LONDON/AMSTERDAM, June 20 (Reuters) - Euro zone

government bond yields rose on Thursday though the market got

through a French bond auction largely unscathed, as investors

digested a string of central bank meetings, including in

Britain.

Markets have calmed down in the past few days after being

spooked last week by Marine Le Pen's eurosceptic National

Rally's lead in opinion polls following President Emmanuel

Macron's surprise decision to call a snap parliamentary vote.

The gap between German and French yields widened to a

seven-year high of 80 bps at the end of the week.

That gap was last 71.3 bps and narrowed slightly after a

French government bond auction, which had been high on

investors' watchlist as it was the country's first bond sale

since the election was called.

Demand for most of the bonds auctioned was lower than their

previous reopenings, but France raised a total of 10.495 billion

euros.

That was at the top end of the 8 to 10.5 billion euros it

aimed to raise, although it targeted a smaller-than usual size

for the auctions.

"The market is relieved," said Commerzbank's head of

interest rates strategy Michael Leister, noting that France's

spread to Germany tightened before and after the auction, and

the country raised the top amount it was targeting.

"It further allows the market to stabilise, which is the

important point."

France's 10 year yield was flat at 3.155%.

Germany's 10-year bond yield, the benchmark for

the euro zone, rose 2.4 basis points to 2.43%.

The euro zone benchmark yield hit a two month low of 2.34%

last week, as German bunds benefited from a flight to safety due

to political uncertainty in France, but has been retracing that

move gradually this week.

The gap between Italian and German bunds was also a touch

narrower at 151 bps with Italy's 10-year yield 0.5

basis points​ higher at 3.95%.

Earlier on Thursday, the Swiss National Bank cut interest

rates for the second time running, pointing to easing price

pressures, while Norway's central bank and the Bank of England

held its policy rates unchanged.