After years of facing international criticism for purported “laxity” towards transparency and the fight against bribery and corruption, France has adopted new legislation aiming to rectify this deficiency, which imposes substantial obligations on companies operating in France. The Law on Transparency, the Fight against Corruption and Modernization of Economic Life, or the “Sapin II Law ”seeks to elevate France’s bribery and corruption intolerance to that of the United States and United Kingdom and has the capacity to change the culture of operating a business in France. France adopted the Sapin II Law on November 8, after several months of negotiations.

France’s Finance Minister, Michel Sapin announced the Draft Bill in July 2015, at the time of his report to the Council of Ministers, along with several statements, in which he made clear that the status quo was no longer acceptable to French businesses. Sapin stated “in the fight against corruption, France cannot just satisfy itself with the existing situation. It must seize the opportunity to adopt innovative tools to detect, prevent, and effectively punish corruption and attacks on integrity” as he began to put in place the mechanism to transform French compliance law.