European shares inched higher on Wednesday in a truncated session with many of the region's markets either shut or only trading for half a day, Reuters reported.
Shares in Dutch construction and engineering company Ballast Nedam outperformed strongly, jumping more than 20 percent after the group said it had been approached over a possible merger or takeover.
Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.3 percent while France's CAC-40 advanced 0.4 percent. Germany's DAX market was shut, as was the Italian exchange.