BRUSSELS, Belgium - As expected, the European Parliament decided on Dec. 13 to set up a new temporary committee of inquiry into genetics. It is slated to look at new developments in the field of human genetics and related new technologies in modern medicine.

The committee will have 36 members and will operate for 12 months. In particular, it plans to examine ethical, legal, economic and social issues related to these new developments in the medical field. It also will look at the public interest issue with a view toward making recommendations.

European Commissioner for Research Philippe Busquin immediately welcomed the European Parliament initiative, saying, "It is evident that the advances in genetics will have a profound impact on our lives and on our societies. By examining all the issues in a political forum such as the European Parliament, the enquiry committee will contribute to and complement the commission's own efforts to reconcile science and society." He promised that the newly formed committee could count on full cooperation from him and his officials.

¿ There was immediate European Union support for the UK Parliament's vote on therapeutic cloning. Busquin said, "I am glad to see that parliaments and politicians are discussing research publicly and are thus giving science its proper place on the political agenda." He confirmed that the European Commission had no intention of legislating or harmonizing in the field of ethics, but that it is determined to respect the "diversity of cultures and points of view in Europe." He said he welcomed the prospect of advances in genetics and in life sciences for improving our health and fostering economic and social development in Europe. "We need a dialogue between science and society in Europe on this progress in life sciences, the ethical questions raised, and how to responsibly use the research results," he added. He said he saw the result of the vote in the British Parliament as an example of cultural diversities in Europe expressing themselves in a democratic way. But across Europe, there was a mixed response to the news that the British Parliament had approved the use of human embryos for scientific research. While the Spanish daily El Pais welcomed the move, there was a warning from Germany's Die Tageszeitung that it is only a matter of time before an international response is needed to the questions posed by advances in genetic research. And an editorial in the paper expressed concerns over the balance of power in the debate: "There is very little that any controversy-shy ethics panel can do against the power of the future biotech industry," it concluded.

¿ Information about all 1.8 million scientifically named species, from bacteria to whales, will be on the Internet for anyone to make use of, along with data on the approximately 3 billion specimens located in the world's natural history collections, now that the Global Biodiversity Information Facility set up by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is to be put in place in early 2001. The service will provide search access to millions of biological records found in databases around the globe, offering scientists, natural resource managers, policymakers and the general public the possibility of finding genetic, taxonomic, geographical and ecological information on the world's species. It is intended as a tool for protecting, managing and sustaining biological resources, and will aid in advancing education and research in conservation biology, agriculture and biomedicine.

¿ Sweden, which takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union for six months on Jan. 1, has already released plans to develop wider discussions on biotechnology. On Jan. 23 in Brussels, Hans Wigzell, president of the Karolinksa Institute in Stockholm, chief scientific adviser of the Swedish government and chairman of the Nobel committee on medicine, will highlight Sweden's role at the cutting edge of biotech development and the impact of the new technology on Swedish and European research, development, business and society. "Biotechnology is having a decisive impact on the economic development of the European Union," Sweden said, and claimed that the Nordic member states of the EU, with high research spending, are leading the advance of biotechnology in transforming the old economy. Sweden said biotechnology is "a motor of innovation" in the development of its own high-technology economy and boasts that it has the highest number of start-up companies in biotech per head of population.

¿ A new OECD report on modern biotechnology and agricultural markets finds that although the adoption of genetically engineered crops has been rapid, these crops give varied results in terms of profits. It may be other advantages, such as increased managerial flexibility, that explain their increased use, suggests the OECD. But consumer concerns about possible long-term health and environmental effects, or about ethical considerations, differ widely, and give rise to uncertainties over domestic demand and international trade, according to the report.

¿ The Estonian Parliament passed a law Dec.13 regulating the study of human genes. Minister of Social Affairs Eiki Nestor said the law in some parts is even more advanced than the legislation of such gene research pioneers as Iceland and the U.S. It sets out restrictions aimed at protecting people against discrimination on the basis of genetic data. The aim of the law is to serve as a basis for the creation of the Estonian Genetic Reserve, a nationwide genetic database unique in the world, which it is expected will take some seven years to create. According to the law, participation in genetic studies is strictly a voluntary affair and it is prohibited to advertise it.