European stocks close: stocks closed slightly higher ahead of the results of the Greek parliament's vote

Stock indices closed slightly higher ahead of the results of the Greek parliament's vote. The Greek government should pass a series of reforms in the Greek parliament to start talks about the third bailout programme.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that Greece will need far bigger debt relief that was considered by the Eurozone governments, according to a confidential study by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"The dramatic deterioration in debt sustainability points to the need for debt relief on a scale that would need to go well beyond what has been under consideration to date - and what has been proposed by the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)," the IMF said.

The French consumer price inflation fell 0.1% in June, after a 0.2% increase in May.

On a yearly basis, the consumer price index climbed 0.3% in June, after a 0.3% rise in May.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released its labour market data on Wednesday. The U.K. unemployment rate rose 5.6% in the March to May quarter from 5.5% in three months to February. It was the first increase in two years.

Analysts had expected the unemployment rate to remain unchanged at 5.5%.

The claimant count increased by 7,000 people in June, missing expectations for a drop by 8,800, after a decrease of 1,100 people in May. May's figure was revised down from a decline of 6,500.

Average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, climbed by 2.8% in the March to May quarter, missing expectations for a rise by 3.0%, after a 2.7% gain in the December to February quarter. It was the highest gain in more than six years.

The previous three months' figure was revised up from a 2.2% increase.

Average weekly earnings, including bonuses, rose by 3.2% in the March to May quarter, missing expectations for a gain of 3.3%, after a 2.7% increase in the December to February quarter. It was the highest rise since June to April 2010.

Indexes on the close:

Name Price Change Change %

FTSE 100 6,753.75 0.00 0.00%

DAX 11,539.66 +22.76 +0.20 %

CAC 40 5,047.24 +14.77 +0.29 %