Human rights study

• A major study on human rights has criticised eight EU member states for violations of freedoms in 2006. The Human Rights Watch World Report says the infringements by France, Germany, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the UK have occurred mainly because of counter-terrorism laws and investigations and immigration and asylum policy.

Controversial proposals on the regulation of ‘advanced therapies’ - tissue engineering used to build skin, bone and cartilage from human cells - will return to the European Parliament’s environment committee on 22 January.