France's Macron Says EU Must Reform Or Could Face 'Frexit'

Emmanuel Macron celebrates after the first round of the French presidential election in Paris on April 23.

French presidential front-runner Emmanuel Macron has said that the European Union must reform or face the prospect of "Frexit."

Macron, a pro-EU centrist, made the comments to the BBC as the election campaign entered its last week.

French voters go to the polls on May 7 in a second-round runoff to decide between Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

Macron said on May 1 that "the European idea and European policies" were "extremely important" for France, but added that the French public was "extremely angry today, impatient and the dysfunction of the EU is no more sustainable."

Le Pen has capitalized on anti-EU sentiment, and has pledged a referendum on France's membership in the bloc.

She has promised to retake control of France's borders from the EU and substantially decrease immigration.

Macron is currently leading Le Pen in the polls by 20 percentage points.

Based on reporting by BBC and Reuters