On Wednesday 23 September 2026, the Staff Association (SA) had the pleasure of hosting its traditional ambassadors' cocktail.

Held twice a year, in March and September, following the Finance Committee, this event provides a special setting for informal exchanges between colleagues designated by the Staff Association to represent it, the "ambassadors", and the delegates of the Member States and Associate Member States.

Much more than a simple social occasion, the cocktail is a genuine platform for dialogue. It allows us to address issues of key importance to the SA, to open broader discussions on the future of CERN and its personnel, and above all to listen carefully to the views and concerns of the various delegations.

This edition featured rich exchanges on the Five-Yearly Review and, in particular, the key points from the feedback to the survey conducted by the SA, from the perspective of staff members, graduates and associated members of the personnel.

The Association sincerely thanks all the delegates of the Member States and Associate Member States – with 23 delegations in total, as well as our ambassador colleagues, for a total of around one hundred participants. Their commitment is the key to the success of these meetings.

The Staff Association also would like to thank the logistics and catering teams, its secretariat for organising the event, and the Council Secretariat for circulating the invitations.