EU planning guidelines on embryonic stem cell research.

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Wracked by ethical anxieties, the European Union is planning new guidelines on what it will pay for in terms of human embryonic stem cell research.

Under the EU's 2003-2006 research program, the funding of human embryonic stem cell research is permitted for the fight against major diseases. But, EU officials proposed last week, if stem cells are derived from human supernumerary embryos with no parental project, there must be a framework of strict ethical guidelines.

The provisions will ensure that no funding is made available for a specific research activity in a member state where that research is forbidden. Italy is the principal opponent of …