The parents of Madeleine McCann will visit Strasbourg today in a fresh bid to win support for a Europe-wide child abduction alert system.

Gerry and Kate McCann need the signatures of another 182 MEPs by July 20 - the close of the plenary session - to ensure their written declaration of the initiative is sent to the EU president and published.

Even with the support required, such a declaration carries no legal weight in the European Union but the McCanns believe it would help them win the moral argument over whether such a cross-border system is needed.

The couple visited Brussels in April to launch their campaign and have gained the signatures of 211 MEPs so far.

They hope their presence at the other European Parliament building will help them reach the 393 mark.

The couple, from Rothley in Leicestershire, will take part in a series of meetings with parliament members throughout the day.

Clarence Mitchell, their spokesman, said: "Kate and Gerry are confident this can be achieved but they accept that there's a lot to be done. They remain confident but they are not naive."

Mr Mitchell said that Mrs McCann had led a "sustained e-mail campaign" as part of the effort, sending messages urging MEPs to sign up.

Madeleine went missing from her family's holiday apartment, in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 last year.

The McCanns believe a child abduction alert system - similar to the Amber Alert system used in the United States - would have helped the search for the three-year-old in the crucial hours after her disappearance.

In the US, members of the public are notified via various media outlets across states when police confirm that a child has been abducted.