Frankfurt DAX: 3,320.66 (+56.80)

German shares closed floor trade in record territory above the 3,300 mark on the back of a seemingly unstoppable dollar and a surge by car stocks, underpinned by positive reports from the Geneva car show. The advance of blue-chip stocks continued in after-hours electronic trading, with the IBIS DAX closing the day at 3,345.09 for a rise of 81.23 on the day or close to 2.5 per cent. Paris CAC-40: 2,651.69 (+51.43)

French shares staged a strong rally, helped by the dollar and bullish underlying sentiment, and closed marginally below their all-time high.

Milan Mibtel: 12,000 (+91)

Shares ended firmer but off the day's high as comments about monetary union by Bundesbank council member Mr Helmut Hesse added to market worries about EMU starting on time.

Telecommunications stocks continued their rebound with Telecom Italia up 4.27 per cent at 4,278 lire and TIM at 4,435 lire, up 2.24 per cent, while STET was 1.18 per cent firmer at 7.489 lire.