TWO-HUNDRED-AND-TWENTY-FIFTH SESSION OF THE COUNCIL
11-12 December 2025
RESTRICTED COUNCIL
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
The President informed the Council that, since the Council’s Session in September, he had attended several meetings relating to the update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics (ESPP), including the week-long Strategy Drafting Session in Ascona, Switzerland, from 1 to 5 December. In addition, he had attended the regular meetings of several Council subordinate bodies, namely the Tripartite Employment Conditions Forum (TREF), the Audit Committee and the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB), and had consulted all delegations in preparation for the present Council Session.
DIRECTOR-GENERAL’S REPORT
The Director-General reported on the following subjects:
- Update on funding scenarios for future colliders
- Outcome of bilateral discussions with the Member States on the approval, funding and governance of a possible Future Circular Collider (FCC) project
- Bloch and Pauli Nobel medals on display in the CERN Library
- Summary of Protocol visits and major events over the past decade
REVISION OF THE STAFF RULES AND REGULATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE REFORM OF INTERNAL JUSTICE
On the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the Council approved the proposed amendments to Chapter VI of the Staff Rules and Regulations in the context of the reform of internal justice, as set out in document CERN/FC/6964-CERN/3952, for entry into force on 1 July 2026.
PeNSION FUND
The Council heard a presentation by Dr Buzatu, in his capacity as Chair of the PFGB, on the member and beneficiary administration activities conducted by the Pension Fund Management Unit in the third quarter of 2025; the performance of the Fund’s assets as at 30 September 2025, namely a nominal rate of return of +4.35% for the current year to date, equating to a real rate of return 1.55 percentage points above the best-estimate target for the period; and the key matters discussed at the PFGB’s meeting held at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) on 20 November 2025, including the progress of the PFGB’s in-depth review to determine whether any actions could be envisaged to achieve full funding sooner than 2056.
THE COST-VARIATION INDEX FOR 2026
The Council took note of document CERN/FC/6962-CERN/3953 and approved:
- a basic salary and stipend index of 1.35%, and a subsistence allowances and family benefits index of 0.4%, bringing the overall cost-variation index for the personnel budget to 1.24%, including the applicable indexation for home leave of 1.05%;
- a materials budget cost-variation index of -0.26%; and
- an interest and financial costs index of 0.0%.
The Council further took note that these indices would result in an overall 2026 cost-variation index of 0.39% and that, in line with the “corridor principle” approved by the Council in June 2009, renewed in June 2012, the Member States’ contributions would be indexed by 0.39% in 2026.
FINAL BUDGET OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR THE SEVENTY-SECOND FINANCIAL YEAR 2026
The Council took note of the final 2026 Budget in 2026 prices, as set out in document CERN/SPC/1275-CERN/FC/6963-CERN/3954, and of the presentation by the Director for Finance and Human Resources, Mr Bello, explaining why the document was exceptionally submitted for approval rather than for information only and summarising the differences in revenues and expenses compared with the draft 2026 Budget in 2025 prices approved by the Council in June 2025.
On the recommendation of the Scientific Policy Committee and the Finance Committee, the Council approved the final Budget for 2026, as set out in the document.
NON-LHC EXPERIMENTS
The Council heard a presentation by the Director for Research and Computing, Professor Mnich, on non-LHC experiments, covering recent results from the NA61/SHINE, CLOUD and n_TOF experiments; the status of the production of components for the two large cryostats of the DUNE detector and the schedule for their installation at the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility in the United States; progress with the Detector R&D collaborations established following the 2020 update of the ESPP; and updates on the Quantum Technology Initiative and on the development of a CERN artificial intelligence strategy.
LHC and HL-LHC MATTERS
The Council heard a presentation by the Director for Accelerators and Technology,
Dr Lamont, on the status of the accelerator complex and upgrades, covering the stable running and excellent availability of the LHC and the injectors in 2025; the integrated luminosity delivered to the LHC experiments; the status of preparations for installation of the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) during the third Long Shutdown (LS3); the conclusions and recommendations of the 2025 Cost and Schedule Review of the HL-LHC project by the CERN Machine Advisory Committee; the ongoing construction of in-kind contributions to the project by international partners; and the progress in the development of high-temperature superconducting technology.
The Council then heard a presentation by the Director for Research and Computing, Professor Mnich, on the status of the LHC experiments and computing, covering data-taking achievements during the 2025 run; the progress of the Phase 2 upgrades of the ATLAS and CMS experiments, the issue recently encountered with the “bPOL” DC-DC converter chips and the associated risk mitigation strategy; an update on the Next-Generation Triggers project; the lessons learned over the past five years from the Phase 2 upgrade projects; the status of discussions on the planned upgrades of the ALICE and LHCb experiments during the fourth Long Shutdown (LS4); the evolution of LHC raw data archiving; and the past and anticipated future development of computing hardware costs.
COUNCIL WORKING GROUP ON THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE CERN COUNCIL OFFICE-HOLDERS
Status report on the implementation of the recommendations made by the Council Working Group on the Rights and Obligations of the CERN Council Office Holders.
On the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the Council approved the proposals set out in Section III of document CERN/SPC/1276/RA-CERN/FC/6984/RA-CERN/3955/RA relating to the remuneration policy for Council-appointed experts at CERN and the standard terms of appointment for Council office holders.
CERN Pension Fund: Amendment to Article I 2.05 of the Rules of the CERN Pension Fund
On the further recommendation of the Finance Committee, the Council approved the proposed amendment to Article I 2.05 of the Rules of the CERN Pension Fund, as set out in the annex to document CERN/FC/6986-CERN/3972, for entry into force on 1 January 2026.
