EU ministers have agreed to provide funding for embryonic stem-cell research, writes Jamie Smyth in Brussels
In a narrow vote yesterday, member states agreed to continue with the current system of providing funding for projects using stem cells. However, member states will be free to decide on whether or not to approve funding for projects within their borders.
Minister for Enterprise Michéal Martin welcomed the decision, which he described as vote in favour of "ethical subsidiarity".
He said the decision meant that no research using stem cells extracted from human embryos would be undertaken in the Republic.
There had been fears that deep division between member states on the controversial issue could have delayed the implementation of the EU's €51 billion seventh research programme.
However, after protracted negotiation at the council of ministers in Brussels, Germany and Italy voted in favour of funding the research with EU cash as long as a compromise declaration was issued by the European Commission.
This declaration stipulates that the EU will continue with the current practice and will not "submit to the regulatory committee proposals for projects which include research activities which destroy human embryos, including for the procurement of stem cells".
In practice this means that EU funding will not be awarded to cover the procurement or destruction of stem cells, which is usually the first part of any stem-cell research.
But the second stage of a research project actually using the stem cells to try to find cures for diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's can attract EU funding.
Several EU states such as Austria, Poland, Malta and Slovakia opposed the measure.
The EU decision on funding will also continue the current ban on funding research on stem cells that is: directed towards human cloning; modifies the genetic heritage of humans; that creates human embryos solely for the purpose of research.
Only a fraction of EU funding, some 0.4 per cent of the EU health research budget, was directed towards projects involving embryonic stem-cell research under the previous sixth framework programme.
MEPs voted by a narrow majority last month to continue stem-cell research, subject to a number of restrictions.
They will now get a second chance to amend the legislation when it goes to the European Parliament for second reading.
EU research commissioner Janez Potocnik said he would work closely with MEPs to complete the legislative process before the start of 2007 when the new EU budget takes effect.
The issue of stem-cell research has attracted a lot of controversy recently, with the Vatican lobbying governments to push for a ban on funding.
Last week president George Bush used his veto to limit US federal financing of stem-cell experimentation in the US.
However, scientists argue that using embryonic stem cells is essential to discovering new treatments for a range of life-threatening diseases.