I suppose the Germans are spooked because ESCR opponents liken it to Nazi
experiments on living people.
----- Original Message -----
From: "M.Schild" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 10:59 PM
Subject: Germany Calls for EU-Wide Ban on Stem Cell Research


> EUROPE | 21.07.2006
> Germany Calls for EU-Wide Ban on Stem Cell Research
> Stem cell research receives a fraction of science funding but much
> attention
>
> Germany put pressure on a number of European countries to reject a
> proposal
> that would make EU money available for stem-cell research before a crucial
> vote on science funding takes place Monday.
> Although stem cell research amounts to only a small portion of the bloc's
> 51
> billion euro ($64.3 billion) science budget for 2007 to 2013, it is a
> highly
> controversial topic among the bloc's ministers and likely to be subject to
> a
> heated debate during an EU science and research ministers' meeting on
> Monday.
>
> "The European Union science program should not be used to give financial
> incentives to kill embryos," German Research Minister Annette Schavan
> wrote
> in a letter to the Finish EU presidency on Thursday, according to Reuters.
> "The current proposal from the European Commission and the European
> Parliament does not rule this out."
>
> Germany -- along with Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania
> Luxembourg and Malta -- are against the notion that the bloc should
> provide
> money for projects in some countries if the same research is prohibited in
> other member states.
>
> Who should decide on EU standards
> Most Europeans approve of stem cell research
> European Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik, however, said research
> funding
> should not be determined by nations at the extremes, but by the bloc's
> majority.
>
> "Relying on the ethical standards of either the most restrictive or the
> most
> liberal countries would simply be against the principles of the EU," he
> said.
>
> A May Eurobarometer survey showed 59 percent of Europeans approved of
> embryonic stem cell research, providing there is some government oversight
> of
> the projects.
>
> Laws on stem cell research vary across Europe with the United Kingdom
> encouraging it, and Germany enforcing a near total ban. This week US
> President George W. Bush also vetoed a bill that would have permitted more
> embryonic stem cells research in the United States.
>
> Finland proposes research limits
>
> Supporters of the research say the projects could help in the search for
> cures
> to diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's by taking advantage of
> cells that would otherwise be discarded by fertility clinics. Critics,
> including the Christian churches, call the use of the cells unethical
> because
> it involves destroying human life.
>
> Nearly all the EU's research funding is tied to the 2007-2013 budget
> Nearly
> all the EU's research funding is tied to the 2007-2013 budget
> Diplomats in Brussels said they expected Germany to try to win largely
> Roman
> Catholic Italy over to their argument and gain enough votes to block a
> Finish
> draft that places limits on the types of research allowed.
>
> Finland, who currently hold the rotating EU presidency, presented a
> proposal
> that allows funding for research on human stem cells but prohibits money
> being given to projects dealing with human reproductive cloning, human
> genetic modification and the creation of human embryos for scientific
> research.
>
> Impasse could endanger all EU science funding
>
> If the ministers fail to agree on a compromise during the Monday meeting
> the
> European Parliament would not be left with enough time to hold a second
> budgetary debate. 'That could keep other projects from receiving funding
> next
> year, according to Antonia Mochan, the European Commission's spokeswoman
> for
> science and research.
>
> The EU had a similar dispute on genetic research before it adopted its
> current
> science funding package for 2000-2006. The discussion at that time
> produced a
> system of a case-by-case analysis that required the approval of several
> national and EU committees before awarding funds.
>
> DW staff (sms)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to:
> mailto:[log in to unmask]
> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn

----------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn