French Anti-Benefit Regulation for Event Planners

When planning events that involve healthcare professionals (HCPs) in France, it's crucial to understand the French Anti-Benefit Regulation. This law, designed to ensure transparency and fairness in healthcare, impacts how event planners can interact with and offer benefits to HCPs. Here’s what you need to know, simplified for event planning professionals.

Navigating the French Anti-Benefit Regulation for Event Planners

What Is the French Anti-Benefit Regulation?

The French Anti-Benefit Law, introduced in 2020 and updated in 2023, limits the types of benefits companies in the healthcare sector can offer to HCPs. The goal is to prevent undue influence over healthcare decisions by restricting gifts, payments, or hospitality.

However, there are exceptions for certain benefits that are allowed under strict conditions. As an event planner, if your event involves HCPs or stakeholders from the healthcare sector, you must comply with these rules.

Key Exceptions for Event Planners

While most benefits are prohibited, there are specific exceptions that are relevant to event planners:

Hospitality: You can provide meals, lodging, and transportation, but only within strict limits. For example: Hotel accommodation: capped at €150 per night (including breakfast). Meals: capped at €50 per meal. Transportation and other costs for an event: capped at €2,000 per HCP. Participation Fees: Event fees, like registration for scientific or professional events, can be covered for HCPs, but they must be documented properly. Training and Research Grants: You can offer funding for training or research under strict guidelines. These must be pre-approved and documented in formal agreements.

How Does This Impact Event Planning?

Event planners need to be meticulous in adhering to the regulation. Here's how it affects your work:

Budgeting for Hospitality: Ensure that any accommodation, meals, or travel provided to HCPs remains under the capped amounts. It’s critical to keep receipts and records for compliance checks. Attendee Lists: Review your list of invitees to ensure you are aware of who qualifies as an HCP. Medical students are particularly restricted from receiving any hospitality under these regulations. Agreements and Documentation: All permitted benefits must be clearly outlined in written agreements. These contracts should specify the purpose (e.g., participation in a scientific event, research funding, etc.) and need to be reported to the relevant authorities in France, especially if the benefit exceeds certain thresholds. Advanced Declaration: If the benefit provided exceeds a certain value, you must declare it to French authorities at least eight days before the event. This includes hospitality costs like hotels, meals, and transportation.

Practical Steps for Staying Compliant

Work with your legal team: Ensure all benefits provided at your event are reviewed and approved by your legal or compliance team. Coordinate with suppliers: Make sure venues, hotels, and transport companies are aware of the caps and regulations. Document everything: Keep thorough records of every benefit offered, and make sure that agreements with HCPs or companies are signed and properly filed.

By understanding the French Anti-Benefit Regulation and adapting your event planning processes, you can ensure compliance while still delivering valuable, professional events for healthcare professionals.

If you’re organizing a healthcare-related event in France, these regulations will shape much of your logistical planning, so stay informed and work closely with your partners and suppliers to keep things running smoothly.

How Native Spaces Can Help You

At Native Spaces, we are familiar to managing event requests within the scope of the French Anti-Benefit Regulation, navigating its complexities with ease. Our team collaborates with flexible hosts that can adapt their offer to comply with established laws, ensuring that the venue aligns with these important regulations. We’re here to assist you in finding the ideal space to match your specific needs, ensuring a smooth and stress-free planning process that fully respects legal requirements.