Marina Yannakoudakis, rapporteur. – Mr President, addressing the shortage of certain tissues and cells is a question of common concern to all EU Member States. Many regularly face grave shortages in donations. The EU is a long way from being able to meet the challenge of self-sufficiency, so making it easier to find matches across Europe and save lives is a challenge which should know no boundaries.

In producing this report, I firmly believe this is an area where the EU can truly be said to offer scope for added value. This report looks towards increasing voluntary donations, raising awareness and increasing transparency. This report is about saving lives.

I would firstly like to thank the shadow rapporteurs for their cooperation and for their input, which made this a stronger report. There are three specific areas I felt were important for the future and which would enable this report to be forward-looking and progressive.

The first of these was the question of the umbilical cord. The report looks to raising awareness about the harvesting of cord blood. A single umbilical cord provides ten times as many stem cells as the average bone marrow donation. Yet tragically, too few mothers across Europe are donating cord blood. Indeed, in many Member States, the option is rarely open to them. I therefore look towards extending cord blood collection to as many sites as possible. This report highlights the fact that collection methods and opportunities between public and private banks already exist in some Member States. I would like to stress that both sectors have a role to play in meeting this serious challenge.

The second area the report focuses on is the use of stem cells. These are becoming increasingly important in the treatment of disease. These cells are capable of unlimited self-regeneration; thus, they can cure many diseases and repair damaged tissue.

An important point here is the issue of traceability. Traceability ensures the quality of the donation, but also guarantees that it is truly a voluntary donation. Traceability of tissues and cells is non-negotiable, particularly when it comes to the import of tissues and cells from third countries. Equivalent standards of quality and safety must apply, and I appeal to the Member States who have not yet done so to review, reconsider and revise their national provisions in this regard. Traceability and transparency go hand in hand with taking measures to prevent the development of a black market in gametes, particularly on the Internet. The potential for such a market undermines the quality and safety of such donations, not to mention the associated legal and ethical problems.

The third area which is important to address is the question of compensation for potential donors. Let me be clear: I do not support the idea that the human body should ever be seen as a source of financial gain, and I absolutely reject the idea of an unregulated financial market in tissues and cells. Nevertheless, if we wish to attract sufficient people to come forward and provide life-saving donations, we need to consider granting a fair and proportionate financial compensation to the donor. Such compensation should be transparent, regularly audited and limited to making good the expenses incurred in making the donation.

In summary, it is my sincere hope that this report acts as a wake-up call for all Member States to explore possible opportunities to widen international cooperation. I also hope that other Member States can build on the successes of such blood collection schemes as those run in the UK by NHS Blood and Transplant and the Anthony Nolan Trust.