Research and the market” “

In its first report on the implementation of the strategy of the European Union on life sciences and biotechnology, adopted in 2002, the European Commission stressed the danger of member states pursuing diverging policies in this sector, declaring that this could seriously jeopardize the effectiveness and coherence of the EU strategy. The Commission, therefore, appealed to member states to intensify their efforts in the sector of the life sciences and biotechnology by adopting incisive measures for the boosting of research, the growth of investments and the completion of the system for the safeguard of intellectual property rights. According to Philippe Busquin, European Commissioner for Research, “if we fail to react to this state of affairs, within ten years we will find ourselves dependent on the technology developed elsewhere in the world”. Risks, current situation and progress. The major risk pointed out by the Commission is that of not achieving the objectives fixed by the European Council in Lisbon in March 2000, calling on Europe to become, within ten years, the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, able to achieve sustainable growth and provide more numerous and better jobs. A recent survey, conducted by the Commission in private firms working in the biotechnologies sector and public research institutes, has revealed that over the last four years, 39% of those interviewed have cancelled research projects on genetically modified organisms (GMO). In the private sector alone, 61% of those interviewed have cancelled research projects in this field. In particular, between 1998 and 2001 notifications on field studies conducted in the EU on GMOs fell by 76%. The Commission points out however that some progress has been made with the adoption of the Sixth EU framework programme in the research sector; its main objective is to support scientific research, allocating 2,225 billion euros to life sciences, genome research and medical biotechnologies and a further 685 million euros to the quality and safety of food products. Science and society: GMOs and bioethics. As far as legislation relating to GMOs is concerned, the Commission points out that considerable progress has been made: the new discipline reassures public opinion and helps consumers to choose, promoting in this way a greater acceptance of GMOs among citizens. According to the Commission, moreover, to remedy the rapid decline in European field research in the GMO sector, it would be necessary for the EU to have a clear and unambiguous regulation at its disposal. The rapid progress made by the life sciences have aroused strong hopes on the cure of diseases and the improvement of the quality of life, but have also given rise to concerns about their consequences at the ethical and social levels. The Commission is committed to ensuring that the definition of research policies and funding takes due account of ethical, juridical, social and, in the broad sense, cultural considerations (on these questions see the comment of a moral theologian on the following page). Among the thorny questions that need to be tackled is that of human cloning for reproductive purposes: the Commission believes that this practice ought to be banned world-wide. As regards research on stem cells of the human embryo, the Commission will shortly present a report to the European Parliament and to the Council which will represent the basis for an inter-institutional seminar on this type of research. According to the Commission, it is essential to create a suitable forum for dialogue between the institutions concerned, to facilitate understanding by everyone of all the anxieties and the objectives of various countries and regions. For further information, consult: http://europa.eu.int/comm/biotechnology/introduction_en.html