Catching up with or getting ahead of Europe?

France has repeatedly failed to reach its European objectives in terms of renewable electricity consumption. As for the rapid growth of biofuels, it results mainly from the weight and influence of the domestic agriculture sector. Yet, this does not mean that the European integration process has had no influence on French renewable energy policies, although not necessarily in a top-down fashion. In order to account for the interactions between French and European policies, this paper develops an approach centered on the practices and usages of Europe, and explores vertical and horizontal dynamics of Europeanization.