EU: The interior ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain yesterday called for closer EU co-operation on policing, data sharing and border security to counter the threat of terror attacks.
Officials said the ministers agreed that Europol - the bloc's police agency - should look to disrupt "terrorist finance flows", identify links between organised crime and militant groups and improve data sharing.
The 25-nation bloc should also look to introduce biometric passports for all EU citizens, provide advance information on passengers posing an immigration or security threat and improve information sharing on lost, stolen or forged travel documents.
British Home Secretary Mr David Blunkett hosted two days of talks with his counterparts in northern England.
"Terrorists and organised criminals do not respect borders and it is vital that we have effective laws, intelligence-led policing and close cross-border co-operation to help us tackle international crime," Mr Blunkett said in a statement.
Measures have to be agreed at an EU-wide level, not just by the "Big Five", but Mr Blunkett said they could drive progress.