From January 2009, the European Directive on services in the internal market will be implemented as law in France.

The objective of the Services Directive is to achieve a genuine internal market in services, by removing legal and administrative barriers to the development of service activities between EU member states.

The directive also aims to guarantee service providers more legal certainty and strengthen the rights of users of services, for instance by enshrining the right of non-discrimination.

All this is fine and may give more freedom to all involved in the service area. But, on the other hand, the implementation of the directive in France may also have a side effect that some have not foreseen.

More than 250 activities will be involved in the process, from hairdressers to taxi drivers and - of course - wholesale trade. This will put, once again, the protection perimeter around wholesale markets, renamed the perimeter of reference, right in the middle of the administrative arena.

The case was supposed to be closed following the introduction of new regulations on markets three years ago. After months of negotiation between the market authorities and the government, a kind of status quo was settled upon. Of course, the way things panned out revealed that it was, in a practical sense, very difficult for markets to interfere with the way tenants and their competitors settled within a market’s perimeter. The Metro affair has been archetypal of this situation, in a way.

But the Services Directive could jeopardise the very concept of perimeter, if it is labelled as unfair in a competitive sense by European authorities.

French trade minister Herve Novelli remarked very diplomatically on the situation during his closing speech at the last ‘Entretiens de Rungis’ (Interviews of Rungis) event, and Rungis ceo Marc Spielrein also acknowledged that there was some truth in the problem.

The minister assured markets that they and their tenants can be sure the government will take stock and ask their advice before making any decision. But for more than one wholesaler, many of whom are totally dedicated to the concept of service, the question remains: will this assurance be enough?