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London's FTSE 100 index dropped 0.6 percent compared with Thursday's close to open at 6,194.43 points.
In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index lost 0.6 percent to 10,024.69 points and the CAC 40 in Paris slid 0.3 percent in value to 4,390.81.
Europe's main markets had retreated by more than 1.0 percent on Thursday as European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi again urged politicians to step up in efforts to breathe new life into the tepid eurozone economy.
The losses carried over into US trading on Thursday and Asian deals Friday.