EU divided on stem-cell research funds

The Government will seek to prevent EU funding being used for embryonic stem-cell research in Ireland but will not try to block the use of EU money in this area in other states within the EU when the issue is discussed today at a meeting of European science and enterprise ministers.

The ministers are to vote on plans for a €50 billion European science investment programme. However, there are deep divisions among EU states on the issue of funding for embryonic stem-cell research.

The Government is concerned that a disagreement on the issue could delay the implementation of the entire package, which could be worth hundreds of millions of euro for the science sector in Ireland.

Informed sources said that the main objective of the Irish delegation, headed by Minister for Enterprise and Employment Micheál Martin, would be to retain the position of "ethical subsidiarity".

This would see a continuation of the ban on funding for embryonic stem-cell research in the Republic while allowing EU money to be spent in this area in countries where it is legally and ethically permissible.

Funding for embryonic stem-cell research represents only a tiny amount of the overall €50 billion programme for science research. However, it is by far the most controversial aspect of the package.

The Government is concerned that a protracted disagreement or the emergence of a group of states holding a blocking veto could result in the entire science investment package being stalled.

Irish researchers and institutions working across the science sector, from food to pharmaceuticals, received about €200 million from the most recent framework programme, which was worth €17 billion overall.

The Government anticipates that the Irish share of the new €50 billion programme will be far greater than the previous allocation.

Informed sources said that the Irish delegation would seek to steer a middle path in the dispute over embryonic stem-cell research funding. The Irish position is that just as other EU states cannot dictate the type of research to be carried out here, Ireland cannot seek a veto over research which is considered legal and ethical in other countries.

It is understood that the Government believes that national contributions to EU programmes should be considered to be "pooled funding" and that it would set a dangerous precedent for individual EU states to insist that money provided by them could, or could not, be used for particular purposes.

Informed sources said that there were deep divisions among a number of states on EU funding for embryonic stem-cell research. Germany, Poland, Austria and Malta are believed to be among the countries opposed to any EU funds being spent on such research.

However, it is understood that the UK, the Scandinavian countries and Spain and Portugal are in favour of continuing with the existing arrangements, which allow for embryonic stem-cell research to be carried out subject to strict scientific and ethical review.

Research is currently carried out in some EU countries under strict conditions on surplus embryos created as part of the in-vitro fertilisation process.