BRUSSELS, August 1, 2002 (LSN.ca) – The European Union has postponed financing of human embryo and stem cell research until the end of 2003, shelving its five-year US$17 billion funding package for future use.
Late last year, the European Parliament rejected a recommended ban on public funding of human embryo research. Denmark reiterated that no EU funds will go to research activities aimed at human reproductive cloning, modification of the genetic heritage of human beings, or the creation of human embryos solely for the purpose of research or stem cell procurement.
Although the point of EU directives is to foster a greater sense of pan-European unity, national governments are not bound by the EU-wide decision and can apportion domestic research budgets as they see fit.