A far-right Member of the Hungarian Parliament has said that he has been genetically tested in order to prove his ‘ethnic purity’. The Nagy Gen company examined (only) 18 markers in his genome for variants which it claims to be characteristic of Roma or Jewish ancestry. According to its findings, he has no Roma or Jewish ancestors.

This episode, which has been condemned by the European Society of Human Genetics, highlights the inadequacy of regulation, accreditation, and advertising arrangements regarding genetic tests as a whole. In one specific case, ancestry tests, their use and marketing was thought to serve recreational purposes. However, the case described above exposes the weakness of the European legislation on the direct sale of genetic tests.

1. What measures will the Commission take to regulate the quality assurance and accreditation of the laboratories which carry out human genetic tests of the type concerned here and other types, especially in cases where tests are sold freely to consumers on a cross-border basis (on the Internet, for instance)?

2. What measures will it take as regards misleading advertising and improper uses of scientifically worthless genetic tests, health-related or otherwise?

3. What measures will it take to regulate advertising and the free and direct sale of the abovementioned and other genetic tests, especially health-related and ‘personal identity’ tests (paternity/maternity and ancestry), which frequently involve children or third parties who have not given their consent?