BRUSSELS, Belgium ¿ European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin told a major European Union conference on stem cells that opened here Tuesday that it is vital for Europe to be a major player in the revolution that biotechnology offers for science and medicine in the 21st century.
The European public is increasingly interested in science, according to EU surveys, he said, but it is also more assertive and more skeptical, so greater interchange is necessary between scientists and citizens.
The EU, which organized the two-day meeting, said the aim of its conference is to launch a pluralistic debate about the feasibility and consequences of stem cell research between scientists and experts, and a broad public that is more interested in the possibilities of medical therapies and the risks associated with these techniques.
¿Stem cell research is a perfect example of the link between spectacular scientific possibilities and the questions about progress at the level of society and individuals,¿ Busquin said. ¿We have to meet the challenge of bringing some coherence into our policies on health, environment, consumer protection, trade and research.¿
The EU stem cell debate is running in parallel to two other significant EU political exercises with direct implications for biotechnology and high-technology medicines. One of them, due to come to conclusions before the end of 2001 (although EU officials admit the timing has slipped), springs from the March 2001 European Union summit in Stockholm, Sweden, which backed the need for Europe to master frontier technologies and invited the European Commission to draw up a comprehensive policy paper on the complex ethical, social and economic issues that life sciences and biotechnology give rise to. In this context, the Commission aims to present an action plan for new EU biotech initiatives and propose recommendations for the 15 EU member states, local authorities, industry and other involved groups.
Busquin said the Commission is now aiming to present a strategic paper on science policy to the next EU summit, in Barcelona, Spain, next March. One of its central points, he said, would be that Europe has to decide whether it wants to be just an importer of new technologies, or a producer ¿ and if it wants to be a producer it will have to find better ways of organizing its research so that it attains the necessary critical mass.
The other ongoing initiative, also started during 2001, is the work of a high-level group of experts that is developing a strategy on how best to enhance pharmaceutical industry competitiveness while safeguarding patient interests. This group already produced an interim report in September, and is scheduled to deliver a final report and recommendations to European Commission President Romano Prodi by April 2002.