France and Belgium have called for a Europe-wide effort in the fight against Islamist extremists and for more cooperation between EU member states. <br /><br /> The bilateral initiative comes after a period of strained relations following French allegations that its neighbour Belgium had overlooked jihadists preparing to attack the French capital last November.<br /><br /> Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said Europe must adapt. <br /><br /> “We find, as we have seen in Belgium as well as in France, that there is a new form of threat in Europe, a new form which lies hidden but which has also become more professional and learnt from its past failures.<br />So we need to adapt, so we have to anticipate better, to be more determined, and to cooperate against this new form of threat.”<br /><br /> French premier Manuel Valls wants to see a more rapid exchange of information between police forces on potential militants and an EU data base used to keep track on airline travellers. <br /><br /> “Europe must step up to the mark and show that
