Over to Europe, it was billed as a make-or-break summit for Brexit, but this week's meeting in Brussels concluded without any real progress. So European leaders used day two of the gathering to address other issues facing the group. CGTN's Mariam Zaidi reports.

On Wednesday night, Brexit proceedings had uncharacteristically wrapped early. No discussions came on No Deal Brexit preparedness. It wasn't the message EU leaders wanted to send at this stage, with talks stalled on the Irish border issue.

So with their night free, the Heads of State of Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg were snapped downtown in Brussels drinking beer.

SYED KAMALL EUROPEAN CONSERVATIVES AND REFORMISTS GROUP EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT "Actually there's a lack of urgency. The fact that 4 leaders went out on the grand place having drinks together at 11 o'clock showed that no one really expected results from this summit."

With Brexit on the back-burner, attention focused on other key EU issues such as migration.

ANTONIO TAJANI, PRESIDENT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT "We are seeking a further 3 billion for the trust fund so that we can have at least 40 billion for a Marshall plan for Africa. We could find a compromise with the Visegrad countries with these investments. If you don't accept the relocations, you pay more."

But his plan wasn't so well received by the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. Instead on illegal migration, the EU would continue work to facilitate returns.

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, PRESIDENT EUROPEAN COMMISSION "Don't make the mistake to think this is only about migration. We have this external investment programme, we have Africa trust fund and we have to build a stronger economic relation with our African friends."

A Euro summit was also convened at lunchtime. Not on the menu: Italy's budget proposals for the coming year.

GIUSEPPE CONTE ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER "The more time goes on, the more I'm convinced the Italian budget is very beautiful."

Conte even said that Germany's Angela Merkel was impressed by Italy's structural reforms. Despite critics saying their proposals flew in the face of EU rules on spending.

MARIAM ZAIDI BRUSSELS "One thing we also learned from the summit's final press conference, was that the widely reported offer to extend the UK's Brexit transition period by one year was never discussed by EU 27 leaders here. But that the EU would consider it. But at her end of summit presser, Theresa May said the UK was not proposing an extension. She remained confident that a deal would be done on time. Mariam Zaidi, CGTN Brussels."