By Yasmine EDDAM
1 May 2025
The international transport of goods often involves many different players. Among them, the freight forwarder plays a special role in organising and securing operations. Its legal status, governed by French law, determines its rights and obligations vis-à-vis the other players in the logistics chain. Definition and legal status of the freight forwarder The freight forwarder is distinguished from other intermediaries by precise criteria established by both legislation and case law. The dual definition of freight forwarder French law offers two complementary definitions of freight forwarder. According to the French Transport Code, a freight forwarder is a person who "organises and arranges, under his own responsibility and in his own name, the carriage of goods by the mode of his choice on behalf of a principal". The Cour de Cassation (French Supreme Court) defines freight forwarding as "the...
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