Nathalie Loiseau, who leads French president Emmanuel Macron's party in the May European Union parliament elections, is facing criticism after a report that she featured on a list alongside far-right candidates at a student's election 35 years ago.

Mediapart reported the Former European Affairs minister appeared in sixth position on the candidate list of UED — a students' union linked to far-right movement GUD — during elections held in 1984 at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, also known as Sciences Po.

Loiseau, who has focused on the fight against nationalism, told Mediapart she should have been more careful. She said "if I had identified people from the GUD on this list, obviously I would have refused to appear on it. I regret to have been associated with these people."