Details of missing children are to be flashed up on railway departure boards and electronic motorway signs across Europe under plans devised by the Portuguese Government to speed up searches. The proposals will be presented to EU ministers today.

The plan for a common alert system across European borders follows criticism of the length of time it took Portuguese authorities to inform ports and neighbouring countries about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Madeleine’s parents are preparing a fresh legal bid to have their status as formal suspects in the disappearance of their daughter lifted and hope to clear their names before Christmas. Kate and Gerry McCann — who were made arguidos, or official suspects, in the case nearly four weeks ago — have instructed their lawyers to “explore every avenue” to have the status lifted, a friend said yesterday.

The couple are hoping to mark a new advertising campaign for the search for Madeleine, who has been missing for nearly five months, with an appearance on Portuguese television.

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Friends said that the McCann family were now so desperate for information about Madeleine’s whereabouts that they were considering employing a psychic. Mr and Mrs McCann have already consulted a book by Gordon Smith, who claims to be Britain’s “most accurate medium”, and are being urged by other members of the family to seek his views directly.

The Portuguese Government denied that its latest initiative was linked to the case of the British girl.

Portugal, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, will ask other countries to adopt the French system, which rushes details to regional media as well as transport hubs such as motorway service stations as soon as an abduction has been reported.

Speaking before today’s meeting, Alberto Costa, Portugal’s Justice Minister, said: “A million children a year are the subject of abduction. A lot of cases are not investigated. It is important to look for cross-border solutions.”

A dramatic alert would not be appropriate in every case, an adviser to the minister added. “We need strict rules on the way we issue alerts, because it can be dangerous in some kinds of abduction,” the adviser said. “We want common guidelines rather than a uniform approach. We will discuss the way an alert is made — in France, for example, the prosecutor decides because it is linked to that process.”

The ministers will also be asked to consider ways to combat abduction cases in which an estranged spouse or partner tries to take a child to another country.

In another initiative, Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, will call for a tougher EU approach to monitoring sex offenders as they travel around the 27 member states.

Only Britain and the Irish Republic currently require someone on the sex offenders register to tell police when they are travelling abroad for more than three days so that the authorities abroad can be alerted.

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