US-China trade and growth in the euro zone are at the center of concerns

Europe's core resource stocks – with their strong exposure to China – led gains, up about 0.5% in early morning deals. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington and Beijing are making rapid progress in trade talks, adding "we'll know in the next four weeks" if an agreement can be reached.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said that a new consensus had been reached between the two sides on the text of an agreement, reported the Xinhua official news agency.

With regard to individual stocks, the Italian company Saipem has risen to the top of the European benchmark after obtaining offshore drilling contracts in Norway and the Middle East for a total amount of $ 200 million. Shares listed on the Milan Stock Exchange rose more than 4% on news.

Meanwhile, the British Hammerson dropped down the index. This comes after both Jefferies and Stifel lowered their price target for the real estate company, which is also down on its stock recommendation of "sell" to "keep". Hammerson shares slid more than 3%.