In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 lost 0.4 percent to 12,381.36 points and the Paris CAC 40 slipped 0.5 percent to 5,514.55, compared with Thursday's closing levels.

Meanwhile, the Milan stock exchange fell more than 2 percent in early trading, dropping 2.2 percent to 21,040 points, reflecting investor jitters over the Italian government's defiant deficit announcement.