Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-08-Speech-2-364"
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, before I get to the heart of the matter, I would like to say that it is almost a miracle that all of the groups in this House have managed to produce a compromise text on this issue. I am delighted about this on this International Women’s Day.
So what exactly are we talking about? Previous speakers have already mentioned that we are talking about the existence of a clinic in Bucharest, Romania, which specialises in the donation of egg cells to European Union citizens, in particular British citizens, in return for financial payment: an average of 150 pounds sterling. This is the crux of the problem, because, Commissioner, this evening you will hear this amount referred to as payment and as fair compensation. This is not just a subtle difference, but in truth it is a philosophical conflict on this very sensitive issue of donation and that donation being free of charge. This also applies to organs and to the two directives previously adopted by the Union concerning the quality and safety of blood and that of tissues and cells respectively.
So, in the case of this Romanian clinic, is there or is there not payment and therefore trade in egg cells? The British national authority, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, following a detailed enquiry into this matter, concluded that there was no proof of payment.
We are therefore asking here today for the Commission to clarify this issue. Does it, Mr Kyprianou, have new facts in its possession from Romania or other Member States of the European Union?
While I am on this subject, I think that it is important, before the entry into force of this directive concerning tissues and cells, for the Commission to present us with a report on the national legislation, on the donation of gametes and the payment systems in this area established by the Member States.
On these matters of research and ethics, the ALDE Group is very clear: it is not Europe’s job to harmonise ethics; subsidiarity must prevail and the countries that take a conservative position on this cannot prevent Europe from doing research on stem cells in order to respond to the hopes of millions of patients in genetic and cell therapy. This is why, following our internal debate this evening, we will vote against paragraph 11.
Then, priority needs to be given to the common interests of donors and patients, in terms of access to these specific treatments, but also, of course, quality and safety at both ends of the chain.
Finally, the way to ensure safety and quality in gamete donation specifically, as in blood donation, is not only through it being free of charge but also through ensuring availability. You just mentioned, Commissioner, the need for the Member States to include the issue of voluntary and free donation in their legislation. This type of medical tourism would perhaps be avoided if the Member States of the European Union also agreed to deal transparently with the issue of the principle and the amount of this compensation. I am referring, as you did, to the compromise that was reached following epic debates, which is in Article 12 of the directive: paragraph 5, a crucial point of our resolution.
Many Member States are perfectly aware of this and have already opened up the debate on this issue, like in Great Britain. In a nutshell, Commissioner, the objective of this text is for us to fight unfailingly for solidarity and quality, and against shortages, trafficking, and all trafficking that women in particular can be victims of. To conclude, I will refer to the first point in our resolution and the fundamental texts of the European Union. The human body is inalienable and cannot be a source of profit."@en1
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