The New York Stock Exchange and Euronext NV cleared the biggest remaining obstacle in the path of their planned $14.3 billion combination, as the European bourse’s shareholders on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to back the deal.

Barring a surprise rejection by the NYSE Group Inc.’s shareholders, who vote today, the Euronext meeting sets the stage for the creation of the world’s largest stock exchange operator by market capitalization and the first trans-Atlantic equities market.