French Commercial code
In forceI.-Any professional operating in an economic sector mentioned in III may ask the administrative authority responsible for competition and consumer affairs to take a formal position on compliance with the second, third and fourth paragraphs of I of Article L. 441-10 of the arrangements for calculating the payment periods that it plans to introduce.
The purpose of this formal position is to protect this professional from a change in assessment by the administrative authority which would be likely to expose him to the administrative penalty provided for in Article L. 441-16.
II.-The validity of the position statement referred to in I expires from the date on which:
1° The professional's situation is no longer identical to that presented in his application;
2° A change in legislative or regulatory provisions likely to affect this validity has come into force;
3° The administrative authority notifies the professional, after having informed him in advance, of the change in its assessment.
III.-A decree in the Conseil d'Etat shall specify the economic sectors mentioned in I in which there are particular difficulties in terms of payment periods assessed on the basis of the number and seriousness of payment incidents recorded there and their economic impact on the sectors concerned or the nature and recurrence of the difficulties of interpretation that the rules on payment periods give rise to.
