German ‘no’ to embryo plans

Date: 26/06/03

A BLUEPRINT that Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin is due to present to the college of commissioners on Wednesday (2 July) - on funding strategies for embryonic stem cell research in the EU - has irked MEPs from Germany, where research on human embryos is banned.

"I am surprised by this paper, because it makes clear that Busquin and his colleagues do not want any strict ethical borders," said German Christian Democrat Peter Liese, rapporteur of a report on human cells and tissues that also addresses stem cell research.

And Hiltrud Breyer slammed the initiative in the German daily Frankfurter Rundschau. "The Commission's proposal is an assault to the fundamental values of the EU," said the German Green deputy.

Under German law, an embryo is defined as a living organism that therefore cannot be used in research.

Although the Commission's report would not force any member state to engage in such research, it foresees releasing funds from the EU's research budget, meaning that taxpayers' money from all member states would be funnelled into stem cell research, the Germans warned.

Ireland, Austria and Poland also ban the production of embryonic stem cells, and Italy, Portugal and Slovakia are in the process of adopting legislation similar to Germany's embryo protection law, Liese said.

The UK, by contrast, backs the view of many scientists that the use of stem cells offers enormous opportunity for yielding new treatments on degenerative diseases.

"Nobody has the right to veto such important research that will bring enormous benefits to so many people on the basis of their own moral views," said UK Labour deputy David Bowe.