London tumbled 3.7 percent, Frankfurt lost 1.5 percent, Paris shed 2.1 percent, Milan dropped 1.2 percent and Madrid retreated 2.0 percent.
"European markets have pulled back... with caution being the order of the day after such a good rally," said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at trading group Markets.com.
"Stimulus efforts have calmed markets" this week, Wilson said, noting however that investors were likely looking to bank profits ahead of the weekend pause.