France’s announcement has again put the spotlight on Uber, an American company that has been attracting criticism across the globe that it does not comply with local licensing laws. It also follows steps by policy makers in Amsterdam, Delhi and elsewhere to ban its services.

Uber says that it will challenge any legal ruling —including the potential ban across France — that would block it.

France’s move came only days after Uber dodged a potential ban of UberPop in Paris. Parisian taxi associations had filed a lawsuit against Uber, saying that the company should not be permitted to operate in the city where the one-time fee for a taxi license costs up to $300,000.

A local judge on Friday decided not to ban UberPop, prompting cabdrivers in the capital to stage a go-slow strike on Monday in protest of the company, which is valued at $40 billion, or almost the same as General Motors.

In the latest legal twist for Uber, Pierre-Henry Brandet, the French Interior Ministry spokesman, said Monday that new legislation called the Thévenoud Law — which requires all drivers who chauffeur paying passengers to have a license and appropriate insurance — would form the basis of the ban. UberPop does not meet the licensing requirement.