McCanns calm before media scrum

By Dominic Hughes BBC News, Brussels

Could alerts stop abductions?

Walking towards a meeting room in the European Parliament, I was greeted by the intimidating sight of more than 20 camera crews all pointing their lenses right at me.

The press pack was ready and waiting for Kate and Gerry McCann.

I found the prospect of all those cameras pointing in my direction slightly unnerving -and I'm used to appearing on camera.

So what must it be like for the McCanns?

It says a lot about what they've been through over the past 12 months that they seem to take all this in their stride.

Ever since their daughter Madeleine disappeared on the night of 3 May last year during a family holiday in Portugal, they've had to get used to being at the centre of attention.

And sure enough, as they walked into the meeting room, the TV cameras, press photographers and radio reporters - myself included - swarmed around them.

Powerful reminder

Their press advisor, my former BBC colleague Clarence Mitchell, marshalled them to the stage but, to be honest, the couple appeared remarkably unflustered.

As they took their seats next to Edward McMillan-Scott, a senior UK Conservative MEP, they looked calm and collected.

But then over the past year they have faced much more stressful situations than this meeting with MEPs and child welfare groups.

I'm unable to accurately convey to you just how totally devastating Madeleine's abduction has been on us Kate McCann

They were in Brussels to promote the idea of an EU-wide alert system for abducted children.

It's based on the Amber alert programme already operating in the United States.

Amber stands for "America's Missing Broadcasting Emergency Response".

It's also named after Amber Hagerman, a nine-year-old who was abducted while out riding her bike in Arlington, Texas in 1996. Her body was found in a drainage ditch four days later.

Amber alerts work like this: as soon as a child abduction is suspected by police, information such as a name, description and photos - are quickly passed to local media, other police forces and transport companies.

They can also flash up details such as car registration plate on electronic motorway signs.

Kate McCann opened with a powerful reminder of what they've been through over the past year.

"This time last year we were a very happy family and we felt very lucky," she said.

"I'm unable to accurately convey to you just how totally devastating Madeleine's abduction has been on us as her parents.

"And yet all that pales into insignificance when we find ourselves thinking about what Madeleine has been through - the pain of separation, confusion, the fear - absolute fear- that she has had to endure. She's four years old."

Both of them were very focused on the message they wanted to get across

The room was pretty silent at this point. Kate McCann went on to remind us that theirs was far from an isolated case.

Thousands of children are known to be missing across Europe, but accurate figures are hard to come by because some countries don't even keep central records.

Upside down

Then it was Gerry McCann's turn to give a presentation on the proposals for an EU-wide scheme. He clearly knew his stuff, handling questions from MEPs and later from the media with calm professionalism.

Both of them were very focused on the message they wanted to get across.

But they also stressed this wasn't their idea, but one that a coalition of groups and MEPs were pushing.

They were just using the media attention they knew they would attract to help the campaign.

And then they were off again in another scrum of cameras to meet more MEPs, members of the commission and the British ambassador to the European Union.

Just two normal people, intelligent and attractive, but whose world was turned upside down one night last May.

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