023-132 of 24 February 2023 instituting a copy aid for press titles posted or worn.
Memorandum of Understanding on press transport reform.
The public service mission of press transport and distribution entrusted to the La Poste Group.
