The Metropolitan Police wants to join together with Portuguese authorities to investigate the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said the force is hoping to get agreement for a joint investigation team from UK and Portuguese governments.
Currently Scotland Yard is running its own inquiry into what happened, while the Portuguese authorities have their own investigation, after re-opening it last month after shelving the inquiry in 2008.
Sir Bernard said: "One thing we'd like to see in the future is a joint investigation team which comes under the European community. It is a possibility legally, and we're working together at a political level, and at a police and judicial level, to see how we can construct that.
"There are two separate inquiries with a different focus - we've got one particular set of lines of inquiry and they have a different one. But it's important that we work together on what is clearly a common problem."
His comments come as it was revealed that senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, is due to provide an update on the Met's investigation on the BBC Crimewatch programme on Thursday night.
He is not expected to release any major new information.
Madeleine, of Rothley, disappeared aged three from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, in May 2007.
