Flag to font: The strict rules on election leaflets in France

France and the rest of the EU goes to the polls in June in the first European elections since Britain officially left the bloc.

That means villages, towns and cities across France will soon sprout a number of large temporary metal billboards, and you will soon start receiving a number of election-related pamphlets with the direct mail in your postbox.

What you may not have considered, as you take those leaflets directly from your mailbox to your recycling bin, are the strict and very precise rules that candidates and parties must follow.

First things first:  it is prohibited to use black type on a white background on any election material. The reason? That particular colour and contrast combination is reserved for public administration purposes, and cannot be mimicked.

Until 2020, the official bleu, blanc, rouge of the flag of France was also banned in political campaign publications unless, that is, they were part of a political party’s official logo.

READ ALSO EXPLAINED: The very precise rules of French election billboards

The rule has now been relaxed slightly. Order matters. The ban is now limited to “the juxtaposition of the three colours as long as it is likely to lead to confusion with the national emblem, with the exception of the reproduction of the emblem of a political party or group”.

So, blue-white-red is banned, blue-red-white is not.

And don’t think these rules are not enforced. French candidates and parties receive public subsidies to cover expenses for election campaign material, such as leaflets and posters. Funding is provided after each election round, in the form of reimbursements for incurred expenses. 

Failure to comply with the rules may result in the campaign being invalidated and part or all of that refund being refused.

The use of paper, too, will affect whether candidates will get their campaigning money back. To benefit from campaign expense reimbursements, the paper used must be ecological and meet two conditions. The paper must contain at least 50 percent recycled fibre and be certified by the FSC, PEFC or equivalent bodies.

Furthermore, basic advertising rules apply. Leaflets must include the legend “imprimer par” followed by the name of the printer. Any candidate who self-prints election material must still include this information, using the phrase “imprimer par nos soins”. 

The words “ne pas jeter sur la voie publique” must also be clearly visible, in order to deter littering (don't worry, you're allowed to throw them straight into the bin or recycling box).

And the use of foreign words is prohibited, unless the material also includes a visible translation. Ignoring these advertising rules may result in a fine.

Finally, perhaps most surprising for US and (increasingly) UK readers - there’s no such thing as attack adverts on TV, radio, or in print in France. Political TV advertising is banned across the board, while campaign pamphlets cannot lay into political rivals.

READ ALSO What are the rules for French presidential candidates appearing on TV?

That doesn't mean that candidates don't sneakily try to trash their rivals or leak damaging stories about them of course, French politics is a dirty as any other country, but the attacks cannot take the form of adverts.  

Once the official campaign period starts there are also strict rules for TV stations to follow about the amount of airtime candidates are given, while the temporary metal billboards that suddenly appear in towns and cities around France at election time are also strictly controlled.