A leading European politician declared the terrorist attacks in Brussels shows much more needs to be done to tackle xenophobia.

The attacks on the city’s airport and a subway station on Tuesday killed 34 and injured 270.

Italian deputy Gianni Pittella, leader of the S&D (Socialist and Social Democrat) group, said that European society could not be “overcome by fear” so that it creates a “fortress leading to even more ghettoization and marginalization.”

He went on, “We must work together to keep our society united around common values and principles, and we must fight to eradicate xenophobia and islamophobia. We should question ourselves in asking why young Europeans devote themselves to fundamentalism and terrorism. We definitely should improve our model of cultural integration.”

His comments are partly echoed by another senior Member of the European Parliament who was also reacting to the attacks.

European Conservatives and Reformists leader Syed Kamall, a British MEP, condemned “wicked and indefensible acts”, adding, “They targeted people in Brussels but it could just as well have been in any of our cities or towns.People of all faiths, races and views today stand united to state that these terrorists may attack us, but they will never defeat us and our freedom, our pluralism, or our way of life.”

Elsewhere, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker pledged that the EU would “stand united” in the face of terrorism.

The EU chief declared,”These attacks have hit Brussels today, Paris yesterday – but it is Europe as a whole that has been targeted.

“These events have affected us, but they have not made us afraid. We will continue our work, to face the terrorist threat together, and to bring European solutions to questions that concern us all.”

The European Parliament’s president Martin Schulz spoke of his “horror” at the “despicable and cowardly” attacks in Brussels.

The German Socialist MEP said the atrocity “angered and saddened” him and were “born from barbarism and hatred which do justice to nothing and no one.”

Expressing “compassion and solidarity” with the Belgian people, Schulz pledged that, “Brussels, like other cities hit by such terrorist attacks, will stand strong, and the European institutions will do likewise.

His comments were echoed by Dutch PM Minister Mark Rutte whose country is current holder of the EU presidency.

Expressing his “revulsion”, he said Belgium had been hit by “cowardly, murderous attacks” adding, “While many things are still unclear, it’s certain that special vigilance is needed now, not only in Belgium but also in our own country. We will take all necessary precautions.”

Reaction from other EU bodies was swift, with Europol’s director Rob Wainwright saying the attacks were a “further reminder of the volatile terrorist threat faced in Europe today.”

He added, “Working with its security partners in the EU and beyond, Europol is determined to fight terrorism in all its aspects and all its manifestations. To that end, our action must continue to be part of a comprehensive approach based on the strengthening of resources to thwart the actions of terrorist networks, their financing and online reach.”

Michael O’Flaherty, director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) believes, “This attack is an attack on all of us. Every human has the right to life, and this right has been trampled on in Belgium’s capital today.

"At the same time, our reaction must not be one of hatred and fear – this would just play into the hands of the perpetrators. Our answer in the EU must be to stand by our belief in human rights and their universality.”