PROPOSAL TO HOST THE OPEN RESEARCH EUROPE INITIATIVE AT CERN AS A FIVE-YEAR PILOT PROJECT
The Council approved the proposal for CERN to serve as the hosting and operating organisation of Open Research Europe during its five-year pilot period, as set out in document CERN/SPC/1266/RA/Rev.-CERN/3931/RA/Rev.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH INDONESIA
The Council approved the conclusion of the proposed International Cooperation Agreement with the National Research and Innovation Agency of the Republic of Indonesia, as set out in the annex to document CERN/3957/RA.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH THE SULTANATE OF OMAN
The Council approved the conclusion of the proposed International Cooperation Agreement with the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of the Sultanate of Oman, as set out in the annex to document CERN/3958/RA.
REPORT ON ESPP STATUS
The Council heard a status report by the Strategy Secretary, Professor Jakobs, on the ongoing update of the ESPP, focusing in particular on the various options for future colliders at CERN; summarising the discussions held on that subject by the European Strategy Group (ESG) on the basis of feedback received from the high-energy physics communities in the Member and Associate Member States and beyond; and, finally, setting out the recommendations that had been drawn up by the ESG at its Drafting Session in Ascona, Switzerland, from 1 to 5 December 2025.
EUROPEAN STRATEGY OUTCOME COMMUNICATIONS
The Council approved the communications relating to the outcome of the Strategy Drafting Session in Ascona, including the press release, contained in document CERN/3956/RA/Rev.
PRELIMINARY OBJECTIVES AND DELIVERABLES FOR THE FCC PRE-TDR PHASE
The Council received a presentation from the FCC Study Leader, Dr Benedikt, outlining the main objectives, activities and priorities of the pre-TDR phase and noting that the work programme, milestones and deliverables would be presented in more detail in March 2026.
CERN AND HOST STATES TRIPARTITE COLLABORATION ON THE FCC STUDIES
The Council also heard a presentation by the Director for Finance and Human Resources, Mr Bello, on the collaboration between CERN and its two Host States, France and Switzerland, in support of the FCC studies, notably in the framework of the FCC Tripartite Committee, the overarching structure for tripartite collaboration on territorial implementation.
CERN’S MAIN OBJECTIVES FOR 2021-2025: ACHIEVEMENT REPORT
The Council heard presentations by the members of the outgoing CERN Directorate, namely Dr F. Gianotti, Mr R. Bello, Dr M. Lamont, Professor J. Mnich and Ms C. Warakaulle, outlining the main achievements made with respect to the objectives for the period 2021-2025, which had been set in September 2021.
The Council thanked and congratulated the outgoing Directorate as well as the personnel for the many impressive achievements in a wide range of activities over the past five years.
FUNDRAISING ANNUAL REPORT
The Council heard a presentation by the Director for International Relations, Ms Warakaulle, recalling the legal framework of the CERN & Society Foundation, the composition of the Foundation Board and the three main funding pillars, and providing some general reflections on CERN’s fundraising activities since the Foundation's inception in 2014, during which time it had raised more than 17 MCHF.
TIMETABLE FOR COUNCIL SESSIONS AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN 2027
The Council approved the timetable for Council Sessions and Committee meetings in 2027, as set out in document CERN/3959.
The Council took note that difficulties had arisen with respect to the date originally scheduled for the special Council meeting foreseen for its decision-making relative to the update of the ESPP in Budapest in May 2026 and decided to move the date of that meeting from 29 to 22 May 2026, thereby amending the timetable for Council Sessions and Committee meetings in 2026, set out in document CERN/3869/Rev.2.
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closed COUNCIL
UPDATE ON FCC GOVERNANCE AND FUNDRAISING
The Council heard a presentation by the Director for Finance and Human Resources, Mr Bello, providing further reflections on potential governance models for a possible FCC project at CERN, as well as an update from the Director-General on the pledges received from private donors towards such an endeavour and the plan for publicly announcing the identity of most of the donors before the end of the year. The Council commended the Director-General and her team for their work in that regard.
GEOGRAPHICAL ENLARGEMENT: EXPERIENCE FROM THE PAST 10 YEARS
The Council heard a presentation by the Director for International Relations,
Ms Warakaulle, and congratulated all the members of the previous and current Directorate as well as the personnel in the International Relations sector for their achievements over the past ten years in supporting the geographical enlargement of the Organization.
REQUEST FOR CERN TO JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL COALITION FOR SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN UKRAINE
The Council approved CERN’s adhesion to the Rome Declaration of Intent for Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine and thus to allow the Organization to join the International Coalition for Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine.
ELECTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
- Scientific Policy Committee
• Appointment of the Vice-Chair
On the recommendation of the Scientific Policy Committee (SPC), the Council appointed Professor Gino Isidori as Vice-Chair of the SPC for a single term of office of one year with effect from 1 January 2026. - Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics: - Appointment of the outgoing SPC Chair as an additional member of the Strategy Secretariat and of the European Strategy Group
The Council appointed Dr Hugh Montgomery, outgoing Chair of the SPC, as an additional member of the Strategy Secretariat and of the European Strategy Group from 1 January 2026 until the conclusion of the Strategy update process. - Council
• Re-election of the President of the Council
The Council re-elected Professor Costas Fountas as President of the Council for a second period of one year as of 1 January 2026.• Re-election of two Vice-Presidents of the Council
The Council re-elected Professor Klaus Desch and Professor Florencia Canelli as Vice-Presidents of the Council for second periods of one year as of 1 January 2026.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SPC MEMBERSHIP SELECTION COMMITTEES
The Council established the SPC Membership Selection Committee.
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