ABSTRACT
The year 2008 saw the convergence of the regulation of the use of human tissue between the UK and Europe. The background to the European Tissue and Cells Directive may be found in the Single European Act of 1987 and the Treaty of Amsterdam which came into force in 1999 which established the internal market within the European Union (EU) and made provision for the free movement of goods and services between Member States. The Directive creates a common framework across the EU to ensure high standards in the 'donation, procurement, testing, processing, preservation, storage and distribution of human tissues and cells'. The Human Tissue Act 2004 came into force on 1 September 2006. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 put in place in the UK a statutory regulatory mechanism for assisted reproduction and embryo research as recommended by the Warnock Committee in 1984.
