BRUSSELS, 25 July 2006 - The European Union agreed on Monday to continue financing stem cell research, despite deep opposition from some heavily Catholic member states such as Poland.
After lengthy discussions, a majority of E.U. ministers in charge of competitiveness issues backed plans for financing stem cell research over the 2007-2013 period, but only if the programs followed strict guidelines.
Finnish Industry Minister Mauri Pekkarinen, whose country holds the E.U.'s rotating presidency, said: "Stem cell research will be financed but with very strict ethical principles."
The deal comes less than a week after U.S. President George W. Bush used his first-ever veto to block legislation that would have expanded U.S. funding for embryonic stem cell research.
Stem cell research is a highly sensitive issue because one way of obtaining the cells is through extracting them from human embryos, which die in the process.
Among the strict conditions for granting E.U. money, research to clone humans for reproductive purposes and creating embryos specifically for research purposes could not receive European funding.
Research programs would also have to follow the individual member states' rules and therefore E.U. money cannot be used for stem-cell research in countries that ban it.
In order to get the backing of Germany and Italy, the European Commission also committed not to offer financing for programs in which human embryos would be killed.
E.U. Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik told journalists: "We clarified what actually we are doing and we committed ourselves to continue in that direction in the future".
A committee of E.U. experts would need to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to disburse European funding for a project.
Under the agreement, the E.U. will only continue with existing stem cell research and or stem cells from adults.
The ministers reached an agreement only after overcoming stiff opposition led by Germany and fuelled by ethical objections to stem cell research.
Although Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Slovenia dropped their objections, Poland, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Austria refused to sign on to the agreement.
Polish minister Michal Sewerynski said: "My government, my parliament, my public opinion and my own conscience oblige me to reject the proposal".
He said he refused to "transgress the most fundamental ethical principles".
Stem cells are master cells that experts say can develop into any organ. They could have a valuable therapeutic use in treating illnesses ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, according to experts.
About 59 per cent of Europeans are in favour of stem cell research, according to a survey published by the European Commission last month.
Monday's agreement was needed to go ahead with broader E.U. research and development plans covering the 2007-2013 period, which is worth 50.4 billion euros (A$84.4 billion).
The plans will now go before the European Parliament for a second reading, although the assembly already gave its approval in June by a slim majority.
