Source date: 2026-07-22
Economic Simplification Law
Business sale: changes to the Hamon law procedure Published July 23, 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / Direction de l'information légale et administrative (Prime Minister's Office)
The economic simplification law relaxes the Hamon law framework. The latter established a prior notification mechanism for employees in companies with fewer than 250 employees in the event of a business sale or transfer of the majority stake. The objective is to streamline the procedure to reduce the administrative burden and strengthen legal certainty for businesses. These new rules will apply to sales completed after July 27, 2026. Entreprendre Service Public provides you with the details.
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The simplified procedure for business sale or transfer of the majority stake applies to:
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companies with fewer than 50 employees;
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companies with 50 to 250 employees without a CSE (works council).
This procedure requires the employer to inform employees of their intention to sell the company within a timeframe that allows them to potentially make an offer.
The simplification law now limits this simplified procedure to companies with fewer than 50 employees.
Companies with 50 to 250 employees that have a CSE are no longer required to directly inform employees. However, they are still subject to the obligation to inform and consult with the CSE.
Additionally, the simplification law brings the following changes to the simplified procedure:
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the employer must inform employees at least 1 month before the sale (versus 2 months previously);
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in case of failure to comply with the notification obligation, the penalty is reduced. It is reduced to 0.5% of the sale amount (versus 2% previously).
The reform will apply to sales completed 2 months after the law's enactment (in other words, to sales completed after July 27, 2026).
A practical guide "Objectif reprises : réussir la reprise et la transmission d'entreprises" is available. It guides businesses through each step of the transfer or acquisition process with practical, simple, and easy-to-follow fact sheets.
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Source: Service-Public professionnels