* Banks weak, outcome of EU meeting eyed
* Vodafone gains on share buyback report
By David Brett
LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Britain's top shares were flat by midday on Monday, with banks dragged down by euro zone debt concerns as EU ministers met to discuss steps that might be taken to prevent debt contagion.
By 1139 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 1.84 points at 5,747.16, having ended down 0.4 percent at 5,745.32 on Friday after downbeat U.S. jobs data.
The FTSE had gained more than 4 percent across last Wednesday and Thursday as investors grew more confident a debt crisis in the euro zone could be averted.
However, sentiment soured on Monday after Moody's Investors Service cut Hungary's credit rating on Monday, leaving banks the weakest performers among London's blue chips.
"The debt issue continues to rumble on and that uncertainty is clipping investors' wings," Jimmy Yates, head of Equities at CMC Markets, said.
"Hungary and Portugal are a concern but its whether it gets to Spain, Europe's fourth biggest economy, and that could cause the ECB some problems."
Euro zone finance ministers meeting on Monday will face pressure to increase the size of a 750 billion euro ($1,006 billion) safety net for crisis-hit members in order to halt contagion in the single currency bloc.
British mid-cap bank note printer De La Rue Plc jumped 18.4 percent after it received an offer approach from French rival Oberthur Technologies, a source familiar with the matter said.
Pub owner Punch Taverns PLC rose 6.3 percent on Mail on Sunday reports of bid interest from private equity group CVC.
VODFONE FRENCH SALE
Vodafone, up 1.3 percent, added most points to the FTSE 100 after a UK newspaper reported on Sunday the mobile communications giant its close to selling its 44 percent stake in mobile phone operator SFR to France's Vivendi, paving the way for Vodafone to buy back 5 billion pounds in its own shares in 2011.
Mining and energy stocks were also a support for the index.
Global miner Xstrata rose 2.9 percent on newspaper reports Glencore, the world's biggest commodity trader which holds a stake of nearly 35 percent in Xstrata, is preparing for a 6.3 billion pound ($9.94 billion) London Stock Exchange debut as early as April next year.
Platinum processor Johnson Matthey added 0.6 percent as Goldman Sachs upgraded its rating to "buy" from "neutral".
But Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto fell 0.3 percent after it made a $3.5 billion bid approach for Africa-focused Riversdale Mining.
Elsewhere, Rolls Royce rose 1.8 percent after BofA Merrill Lynch raised its rating on the engine maker to "buy" from "neutral" in an upbeat review of the civil aerospace sector.
Cobham, however, fell 1.9 percent as BofA Merrill Lynch cut its rating on the aerospace electronics group to "neutral" from "buy", citing worries over defence contracts.
Tesco slipped 1.7 percent after UBS cut its rating on the world's No.3 retailer to "neutral" from "buy".
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Monday, trimming last week's strong gains, and ahead of the November employment index due at 1500 GMT. (Editing by Louise Heavens)