Stem-cell research opponents to delay R&D programme deal

An agreement at Monday's (24 July) Competitiveness Council meeting on EU funding of research is looking increasingly improbable, with Austria, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland and Slovakia capable of forming a blocking minority because of doubts about the use of stem cells.

Only a small proportion of the 50 billion euro to be allocated to the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), running from 2007-13, would go towards stem-cell research, but member states have divergent views on the ethical principles the EU should adopt when awarding funding to projects.

The seven countries signed a declaration at the end of last year calling for the exclusion of activities involving the "consumption of human embryos" from EU funding. They also called for EU commitment to the "therapeutic potential of human adult stem cells" and for the principle of subsidiarity to be taken into account when taking funding decisions on stem-cell research.

One German diplomat said that his country's position remained the same. "Our general view is that the EU shouldn't provide any funding incentive for the destruction of embryos. We would like to see bio-ethical rules at programme level rather than framework level. Germany also wants agreement on the principle of deadlines for embryonic stem cell lines, which would set a cut-off date beyond which stem cells cannot be harvested from embryos.

Italy, which will be discussing the matter in its parliament at the end of this week, was reluctant to give any further details on its position ahead of the Council meeting.

An EU source indicated that Poland remained opposed to the use of embryos, with or without a deadline, and was doubtful whether member states would reach an agreement next week.

The issue provoked heated debate in the European Parliament last month. MEPs narrowly approved the FP7 budget, with amendments blocking research aimed at modifying the genetic heritage of human beings, human cloning for reproductive purposes and the creation of human embryos for stem cell procurement. Parliament also set out conditions for licensing and control measures to be taken at member-state level.

"We were pleased to see that Parliament had agreed to stem-cell research, which can bring some very promising results for sufferers of diseases like Alzheimer's," said Adeline Farrelly, communications director at industry association Europabio. "Any neural disease is a black hole for science. We're on the cusp of a wave of new discoveries on how the brain works. But, we're still at research level. Commercialisation is years and years away. We could be talking 25 years."

One Council source said: "The presidency proposal is along the same lines as Parliament's amendment. There is a risk there will be a blocking minority. There are countries that don't want to finance this kind of research. Some are hesitating. Others are changing their minds." He pointed out that eight countries in total now have issues with the proposed wording of the proposals for stem cell research, which would need to be approved by a qualified majority of votes.

The Finnish presidency is keen to reach a political agreement on FP7 over the next six months, clearing the way for the European Commission to issue calls for tender by the end of the year. Another issue being discussed which could potentially delay the framework is funding for nuclear research. Unanimous agreement would be required on this issue for FP7 to move forward. Parliament is scheduled to hold a second reading on FP7 in the autumn.

An agreement at Monday's (24 July) Competitiveness Council meeting on EU funding of research is looking increasingly improbable, with Austria, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland and Slovakia capable of forming a blocking minority because of doubts about the use of stem cells.