European shares were flat on Wednesday, as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of an all-important interest rate decision by the US Federal Reserve that could mark the beginning of a monetary-easing cycle in the world's largest economy. The pan-European STOXX 600 index, was down 0.1 % at 516.84 points, led by losses in healthcare shares. The Danish drugmaker's shares were down 2%. Technology shares also pulled the markets down with a 0.5% fall while miners slipped 0.5 %. Reckitt Benckiser advanced 2.3 % following reports that the consumer goods giant launched early discussions with potential suitors for a sale of its homecare assets, which could be worth more than 6 billion pounds ($7.89 billion). Source: Qatar News Agency