European shares led lower by miners, oil stocks

* FTSEurofirst 300 falls 1.5 percent

* Miners, oils lower as commodity prices slip

* Volvo falls on weaker sales

By Brian Gorman

LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - European shares fell on Monday morning, tracking losses in Asia, with mining and energy shares hit by lower commodities prices as the U.S. dollar strengthened.

At 0838 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top European shares was down 1.5 percent at 872.0 points.

But the European benchmark index is up more than 35 percent from the record low it hit on March 9, as investors have become more confident on the prospects for economic recovery.

The dollar rose across the board on Monday after Russia said the U.S. currency's role as the world's main reserve currency was unlikely to change in the near future, hitting energy and commodity prices and related shares. [ID:nLF343380]

With the price of copper and other metals sliding, Anglo American (AAL.L), Antofagasta (ANTO.L), BHP Billiton (BLT.L), Lonmin (LMI.L), Rio Tinto (RIO.L) and Vedanta Resources fell between 1.6 and 4.5 percent.

Among oil stocks, Total (TOTF.PA), ENI (ENI.MI), BP (BP.L) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) fell between 1 and 1.6 percent, as crude prices CLc1 slipped below $71 a barrel, before a slight recovery.

"There's not a whole lot going on," said Bernard McAlinden, investment strategist at NCB Stockbrokers in Dublin. "We've had a strong rally, and we're now in the seasonally weaker months. But I can see shares moving higher by the year-end."

Across Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE, Germany's DAX .GDAXI and France's CAC-40 .FCHI were between 1.7 and 2 percent lower.

Among banks, Banco Santander (SAN.MC), Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX), Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), HSBC (HSBA.L), Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) and UBS (UBSN.VX) fell between 1.2 and 2.5 percent.

HOLCIM FALLS