The share of Eastern European Rice genetic resources in the French rice working collection increased following the creation of the FAO Med Rice Network and subsequent germplasm exchanges. From 1991, germplasm from Eastern European rice growing countries like Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Russia was introduced and evaluated under climatic and biotic conditions of Mediterranean French conditions. Most introduced varieties show cold tolerance, both during germination-sprouting and setting-up stages, earliness and high susceptibility to stem borer (Chilo suppressalis) and/or stem rot (Sclerotium sp), probably because of weakness or absence of these parasitic constraints in Eastern European rice growing areas. Grain type is generally short to medium, rarely long-large and does not match French consumer's preferences, except from Hungarian material where more or less long slender grains is found. In order to take advantage of useful traits like cold tolerance and earliness found in the introduced germplasm, a breeding project started using selected Eastern European genetic resources as parent in crosses. According to the behavior of the most advanced progenies, promising results were obtained. One of them is the possible cutting-down of negative links between yield potential and early flowering and maturity. Although all Eastern European genetic resources were characterized to belong to the japonica botanical type, the combining ability of the russian variety Kulon is quite related to that of an indica type. This is an important result for broadening the genetic base in Mediterranean French rice improvement. Further research activities to improve the knowledge and use of Eastern European genetic resources are proposed.