The favourite to win France's presidential election, Emmanuel Macron, has said the EU must defend the single market during Brexit negotiations.

He urged the remaining 27 EU countries to protect the single market in a speech setting out his manifesto in Paris.

"Our responsibility in the years that come is to be able to rebuild the European dream", he said.

A precise date for the UK's exit has not yet been agreed, but Theresa May has said she wants to trigger Article 50 by the end of March.

Image: Emmanuel Macron unveiled his manifesto during a speech in Paris

Polls suggest Mr Macron will be one of the two candidates who make it to the final vote in the presidential election on 7 May, and that he is likely to win in the final run-off.


The 39-year-old is expected to go up against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, who wants to take France out of the EU and the eurozone.

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Image: Mr Macron was the last candidate to reveal full details of his policies

In his speech Mr Macron warned that "without a real European strategy" the EU would not survive.

He also called for a "new impulse for the single market" and encouraged a fresh effort to reinvigorate the eurozone.

It is not the first time Mr Macron has addressed the issue of the UK leaving the EU.

On a visit across the Channel last month he called on talented people in the UK to move to France after Brexit.

Mr Macron is seeking to present himself as a fresh face without political baggage in the upcoming election, in contrast to his rivals.

Both Ms Le Pen and conservative candidate Francois Fillon are facing investigations for corruption.

Image: The scandal engulfing Francois Fillon has made Mr Macron the favourite

Mr Macron made a clear reference to his opponents' controversies in his speech, saying he wanted to ban officials from hiring family members and "eradicate conflicts of interest".

He also has suggested banning politicians from consulting work and cutting the size of parliament by a third.

He also touched on climate change as he set out his presidential pitch, saying he disagreed with US President Donald Trump's position on global warming.

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But he said he wanted tight security cooperation with the US despite his ideological differences with the president.

On Thursday, an Opinionway poll suggested Ms Le Pen would get 25% of votes, ahead of Mr Macron on 23% and Mr Fillon on 21%, in the first round of the presidential election on 23 April.

But in a final run-off between the two leading candidates it suggested Mr Macron would scoop up supporters of Mr Fillon and beat Ms Le Pen by 63% to 37%.