European stocks started the week lower, with the STOXX 50 down 0.7% and the STOXX 600 shedding 0.6%, as traders returned from a weekend marked by large-scale protests in France. The unrest, which also spread to major cities in Belgium, Italy, and Portugal, weighed on investor sentiment across the region. At the same time, markets remained cautious amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe, with both Moscow and Kyiv continuing to target energy infrastructure. Travel and leisure stocks led the declines, followed by automakers and banks.