London was closed for a second public holiday Tuesday, making for subdued trade overall.

In Frankfurt, the DAX 30 slipped 0.19 percent to 5,969.40 points while in Paris the CAC 40 gained 1.07 percent to 2,986.10 points.

Madrid rose 0.45 percent, edging up again despite fears Spain could need a bailout and as top government officials repeated calls for help for the country's banks which need to raise some 80 billion euros in fresh capital.

Milan meanwhile put on 0.63 percent.