German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder called on Thursday for greater European political, military and security cooperation in combating terrorism.
Schroeder said in a speech to the parliament that European authorities need to coordinate their work and share intelligence and vowed to crack down on terrorist suspects within his country.
"We in Europe must above all provide better protection for our citizens through preventive measures and that means more intensive cooperation between European security agencies," Schroeder said.
He pointed out that EU leaders would decide on "toughened measures" in the anti-terror fight at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
Moreover, Schroeder defended Spain against accusations of appeasing terrorists by threatening to pull troops out of Iraq, saying the Spanish people "deserve better than to be derided by outsiders."
It is "an important opportunity to defend the Spanish people against defamation," he said in the speech.
"In these difficult times, the Spanish people deserve better than to be derided by outsiders just because they have proved their democratic maturity," said Schroeder.
On Wednesday, Schroeder attended a memorial service in Madrid for the 190 identified victims of the train bombings on March 11, the worst terror attacks in the country.