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The main centre-right and centre-left blocs in the European Parliament have lost ground in EU elections amid a surge in support for Eurosceptic parties, early results suggested.

In France, the far-right National Rally won more votes than President Emmanuel Macron's centrist En Marche party.

Germany's Greens performed well, as did the UK's Brexit Party.

But the centre-right European People's Party remains the largest bloc, with a projected 180 seats, down from 216.

The EPP is expected to form a "grand coalition" with the Socialists and Democrats bloc, with support from liberals and Greens, analysts say.

Turnout is estimated to have risen to a four-decade high of about 50% of eligible voters.

The European Parliament shapes EU legislation and determines who gets key jobs in the European Commission, the Union's executive.

What do the results mean for the EU?

Based on current estimates, the previously dominant conservative EPP and Socialists and Democrats blocs will be unable to form a "grand coalition" in the EU parliament.

The Socialists and Democrats looked set to drop to 152 seats from 191.

Pro-EU parties are still expected to hold a majority of seats however, largely due to gains made by the liberal ALDE bloc and its allies under Mr Macron.

"For the first time in 40 years, the two classical parties, socialists and conservatives, will no longer have a majority," said Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the ALDE.

"It's clear this evening is a historical moment, because there will be a new balance of power in the European parliament," he said.

There were major successes for the Greens, with exit polls suggesting the group would jump from 50 to around 67 MEPs.

But gains for nationalist parties in Italy, France and elsewhere means a greater say for Eurosceptics who want to curb the EU's powers.

A potential group of right-wing nationalists under Matteo Salvini, who leads Italy League party, could become the second-largest bloc if a deal with allies can be struck.

Who were the winners and losers?

In Germany, both major centrist parties suffered. Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats dropped from 35% of the vote in 2014 to 28%, while the centre-left Social Democratic Union fell from 27% to 15.5%.

In the UK, the newly formed Brexit Party, led by Nigel Farage, took an early lead with 32% of the vote, amid gains for the Liberal Democrats and significant losses for the major Conservative and Labour parties.

The right-wing populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) performed worse than expected - projected in exit polls to win 10.5% - while still improving on their first results in 2014.

Amid mixed results far-right parties across Europe, Ms Le Pen's National Rally party - formerly the National Front - appeared to have won a symbolic victory over Mr Macron's party, securing 24% of the vote to his 22.5%.

An Elysee Palace spokesperson official played down Mr Macron's loss, describing the outcome as a disappointment" but "absolutely honourable" compared to previous results.

In Hungary, Viktor Orbán, whose far-right, anti-immigration Fidesz party won 52% the vote and 13 of the country's 21 seats, was also a big winner.

"We are small but we want to change Europe," Mr Orbán said. He described the elections as "the beginning of a new era against migration".

In Spain, the ruling socialist party (PSOE) took a clear lead with 32.8% of the vote and 20 seats, while the far-right Vox party won just 6.2% and three seats - coming in fifth.

The Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras called for an early election after his conservative rival New Democracy party won 33.5% of the votes to 20% for his Syriza party.

Why was the turnout so high?

EU citizens turned out to vote in numbers not seen since the first EU elections in 1979, bucking years of decline.

The numbers were significantly higher than the last elections in 2014, when fewer than 43% of eligible voters took part. Turnout in Hungary and Poland more than doubled on the previous poll, and Denmark hit a record 63%.

Analysts attributed the high turnout to a range of factors including the rise of populist parties and increased climate change awareness.