The French Federation of wholesale markets (FFMIN) is a Professional Association which groups together most important wholesale market of France. Its main objects are:
	Contribute to the development of the French network of wholesale markets and co-ordinate their activities in close connection with the relevant French ministries,
	Hold the public administration informed about the problems which may arise to the wholesale market authorities and to propose all adapted solutions,
	Determine a common management policy of wholesale market authorities, considering both the experience of members and the permanent evolution of distribution networks,
	Defend its members’ material or moral collective interests,
	Generally speaking, supply to its members the legal, economic, administrative and technical assistance required for the exercise of their activity.
To assist the necessary adaptation and modernisation of wholesale markets, the French Federation set up Technical Committees in which participate presidents and directors of market members, as well as external experts when required. These Committees, during the year 2002/2003, more particularly worked on the following points:
	The institutional project of legislative reform to simplify the official status (and working conditions) of the French wholesale markets (Market of National Interest, MIN),
	The possibilities of diversification of the market activities as a service to local authorities and in particular those connected to urban logistics,
	The accounting management of markets, considering their specificity of concessionaires offering public services,
	The statutory problems concerning the hygiene and the food security in the perspective of the next modification of the European regulations. This task is developed in co-ordination with other European wholesale markets, within the framework of the World Union of Wholesale markets, organisation in which participates actively the FFMIN and the markets members.
The FFMIN is a forum of exchanges where Markets members must be able to exchange their respective experiences in all their fields of interest, to organise themselves in front of main subcontractors, to develop their co-operation in order to be better face the commercial competition. A permanent exchange of information about all the possible subjects, without any exclusion, constitutes the base of this activity which develops in a permanent way within the FFMIN. The information is also one of the priorities of the FFMIN, in particular through "FFMIN Infos" a letter regularly sent to members on all subjects of interest (20 letters in 2002/2003).