Researchers will be required to make stem cell lines derived available to other researchers. This requirement has the potential to reduce the number of embryos used to derive stem cell lines. It also puts the research firmly into the public domain. The European Commission is to fund a European registry of stem cell lines. This again underscores the putting of the research and the results deriving from it into the public domain. Finally, the Commission undertakes to produce a report in 2005 on the research and its outcomes. This report will underpin the formulation of future policy in this area. It will also provide valuable help in informing the debate about the relative potential of embryonic and adult stem cells.