Major European stocks began Thursday's trading day deep in the negative territory as investors digested the latest batch of data published throughout the day.
As the NATO summit in Spain continued for its third and last day, the previous day was marked by news that the alliance reached an agreement to accept Finland's and Sweden's joining applications while recognizing Russia as its most significant security threat.
The DAX plunged by 1.72% or 224 points at the opening bell, while the FTSE 100 tumbled 1.53% or 111 points and the CAC 40 sank 1.98% or 119 points. The euro traded flat against the dollar to sell for 1.04382, while the pound increased by 0.16% to $1.21405 at 9:05 am CET.