The Data Protection and Medical Research in Europe: PRIVIREAL series represents the results of the EC-funded project examining the implementation of Directive 95/46/EC on data protection in relation to medical research and the role of ethics committees in European countries. The series consists of five separate volumes following the complete development of the PRIVIREAL project. This volume relates to the second stage of this project and is concerned with the role of research ethics committees across Europe in ensuring that participants in medical research gain the protection of the Directive. The work examines the specific provision of each member state. It provides an overview of the European position through a comparative analysis of the domestic positions and through a series of papers addressing key issues in the area.