European Parliament
Strasbourg

German Christian democrat MEP Manfred Weber, who leads the centre-right EPP group, says the 27 remaining EU states have shown there can be "no cherry picking" over Brexit.

Accusing Brexiteers of having "no common plan" for how to leave, he says British businesses are getting "more and more nervous" about the outcome of negotiations.

In the final outcome there "must be a difference" between being inside or outside the EU, he adds.

European Parliament
Strasbourg

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says the EU needs to speed up its work towards a common asylum system.

He thanks members of the European Parliament's home affairs committee, who recently endorsed many aspects of the Commission's stance at a vote.

However, he criticises efforts made by member states to give money towards the EU's development fund for African countries.

On Brexit, he says that the European Commission is "not negotiating in a hostile mood".

"We want a deal", he tells MEPs, adding that those arguing for no deal "have no friends in the Commission" - and that no deal "is not our working assumption".

European Parliament
Strasbourg

Donald Tusk calls for EU states to "renew our political vows" with a call to respect the founding values of the Union.

He says that signatories to the EU's treaties have also made a commitment to respect human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Without naming countries, he says: "either you respect it or you say clearly that you reject it".

He adds that there will be a special EU summit in February next year to decide how the composition of the European Parliament should be changed after Brexit.

European Parliament
Strasbourg

European Council President Donald Tusk tells MEPs that he has been "obsessed with unity" since starting work in Brussels.

Remaining EU members have shown in the Brexit talks that "no one can divide the 27", he says.

On migration, he says that whilst unity over the EU Commission's migrant quotas is "as unlikely today as it was months ago", there is more agreement over protecting borders.

On Brexit, he says the "toughest stress test" remains to ensure that negotiations do not "end in our defeat".

He adds that it is now "up to London how this will end" - with either a "good deal, no deal or no Brexit".

Image source, AFP

Welcome to coverage of this European Parliament plenary sitting in Strasbourg, which will be getting underway shortly.

MEPs will be joined by European Council President Donald Tusk and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to debate last week’s EU leaders’ summit.

Leaders declared "insufficient progress" has been made in Brexit talks so far to move discussions onto the issue of trade – but they agreed to start preparing for trade talks with the UK.

Leaders also discussed migration policy, boosting the digital economy, energy – and Donald Tusk ruled out EU action over the constitutional crisis in Catalonia.