Political Control and Europeanization: How Does French Agri-environmental Policy Face Up to Policy Evaluations?

In this article we examine whether the monitoring of member states’ policies by the European commission is leading to greater Europeanization. With this objective in mind, we consider the processes of implementation of Agri-Environmental Measures (AEMs) in France. The European requirements for AEM evaluation have been progressively tightened. We analyse this change as an institutional transfer. First we consider its social and political processes, then its impact on the domestic debate and on the policies related to agri-environmental issues. Finally we examine the democratic legitimacy of this impact.