But enthusiasm was capped by uncertainty about a possible deal between major oil producers, and also about central bank policy as investors awaited the minutes of the Federal Reserve's January meeting later today for guidance.
Frankfurt and London closed with gains of 2.7 percent, while Paris rose by 3.0 percent.
Equities were also trading higher on Wall Street for the third straight session, with the Dow up 1.3 percent approaching midday.
Briefing.Com analyst Patrick O'Hare called Wall Street gains "sentiment driven", saying they appeared to be based on an assumption Iran would limit its oil output in cooperation with other major producers.
Shanghai shares however rallied more than one percent, adding to the previous day's surge, on hopes for fresh stimulus from China's leadership.
And world oil prices firmed as Iran's oil minister started talks today with his Iraqi, Venezuelan and Qatari counterparts as investors watched whether Tehran would follow Saudi Arabia and Russia's pact to freeze output.
The mining sector forged ahead on the brighter outlook for commodity demand from key consumer and Asian powerhouse economy China.
"When the biggest fallers year-to-date lead the day's gains then it's a short-covering rally."
Among London's top gainers was Swiss mining giant Glencore's stock, climbing 14.8 percent to 118.15 pence, which was boosted by the company announcing the early refinancing of its USD 8.45-billion revolving credit facility.
Miner Anglo American saw its shares rocket 17.6 percent higher to 468.05 pence.
In Milan, shares in Ferrari received a massive boost after financier George Soros said he had acquired a stake in the luxury car maker, closing 10.4 percent higher at 34.45 euros.