The 300 lucky folks who got in on the Steam Machines beta programme have been notified as of last night, but sadly if you've applied from Europe there was zero chance of getting in as Valve have decided to keep it U.S. only.
"We've had to make the difficult decision to limit our beta to the U.S. only, because of regulatory hurdles. This was not our original plan, and it means we can't collect beta feedback from Steam customers world-wide, which is pretty unfortunate. All things considered, we're sure it was the right decision, because the alternative was to delay the whole beta beyond the point when we'd be able to incorporate any feedback into the 2014 products. This decision only affects Valve's 300 prototype units; the commercial versions of Steam Machines that are for sale in 2014 won't be affected by this."
Expect more news about the commercial models of Steam Machines at CES early in January where Valve are planning a presentation.