AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) Fortis NV shareholders yesterday overwhelmingly approved the company's plans to participate in a consortium bidding for ABN Amro Holding NV and hold a major share issue needed to finance its part of the deal.

The Fortis vote greatly boosts the chances that the Royal Bank of Scotland PLC-led consortium will win the bidding for ABN, besting a rival offer by Barclays PLC worth around 63.7 billion euros ($92.3 billion). Either takeover would be the largest in the financial industry's history. Barclays' bid was formally launched yesterday, and it also won EU regulatory approval for its plans.

Separately, ABN Amro said it would hold a shareholder meeting on September 20 to debate the merits of the two bids. The consortium had already launched its bid, contingent on approval from Fortis and RBS shareholders. Shareholders of the third consortium partner, Banco Santander Central Hispano SA of Spain, have already given approval.

Due to the Belgian-Dutch bank's dual headquarters system, separate shareholder gatherings were required in both Brussels, Belgium, and Utrecht, Netherlands but each approved the key motions by a margin of more than 90 percent.

"I want to thank you from my heart for your trust," Chairman Maurice Lippens said after the poll. "You have spoken with a massive vote." He called the deal a "unique opportunity" for Fortis.

Fortis' prospective share of the deal is 24 billion euros ($32.9 billion), a huge purchase for a bank which itself was worth just 37.1 billion euros ($50.9 billion) as of Friday.

If the consortium bid wins, Fortis will acquire the bulk of ABN Amro's Dutch operations, and its wealthy private clients and asset management businesses world-wide.

The Fortis board says that, mostly due to cost savings from combining the two companies' operations, the deal will add 4.3 percent to its earnings per share by 2010, though it will hurt earnings in the short run due to restructuring costs.

The prospect of the dilution and the risk that the deal could turn sour has already led to a 14 percent decline in Fortis shares since the start of the year.