EU STOCKS slipped on Greece

European stock markets ended lower on Wednesday after unions in Greece called a general strike and as Germany’s constitutional court continued its two-day hearing on the legality of the European Central Bank’s bond-buying program, known as Outright Monetary Transactions.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index dropped 0.4% to close at 290.68, the lowest closing level since late April.

The downbeat trading day marked the third straight session of losses, as renewed uncertainty about Greece and concerns about central-bank liquidity spooked investors. Three weeks ago the index had climbed to a multiyear high boosted by aggressive easing from central banks, but comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke about potential tapering of quantitative easing sparked a correction.

Worries over Greece were also back in the spotlight on Wednesday, after the two biggest labor unions called a 24-hour general strike starting on Thursday in protest over the government’s shutdown of its state broadcaster, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.

The Athex Composite lost 3.2% to close at 867.08. On Tuesday, the index dropped 4.7% on reports the country will miss its asset-sale goal by about 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) this year and will have to ask lenders for a lower target.

Investors also focused on euro-zone industrial-production data, which showed a 0.4% improvement in April, beating expectations.

Among notable movers on Wednesday, shares of HeidelbergCement AG lost 5.1% in Frankfurt after Morgan Stanley cut the firm to equal weight from overweight.

Volkswagen AG fell 3.3% after the car maker recalled almost 26,000 vehicles in Australia due to faulty gearboxes.

Shares of Kabel Deutschland Holding AG rallied 8.2% after Vodafone Group PLC confirmed it has made a preliminary approach about making an offer for the German TV and Internet provider. Shares of Vodafone dropped 2.2%.

Germany’s DAX 30 index slid 1% to 8,143.27.

France’s CAC 40 index dropped 0.4% to 3,793.70, with banks on the decline. Société Générale SA fell 2.5% and BNP Paribas SA slipped 1.2%.

In the U.K., Barclays PLC dropped 2.9% and Lloyds Banking Group PLC lost 1.3%.

The U.K.’s FTSE 100 index fell 0.6% to 6,299.45.

BT Group PLC rose 1.4% to 3.09 pounds ($4.84) a share after Credit Suisse reiterated its outperform rating on the firm and raised the price target to £3.50 from £3.

Shares of Industria de Diseno Textil SA climbed 3.5% after the firm reported a 5% rise in first-quarter sales.

Spain’s IBEX 35 index gained 0.4% to 8,123.80.

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