A new law would punish men who display lecherous or aggressive behaviour in public including leering, repeatedly asking for a woman’s phone number or speaking while too close to a woman’s face.
The legislation is being piloted by 34-year-old women’s minister Marlene Schiappa, who wants to tackle sexist male attitudes in public spaces.
It comes as the escalating scandal over Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual assaults on a string of actresses has rekindled a global debate on sexual harassment.
Ms Schiappa told RTL radio: “This action is completely necessary because at the moment street harassment is not defined in the law.”
Asked about the difficulty of drawing a line between harassment and flirtation, Schiappa said: “We know very well at what point we start feeling intimidated, unsafe or harassed in the street.
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“Such as when a man invades a woman’s personal space, by talking to you ten or 20 centimetres from your face.
“Or if he follows a woman for several blocks, or asks for your phone number 17 times.
“The level of the fine is also part of our discussions. We feel 5,000 euros would be an effective deterrent.”
The hashtag MeToo encouraging women to share their experiences is among the top 10 trends on French Twitter, along with #balancetonporc – meaning Expose the Pig – to report sexual harassment in the workplace.
A cross-party task-force composed of five MPs is now working with police and judges to come up with a definition of harassment that can be enforced by officers in the street.
The legislation will be voted on next year.