(VOVworld) – France and Germany on Thursday pressed for urgent reforms to the European Union's visa-free Schengen travel zone to counter the increasing number of Europeans leaving their home to join jihadists in Iraq and Syria.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called for “a European PNR (Passenger Name Record). File photo: AFP

The French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve led the impassioned plea to EU counterparts at a meeting in Luxembourg, calling for "a European Passenger Name Record, and a more efficient system of checks at airports. He said a new category of "foreign fighters" should be added to the list of suspect individuals for police at European borders as the current categories only include offenders, criminals and fugitives.