For at least two decades, France has been playing a key role in the European monetary integration process. This goal has been pursued by successive governments of different political affiliation, and has very significantly shaped the country's economic policy. Major policy shifts as well as large-scale reforms were undertaken in the name of this objective, and when conflicts of priority arose, European objectives at least twice prevailed over domestic objectives. However, there is curiously few research available on the influence of European integration over French economic policy, and even less on the political economy of European monetary integration in France. This paper aims at contributing to a better understanding of these issues.