Senior MEPs from the six of the biggest political groupings of the European Parliament spoke in favour of the MSR proposal during a debate on Tuesday, further bolstering expectations that the measure will pass in a Wednesday vote.

The six parties represent MEPs covering 87% of the 749-strong assembly.

Representatives from the right-wing EFD and ENF groupings, which hold 11% of seats, said they were opposed during the web-streamed parliamentary debate in Strasbourg.

Europe’s climate commissioner Miguel Arias Canete, present at the debate, appeared to assume the proposal be adopted at the vote and focused on the Commission’s upcoming proposal for post-2020 ETS reform.

“An important milestone has been achieved (with the MSR). We can now turn the page and focus our efforts on the period after 2020. It is our firm intention to present legislative proposal next week,” he said.

The commissioner had previously warned the post-2020 proposal could be delayed until September but has since repeatedly said the Commission is aiming to publish it on July 15.

By Ben Garside -ben@carbon-pulse.com