As my mandate comes to an end, I wish to share with you, in the form of a final article, the progress of considerable work carried out by CERN, the Member States and our colleagues in the relevant Working Groups. This undertaking, initiated in 1976 by the Staff Association, has a single objective: to ensure that the acquired rights of the members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are protected until the death of the last member and beneficiary, in every conceivable scenario, including the most extreme: the dissolution of the Organization.

I invite you to read below both the summary of the presentation of Dr. Jean-Michel Favre about this matter, and its next phase, during the meeting of the Tripartite Employment Conditions Forum (TREF) on November 13^th, as well as the statement made by the Staff Association. Dr. Favre spoke in his capacity as Chair of the Working Group of the Standing Consultation Committee (SCC).

Safeguarding our Social Protection rights and preparing for all scenarios

For several decades, the Member States, the Organization, and the Staff Association have been considering the obligations of the Organization and those of its Member States in the event of the withdrawal of one or more Member States or the dissolution of the Organization.

This work has taken place in two successive phases:

1986–1996: First Phase – Legal and Institutional Foundations

In 1986, the Council adopted an initial, fundamental resolution:

• To guarantee the payment of pensions until the death of the last beneficiary;
• And, in the event of dissolution, to replace the Pension Fund with a foundation under Swiss law and to bring the Pension Fund into balance before transferring the capital to this foundation.

Between 1989 and 1996, the Council formally enshrined the guarantee of pension benefits in the Fund’s Statutes and then approved the founding act of the Swiss foundation.

1997–2025: Second Phase – From Reviewing Member State Obligations to Including Health Insurance

Starting in 1997, a Working Group under the auspices of the SCC conducted a detailed analysis of the obligations of Member States in the event of their withdrawal or of the dissolution of the Organization.

Three eminent professors of international law concluded in particular that:

• Pension and health insurance rights are fundamental and intangible;
• The Organization must ensure the separation and balance of the Pension Fund;
• As a last resort, the Member States must guarantee the benefits subsidiarily if the Organization were no longer able to do so.

In 2012, the Council clarified the financial obligations of the Member States: their contribution must cover their share of long-term liabilities, including in the area of social protection, proportional to their contribution rate to CERN’s budget.

In 2022, the Council approved a major step forward: health insurance coverage falls under essential employment conditions and must also be guaranteed until the death of the last beneficiary. And in December 2023, a corresponding article was introduced into the CHIS rules.

As the Swiss authorities indicated that a Swiss foundation cannot manage both pensions and health insurance, the architecture foreseen since 1986 must therefore be revised.

On behalf of the Directorate, the Chair of the CCP Working Group proposed, at the November 2025 TREF meeting, to analyse three options:

1 — Create a second Swiss foundation looking after the CHIS

Possible but complex—two independent structures, governance becomes delicate, and it does not address dismantling in the event of dissolution, an essential and unavoidable element in a dissolution scenario.

2 — Transfer both the pension and health schemes to another Organization

Unrealistic; what interest or capacity would another Organization have in managing the social protection of our members and beneficiaries, and what about dismantling?

3 — Maintain or create an entity under international law

This is the option favoured by the Staff Association.

Maintaining an entity under international law would offer:

• Legal continuity between CERN and the entity responsible,
• Joint management of the social protection schemes,
• Responsibility for dismantling if necessary,
• And a major advantage for our Member States: no need to “balance” the social protection schemes at the time of dissolution, contrary to the 1986 resolution.
  
  The health insurance, a budgeted system, and the Pension Fund, a capitalised system, would otherwise require a capital payment of around CHF 10,000 million, depending on the assumptions used.

2026–20??: Third Phase – Building the continuity solution

The document submitted to the Finance Committee and the Council now recommends beginning a third and final phase of the SCC Working Group’s work, focused on the concrete definition of this international continuity entity. Once defined, it will be submitted to the TREF, the Finance Committee, and the Council for their approval.

And above all, an important question: should we still speak of dissolution?

The document concludes by raising a fundamental question:

As CERN prepares for its future with the study of a major new project and continues to serve as a global sanctuary for science, is it still relevant to contemplate scenarios of dissolution?

The answer provided is clear: it is better to envisage the continuation and adaptation of the Organization’s scientific missions rather than its disappearance… quite a programme!

Statement delivered by the Association at the TREF on the 13^th November 2025

“The Staff Association commends the considerable work carried out by CERN's services and successive working groups over nearly forty years, at the request of the Council, to ensure the sustainability of the Organisation's and its Member States' social protection commitments, even in the most extreme scenarios.

This work, which began in 1986, demonstrates the exemplary sense of institutional responsibility and legal rigour of CERN and its Member States.

The Association fully supports the idea of now embarking on a third stage. It notes with interest the various options being considered to ensure the continuity of the Pension Fund and the health insurance scheme.

the Association considers that the option consisting of maintaining CERN entity responsible for managing the social protection schemes until the death of the last beneficiary, represents the most coherent and secure approach and is the most in line with the spirit of the founding Convention.

Finally, the Association fully agrees with the document's concluding observation: rather than considering the dissolution of CERN, even in the very long term, it is necessary to work on continuing and adapting its scientific missions in the interests of humanity and the international scientific community.”

This dossier, begun well before our time and whose timeline extends far beyond our own, is above all the expression of a community that looks far ahead, takes care of itself, and demands that the Organization honour its long-term commitments.

We have always been guided by a profound conviction: CERN’s social protection system is not a mere administrative mechanism; it is a collective responsibility, a vital source of reassurance as we grow older and face life’s hardships.

I remain convinced that the reflections underway today will help guarantee, for many years to come, the security and dignity of all those who have devoted a part of their lives — sometimes the greatest part — to CERN.

As I conclude this article, I simply wish to say how touched I have been, during my three successive mandates, by the commitment, lucidity and trust of so many colleagues who have contributed, each in their own way, working on subjects we have addressed.

And I am grateful to have been able to contribute modestly to this process. Thank you to each and every one of you for your support, your discussions and your confidence.

It has been an honour to represent you.

 

Isabelle Mardirosian

President of the CERN Staff Association