Brussels  - The Czech Republic, a eurosceptic dwarf of a nation currently at the helm of the European Union, rushed to the rescue of the bloc's single market Wednesday amid criticism that it is not doing enough to combat the economic crisis.

By calling an extraordinary summit for March 1, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek moved to defend his country's ability to preside over the 27-member bloc.

Prague  - Without naming any names, the European Union presidency in Pr

Prague  - Czech Premier Mirek Topolanek said Tuesday that he would prefer to avoid a media fight with French President Nicolas Sarkozy over European Union automobile industry policies.

"There's no reason for this kind of public exchange of blows in the media," said Topolanek, who currently holds the EU presidency, in an online interview.

France infuriated the Czechs and the Slovaks last week by suggesting that French carmakers should relocate their factories in eastern Europe to France.

Brussels - European Union finance ministers were locked in talks on how to dispose of banks' toxic assets Tuesday, with the bloc's presidency confirming it would hold an "anti-protectionist" summit later this month.

"The biggest risk at the moment is protectionism," said Czech Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, at the start of the talks in Brussels.

Munich  - Where there's a will, there's a way: the saying is as old as the English language, dating back over 1,000 years.

But while European and US leaders on Saturday agreed that the West has the will to work with Russia on some of the world's toughest problems, they are still looking for a way to do it following Russia's "gas war" with Ukraine and its real war with Georgia.

Geneva - The Swiss will head to the polls Sunday to vote in a referendum on free movement and access for European Union citizens to their labour market, and will have to decide whether to open up Switzerland to Romania and Bulgaria.

The latest polls indicated that the government backed motion will likely pass and voters will extend the existing deal with 25 European states and allow in the two new EU members, but only by a slim margin.