Is able to take European punishment (4)
I believe the answer is:
cane
'punishment' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'is able to take european' is the wordplay.
'is able to' becomes 'can' (if you can do something you are able to do it).
'take' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'european' becomes 'E' (abbreviation e.g. EU).
'can'+'e'='CANE'
(Other definitions for cane that I've seen before include "Stick; thrash" , "Sugar plant" , "Slender support for a plant" , "Walking stick; punish" , "Bamboo or rattan" .)