The ministers of the interior expressly underscored the importance of their shared values including the rule of law and freedom of opinion. A coordinated security package is to address terrorism.

The ministers were invited by French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to a meeting prior to Sunday’s rally to commemorate the victims of the attacks. Alongside the EU ministers of internal affairs, the US Attorney General Eric Holder attended the meeting, as did the European Union Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos and the EU’s counter-terrorism coordinator, Gille de Kerchove.

Improving cooperation with transit states

In future when presumed Islamists return from Syria or Iraq to their European homeland, the fact is to be entered in the Schengen Information System. The interior ministers also intend to improve cooperation with countries of destination and transit countries. Many western Jihadists, "foreign fighters" as they are known, use Turkey, for instance, as a stopover when travelling from Europe to fight.

Sharing passenger data

The EU interior ministers are also calling for the swift implementation of the agreement on sharing passenger data. Similar agreements currently exist only for passengers travelling between Europe and the USA or Canada. Talks are to be initiated with the EU to find compromises on the issues of passenger data and data retention.

The interior ministers will also be addressing the problem of the increasing radicalisation of young Muslims via the internet. They will be working with internet providers to this end. A way is to be found to make it possible to delete extremist content as swiftly as possible. A "counter narrative" to Islamist propaganda is also needed on the internet.

Further steps are to be taken to clamp down on illegal weapons, and to this end intelligence services are to cooperate more closely.