The EU will rush through proposals for major changes to the rules of the passport-free Schengen zone by the end of the year to boost security following the Paris attacks, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Friday.

"The European Commission has agreed to present, by the end of the year, a plan to reform the Schengen border code to allow systematic and obligatory checks at all external borders for all travellers, including those who benefit from free movement," he said after an emergency EU meeting.