The pan-European STOXX 600 is up 1.2%. The index climbed for the fifth consecutive session and reached a new 10-month high.
UK indices did the best with the FTSE 100 blue-chip index up 2.6% on its first day of trading following Thursday's Brexit trade agreement between the UK and the European Union.
AstraZeneca shares rose 4.7%. The growth was driven by news that the British government is expected to approve a COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use within days.
The pound sterling has strengthened weakly as investors worry that the tight-knit nature of the deal will further tear the UK away from the EU than was anticipated in 2016.
Germany's DAX rose 0.5% and extended record gains after Wall Street climbed to all-time highs in hopes of expanding a long-awaited relief package for the US population and economy. The US House of Representatives met President Donald Trump's demands and voted to provide checks to households in the amount of $ 2,000, pushing the bill further to the Republican-controlled Senate.
Shares in the software group SAP rose 2.2%, supporting the DAX after Qualtrics International's division filed for an initial public offering in the United States.
Travel and leisure stocks rose more than other sectors, with TUI, Lufthansa and British Airways, which owns IAG, up 3.3% to 10.4%.
Vaccinations in the EU began over the weekend and were among the first to receive vaccinations from Pfizer for healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes across the EU.