European stocks are set for a mixed open on Thursday morning as investors monitor political events and take a cautious approach ahead of key data releases.

The FTSE 100 is seen flat at 7,466; the CAC 40 is expected to open lower by 3 points at 5,358 and the DAX in Germany is seen lower by 14 points at 12,951.

Spanish stocks are expected to rebound slightly on Thursday after a significant sell-off since the start of the week. The regional government of Catalonia said they will declare independence from Spain on Monday. The national government has asked the region to return to the path of law, according to Reuters.

In the corporate world, Siemens has concluded the sale of the last 17 percent stake in Osram Licht for 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion). In the U.S. Costco Wholesale is due to report fourth-quarter results.

Auto stocks will also be on the radar with new car sales figures out for the U.K. at 9 a.m. London time.

Accounts from the last monetary policy discussion at the European Central Bank will be out at 12:30 p.m. London time. Later in the day, there will be jobless claims data out in the U.S.