In France, tobacco use is a constant concern for public health authorities, as the number of deaths attributable to smoking is approximately 66,000 per year, accounting for nearly 15% of all deaths. Experimentation with risky behaviors now begins in preadolescence, hence the need to better understand and monitor tobacco use starting at age 11. Through international comparisons, we can highlight national specificities. With this in mind, we propose to compare smoking among 11- to 16-year-olds in France with their European counterparts, based on the results of two published and validated surveys. These are two European quadrennial surveys characterized by: a standardized questionnaire at the European level, a two-stage random sampling (schools, classes), a representative sample of the general population (youth in compulsory schooling), a response rate exceeding 80%; a large sample (at least 1,000 subjects per age and gender). The HBSC survey covers students aged 11, 13, and 15 and is led by WHO Europe. The most recent survey was conducted in 2002, with 30 European countries participating (total sample of 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds = 162,306 subjects). In France, it is overseen by Godeau, Navarro, Vignes, and Sand-François (Medical Service of the Toulouse Regional Education Authority). The ESPAD survey targets 16-year-old students and is led by Sweden. The most recent survey was conducted in 2003, with 35 European countries participating (total sample of 16-year-olds = 102,946 subjects). In France, it is jointly managed by Inserm and the OFDT and is unique in that it includes all secondary school students. First, we will report on France’s position relative to all participating countries. Next, to make the results more easily accessible, we selected seven countries, including, in addition to France, Switzerland (another country where French is a national language), Germany and Great Britain (representing the major European countries), Sweden (representing the Scandinavian countries), the Czech Republic, and Poland (two major Eastern European countries). (Excerpt from the introduction)