A comparison of two European surveys conducted among adolescents (ESPAD for 16-year-olds, HBSC for 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds) provides a better understanding of alcohol consumption among these young people and helps to better position France relative to other countries. This comparison leads to the conclusion that France does not rank at the top of Europe in terms of alcohol consumption and drunkenness among young people, regardless of the criterion considered (consumption or drunkenness over a lifetime, in the past 12 months, in the past 30 days, or regularly). Nevertheless, consumption increases everywhere among 11- to 15-year-olds, the preferred beverages are beer and spirits, and in most countries, more boys drink than girls. Since 1999, alcohol consumption has increased most notably in Eastern European countries, while it has remained stable (or even decreased) in over 60% of countries (including France). At age 16, young people consider alcohol to be fairly accessible (between 72% and 87% depending on the product) and believe that the risks associated with repeated weekend binge drinking are not that significant (32%). (R.A.)