Washington - French President Nicolas Sarkozy, current president of the European Union, Saturday praised European unity at the emergency financial summit in Washington.

"Europe stands together unified as if one person," Sarkozy told reporters in French. There were "absolutely no problems."

He called the adoption by the G20 of financial principles and commitment to tighter regulations in the future a "historic agreement" to reform the world finance system.

Nice, France - A row over US and Russian plans to site missiles in Europe, the global financial crisis and European Union diplomacy in Georgia topped the agenda Friday when EU and Russian leaders met in the French resort of Nice.

"There should be no (missile) deployment in any enclave until we have discussed the new geo-political terms for pan-European security ... until then, please let's not talk about the deployment of missile shields," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a double-barrelled blast at Russia and the US.

Sarkozy currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.

Brussels - The European Commission on Friday moved to stiffen controls and penalties on fishermen who exceed their country's fishing quotas amid depleting stocks.

According to a new regulation put forward by the European Union's executive, member states that fail to crack down on over-fishing could see a suspension or reduction of funds they receive from Brussels.

And guilty fishermen could face fines of up to 300,000 euros (375,000 dollars).

Nice, France - If the United States and Russia cannot solve the row over their respective plans to site missiles in Europe and agree a new security treaty, Europe should do it for them.

That, at least, was the message French President Nicolas Sarkozy gave on Friday in his capacity as current holder of the European Union's rotating presidency.

"There should be no deployment in any enclave until we have discussed the new geo-political terms for pan-European security ... until then, please let's not talk about the deployment of missile shields, which don't bring security and which complicate things," Sarkozy said in a double-barrelled blast at Russia and the US.

Nice, France - If the United States and Russia cannot solve the row over their respective plans to site missiles in Europe and agree a new security treaty, Europe should do it for them.

That, at least, was the message French President Nicolas Sarkozy gave on Friday in his capacity as current holder of the European Union's rotating presidency.

Brussels - The European Commission on Friday threatened to refer the United States to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Washington's plans to subsidize its ailing car industry.

"Of course, if it is illegal state aid, we will act at the WTO level," Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told French radio station Europe 1.