French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the expected election victory for Dutch anti-EU and anti-Islam populist candidate Geert Wilders was a consequence of "all the fears that are emerging in Europe" over immigration and the economy.

However, Le Maire also told Franceinfo radio on Thursday that "the Netherlands are not France."

Dutch far-right politician Wilders, of the Freedom Party (PVV) who has vowed to halt all immigration to the Netherlands, was set for a victory in parliamentary elections on Wednesday, an exit poll showed. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)