Nicolas Sarkozy was on Tuesday hoping to overcome his country’s deep scepticism about the merits of the European Union with a rallying call to French voters ahead of June’s European parliamentary elections.

The French president, who on Wednesday celebrates two years in power, was set to address 4,000 people in the southern city of Nimes on France’s role in Europe. Polls consistently show that the French are among the most eurosceptic of Europeans, with fewer than 50 per cent believing EU membership is positive for the country.