* STOXX 600 ends up 0.2 pct
* Nokia jumps after settles dispute with Apple
* Upgrade boosts Banco BPM
* Spanish banks recover
* Greek stocks drop as debt deal hopes dashed (Adds details, closing prices)
By Kit Rees
LONDON, May 23 (Reuters) - Nokia shares jumped more than 6 percent on Tuesday to their highest in more than a year, joined by a rise in banking stocks which helped European stock markets edge higher.
The pan-European STOXX 600 .STOXX index ended up 0.2 percent, gaining pace after a sluggish opening as banking stocks headed higher. Germany's DAX .GDAXI was up 0.3 percent while euro zone blue chips .STOXX50E gained 0.5 percent.
European tech firms .SX8P were standout performers, with the sector up 1.4 percent after shares in Nokia NOKIA.HE jumped 6.4 percent to their highest since February 2016 following the settlement of a patent dispute with Apple AAPL.O . economic data also supported sentiment, with PMI surveys for May showing businesses across the euro zone kept up April's impressive growth rate. a kind of risk-on environment, and Europe's benefits - relatively low currency, a relatively attractive valuation against the United States and many other regions, and of course being a developed market - should enable it to continue to outperform," Ken Odeluga, market analyst at City Index, said.
Upgrades also helped the top STOXX gainers, with Banco BPM BAMI.MI rising 5.9 percent after Barclays (LON:BARC) upgraded the Italian lender to "overweight" from "equal weight".
Analysts at Barclays cited Banco BPM's attractive valuation compared to Italian peers as well as progress with its portfolio of bad loans.
"Banco BPM has much work to do reducing its NPLs and also raising its coverage ... yet management has made a good start in 1Q17," analysts at Barclays said in a note, referring to Banco BPM's non-performing loans.
Overall banking stocks .SX7P gained 0.8 percent, with shares in Spanish banks Banco de Sabadell SABE.MC , Santander SAN.MC and BBVA BBVA.MC regaining losses from the previous session when they were hit by political worries after Spain's Socialists re-elected hardliner Pedro Sanchez. IBEX .IBEX gained 1.1 percent.
Among other regional benchmarks, Greece's ATG index .ATG fell after euro zone finance ministers failed to agree debt relief for Athens with the International Monetary Fund and did not release new loans. Britain, the FTSE 100 .FTSE ended down 0.15 percent.
Campaigning ahead of the June 8 general election was suspended after at least 22 people, including some children, were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Manchester overnight. was little direct market impact seen from the attack, although shares of theme park operator Merlin Entertainments MERL.L fell 1.5 percent.