France wins backing for tighter border controls in wake of Paris attacks

France has won the backing of its European Union partners who have agreed a series of new measures on surveillance, border checks and gun control. Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve called for the new controls to be introduced without delay, saying: “We need to act firmly, we need to act swiftly and with force.” He said a proposed system for gathering airline passenger information would allow security forces to better track extremists and foreign fighters coming and going from Syria and Iraq. The new measures were rubber-stamped at an emergency meeting of EU interior and justice ministers aimed at fine-tuning a security response to the attacks in Paris a week ago, in which 129 people were killed.

We are here to show our French colleagues, and the French people, that we stand by them and that we are determined to make a tough, clear response

German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere

At present, citizens of the 26 Schengen countries have their documents visually checked by security forces when they leave or enter the area. The new proposal will mean documents are systematically checked against criminal and security databases. Meanwhile, French president Francois Hollande will preside over a national ceremony on November 27 honouring the victims of the attacks. His office announced on Friday that the ceremony would be held at the gold-domed Hotel des Invalides, where Napoleon’s tomb lies and which is seen as a symbol of France’s military and international strength.

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