In her first decision as France's culture minister, Catherine Tasca has asked the country's competition authorities to rule on the controversial issue of cinema chain UGC's "Illimite" card, which gives unlimited access to UGC screens for FFr98 a month.

UGC's new promotional effort has been opposed by independent exhibitors, who consider it unfair competition, since they are not in a position to equal UGC's offer. They have appealed to Francis Lamy, the liaison for the cinema industry, who said in a report given to Tasca this week that the UGC card could be in breach of competition rules because of its low pricing.

In the meantime, Tasca has asked UGC to put its initiative on hold, until its impact on the market is fully estimated.