By 0710 GMT, the pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.1%, after it tumbled 4% last week on tensions over transatlantic trade wars and a clutch of weak U.S. and European data.
Germany's DAX declined 0.2% after data showed German industrial orders fell slightly more than expected in August.
A report that said China officials are increasingly reluctant to agree to a broad trade deal with the United States, kept investors nervous ahead of the trade negotiations starting on Thursday.
Trade-sensitive automakers dropped 1%, leading declines among major sectors.
London-listed shares of HSBC Holdings Plc fell 0.7% after a report over the weekend said the banking group was planning to cut up to 10,000 jobs to lower costs.
Austria's AMS rose 3.5% after the company said it failed in its 4.5 billion euro ($4.9 billion) takeover attempt of German lighting group Osram. Osram was the biggest decliner on the STOXX 600, down 4%.