The French president said condoms would be made available free of charge in pharmacies for 18 to 25-year-olds in an effort to reduce unwanted pregnancies among young people.

«It's a small revolution for contraception,» announced Emmanuel Macron during a health debate with young people in Fontaine-le-Comte, a suburb of Poitiers in western France.

The move comes after the government began offering free pregnancy tests this year to all women under 25, expanding a targeted programme for all girls under 18, with the aim of ensuring that young women do not stop taking contraception because of financial barriers.

Condoms are already covered by the French national health system if prescribed by a doctor, a measure aimed at fighting the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.

On sex education as a whole, the President said: «We are not very good in this area. The reality is very, very different from the theory. It is an area where we need to train our teachers much better.».