TWO-HUNDRED AND FIRST SESSION OF THE COUNCIL
10-11 December 2020
RESTRICTED COUNCIL - 10 December 2020
DIRECTOR GENERAL’S REPORT
The Director-General gave an oral report on the following matters:
- CERN and COVID-19
- International Linear Collider matters
- Recently approved EU projects
- Update on the Science Gateway
REPORTS BY THE dIRECTOR FOR iNTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The Council heard presentations by the Director for International Relations, Ms Warakaulle on the following matters:
- Overview of protocols concluded since November 2019
- Status report on non-Member-State participation in CERN programmes 2019-2020
- CERN&Society fund-raising
- Status of public engagement and educational programmes on the CERN site
The Cost-Variation Index for 2021
The Council took note of document CERN/FC/6446-CERN/3533 and, on the recommendation of the Finance Committee, unanimously decided to approve:
- a basic salary and stipend index of 0.44%, and a subsistence allowances and family benefits index of 0%, bringing the overall cost-variation index for the personnel budget to 0.40%, including the applicable indexation for home leave of 1.77%;
- a materials budget cost-variation index of -0.49%;
- an overall cost-variation index of -0.08%.
The Council further took note that, in line with the “corridor principle” approved in June 2009 (CERN/FC/5644-CERN/3023) and extended in June 2012 (CERN/FC/5644-CERN/3023), the Member States’ contributions for 2021 would be indexed by 0%.
Final Budget of the Organization for the sixty-seventh financial year 2021
The Council took note of the final Budget for 2021 in 2021 prices set out in document CERN/FC/6447-CERN/3534.
Proposed amendments to the 11th edition of the Staff Rules and Regulations – technical adjustments
The Council decided to approve the proposed amendments to Article S V 1.01 of the Staff Rules, set out in document CERN/FC/6448-CERN/3535.
The Council took note that the Finance Committee had approved the proposed amendments to the Staff Regulations also set out in the document and that the new provisions would enter into force on 1 January 2021.
Proposed amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund and the CERN Health Insurance Scheme
The Council decided to approve the proposed amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the CERN Pension Fund, set out in document CERN/FC/6449-CERN/3536.
The Council took note that the Finance Committee had approved the proposed amendments to the CHIS Rules also set out in the document and that the new provisions would enter into force on 1 January 2021.
Governance structure of experiments at CERN
The Council took note of the presentation by the Director for Research and Computing, Professor Elsen, on the governance structure of experiments at CERN.
Preliminary information on the Medium-Term Plan for the period 2022-2026
The Council heard:
- a presentation by the Director-General relating primarily to a proposal that CERN expand the activities at the Neutrino Platform to cover the construction of a second cryostat for the DUNE experiment as an in-kind contribution to the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) in the United States;
- a report by the Scientific Policy Committee Chair, Professor Rivkin, confirming the Committee’s support for the proposal, and;
- positive statements by several delegations in support of the proposal.
Earned-value management (EVM) reports on the LHC Injectors Upgrade (LIU) and High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) projects
The Council heard a presentation by the Director for Accelerators and Technology, Dr Bordry, on the earned-value management (EVM) status of the LIU and HL-LHC projects, namely earned values of 96% and 37%, respectively, with 97% and 46% of the cost to completion committed.
CERN Pension Fund
The Council took note of a report by the Chair of the Pension Fund Governing Board, Mr Malmberg, on the Board's meeting on 26 November, and notably that the Fund’s year-to-date performance had stood at 5.03% at the end of November, resulting in an increase in the net asset value to 4.58 BCHF, and expressed satisfaction with the excellent investment returns achieved during 2020 in a difficult market climate.
CLOSED COUNCIL - 10 December 2020
Enlargement Process
The Council heard a report by the Director for International Relations, Ms Warakaulle, on the visit of a fact-finding Task Force to Latvia from 14 to 16 October 2020, and noted its conclusion that Latvia fulfils the applicable criteria for the granting of the status of Associate Member State. The Council thus decided to authorise the Director-General to finalise with the Government of Latvia the terms of the Draft Agreement concerning the Granting of the Status of Associate Member State at CERN, in particular with regard to Latvia’s financial contribution.
