A spokesperson for German Education Minister Edelgard Bulmahn has said that Germany's current laws regulating stem cell research are working "excellently" and not impeding research. The government has approved all five research proposals submitted after the introduction of new stem cell laws in 2002. Bulmahn told the financial daily Handelsblatt that a debate on renewing the stem cell laws would be appropriate in a few years' time, when there are new types of therapies to discuss. Last October, Germany's justice minister caused a stir when she suggested that the regulations regarding the use of embryonic stem cells in therapeutic research be loosened to open up more opportunities for scientists.