French President Emmanuel Macron speaking prior to the start of the last day of campaigning by the La Republique En Marche | Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images Macron makes last-ditch appeal to young voters in EU campaign In YouTube chat, French president outlines vision of ‘federation of nation states.’

PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron made a last-ditch intervention in the European election campaign on Friday, taking part in a live YouTube chat and urging young people to go out and vote.

"It's May 26th, or never!" Macron said in impassioned closing remarks, looking straight into the camera, after a 45-minute chat with host Hugo Travers, a young YouTube star.

Macron's appearance came just hours before the official end of the European campaign in France, with his pro-EU list of candidates running neck and neck with the far-right National Rally. French voters go to the polls on Sunday to elect their members of the European Parliament.

Macron said he is not telling young voters whom to vote for and he did not mention his Renaissance list of candidates. But his plea came after he had outlined his vision for the future of the EU as a "federation of nation states."

"I didn’t come here to tell you to vote for this or that list. I came to tell you go to vote, because deciding not to vote is letting others decide your future for you," Macron implored.

He also attempted to win over some of the audience who inquired about lowering the voting age to 16,

Only about 45 percent of voters traditionally turn out for European elections in France. And only about 30 percent of young people — aged between 18 and 34 — are expected to vote this time, according to a poll by Odoxa.

Macron urged viewers not to vote against a party or a politician, but in favor of issues that matter to them, underlining how the European Union affects their daily lives from the quality of the food they eat, to the internet they use.

Protest votes have historically benefited Macron's rival, the far-right National Rally, which currently has a lead of 1 percentage point over Macron's list, according to POLITICO's projections.

Throughout the Q&A session, questions streamed in via a live rolling chat. In addition to a large number of negative comments, denouncing Macron and his policies, questions centred on the environment, military issues and the internet.

In response to a question about whether he supports the idea of a United Nations of Europe, Macron said he believes in a federation of nation states that would have strong national and European sovereignty, and more democratic European institutions to better tackle issues of climate change, terrorism, and regulating tech giants.

He also attempted to win over some of the audience who inquired about lowering the voting age to 16, promising to look into it if those aged between 18 and 25 voted massively in Sunday's election.

Macron has become more personally involved in the election campaign in recent days as his Renaissance list has failed to establish a lead over the RN in the polls. Such a personal role carries the risk of turning the vote into a mid-term referendum on his presidency, just over two years after he came into office.

Opponents have criticised Macron for taking an active part in the campaign, arguing the head of state should stay out of party politics. An OpinionWay poll found 57 percent of the French think the president is wrong to be involved in the campaign.