Frankfurt's DAX 30 advanced 0.41 percent to 7,502.83 points and in Paris the CAC 40 gained 0.39 percent to stand at 3,995.43.
Traders are meanwhile eagerly awaiting Friday's non-farm payrolls report in the United States.
European equities had risen on Thursday as better-than-expected US jobs data helped offset persistent concerns over how and when the eurozone debt crisis can be resolved.
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011