The European Commission has accused some French politicians of using the EU as a "scapegoat", in a row over economic policy, reports the BBC.
The Commission, which drafts EU laws, was responding to French Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg, who said Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso was fuelling nationalism.
Relations have been tense since France insisted that cultural subsidies should be excluded from EU-US trade talks.
France has long been wary of EU powers.
France's Socialist government wants the EU to do more to encourage economic growth, arguing that too much austerity has exacerbated the hardship caused by the financial crisis.
In a riposte to Mr Montebourg on Monday, Mr Barroso said "some protectionists on the left use exactly the same language as the far right".
"It would be good if some politicians understood that they will not get very far by attacking Europe and trying to turn the European Commission into a scapegoat for their difficulties," he told a news conference.
Read more of this report from the BBC.