European government bonds advanced on Thursday as the next Federal Reserve chairman Janet Yellen signaled that the U.S. central bank may maintain its bond-purchasing program until the country's economy improves. Italy's benchmark 10-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 4.09% as of 10:39 a.m. in London, while German 10-year bunds yielded at 1.72% following a fall by 5 basis points.