Elections and appointments
a) Scientific Policy Committee
- Composition of the Scientific Policy Committee (SPC): appointment of three new members, reappointment of two members and reappointment of the Chair
The Council unanimously decided:
- to appoint Professor Gino Isidori, Professor Kate Scholberg and Professor Akira Yamamoto as SPC members for a first period of three years as of 1 January 2021;
- to reappoint Professor R. Cousins Jr and Professor M-H. Schune as SPC members for a second period of three years as of 1 January 2021;
- to reappoint Professor L. Rivkin as SPC Chair for a second period of one year as of 1 January 2021.
b) Finance Committee
- Re-election of the Chair
The Council unanimously re-elected Dr U. Dosselli as Chair of the Finance Committee for a second period of one year as of 1 January 2021.
- Re-election of the Vice-Chair
The Council unanimously re-elected Dr L. Salzarulo as Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee for a second period of one year as of 1 January 2021.
c) Council
- Re-election of the President of the Council
The Council unanimously re-elected Dr U. Bassler as President of the Council for a third and final period of one year as of 1 January 2021.
- Re-election of one Vice-President of the Council
The Council unanimously re-elected Professor P. Levai as Vice-President of the Council for a third and final period of one year as of 1 January 2021.
d) TREF
- Re-election of the Chair
The Council unanimously re-elected Professor B. Åsman as Chair of TREF for a second period of three years as of 1 January 2021.
e) Pension Fund
- Appointment of a new member of the Pension Fund Governing Board
The Council elected Professor D. Ryckbosch as the new Council-appointed member of the Pension Fund Governing Board for a first period of three years as of 1 January 2021.
- Appointment of two professional members to the Pension Fund Governing Board
The Council unanimously decided to appoint Ms J. Segars and Mr A. Hilka as professional members of the Pension Fund Governing Board, each for a first period of three years as of 1 January 2021.
f) Audit Committee
- Appointment of one expert member
The Council unanimously decided to appoint Ms R. Bortnowschi as expert member of the Audit Committee, for a first period of three years as of 1 January 2021.
g) Senior staff appointment
- Appointment of the Head of the Experimental Physics department for the period 2021-2025
The Council, on the Director-General’s proposal, unanimously decided to reappoint Dr M. Krammer (AT) as Head of the Experimental Physics department for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2025.
OPEN COUNCIL - 11 December 2020
EPS STUDY ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICS TO THE ECONOMIES OF EUROPE
The Council heard a presentation by the President of the European Physical Society (EPS), Professor Rudolf, on the EPS study of the revenue, employment and exports generated by physics-based industries in Europe between 2011 and 2016, underlining in particular the high resilience and productivity of the physics-based sector, the economic value of long-term fundamental research, and the need for sustained investment in the field.
SOCIAL COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF THE LHC AND HL-LHC
The Council heard a presentation by Professor Florio of the University of Milan on the benefits since 1993 and up to 2038 of the LHC and the HL-LHC projects for early-career researchers, the technological spill-overs in the private sector and the cultural impact on the general public.
LHC Matters
The Council heard a report by the Director for Accelerators and Technology, Dr Bordry, on the status of the second long shutdown (LS2) work, the LIU project and preparations for the HL‑LHC project, including details of the progress at each link in the accelerator chain, the HL-LHC civil engineering work and magnet testing, safety statistics and the latest injector and LHC recommissioning and operation schedules.
The Council heard a second report, by the Director for Research and Computing, Professor Elsen, covering the latest physics results and computing developments, the adoption of an open data policy by the four main LHC experiments, the progress of each experiment’s Phase I upgrades and Phase II upgrade preparations, the measures being taken by the collaborations to minimise the impact of COVID-19 on their activities and the conclusions of the LS2 schedule meeting held on 23 October.
The Council voiced appreciation to all the teams working on the accelerators, the experiments and the computing for their hard work and dedication, especially under the difficult conditions that had reigned in 2020.
Council timetable for 2022
The Council approved the timetable for the meetings of the Council and its subsidiary bodies in 2022, as set out in document CERN/3541.
OTHER BUSINESS
- Thanks and farewell to departing Council participants
The Council expressed its appreciation and bade farewell to the participants who were attending, or had recently attended, their last Council Session, namely:
- Council delegates Professor S. Bethke, Germany, Mr T. Child, United Kingdom, Professor J. Krolikowski, Poland, Professor E. Rabinovici and H.E. Ms A. Raz Shechter, Israel, Dr J. Rokx, Netherlands, Professor B. Sitar, Slovakia, and Ms K. Stenbjørn, Denmark;
- the ECFA Chair, Professor J. D’Hondt;
- Directors, Dr F. Bordry, Director for Accelerators and Technology, Professor E. Elsen, Director for Research and Computing, and Dr M. Steinacher, Director for Finance and Human Resources; and
- Legal Counsel and Head of the CERN Legal Serice, Dr Eva-Maria Gröniger-Voss.