Broader horizons ahead
On 18 June 2010, the CERN Council opened the door to greater globalization in particle physics by unanimously adopting the recommendations of the Working Group set up in December 2008 to address the issues of scientific and geographical enlargement. The Bulletin talks to Felicitas Pauss, Head of CERN's Office for International Relations, co-Chair of the Preparatory Group and member of the Working Group.
The document approved by Council will help CERN to find new resources by providing a legal framework for the geographical enlargement of CERN within the rules established by the Convention, which does not include a provision restricting CERN Membership to European States. “The primary purpose of the document is to encourage States that already participate in CERN's scientific programme to establish more formal institutional links with the Organization by becoming Member States or Associate Members”, explains Felicitas Pauss. Although an Associate Status already existed, the Associate Member status is different in that the rights and obligations as well as the criteria for becoming an Associate Member have been redefined by this document. The rights and obligations relating to Membership remain unchanged in line with the Convention.
The novelties contained in the document are substantial and will shape the future of CERN and the particle physics community. Besides the new definition of the Associate Member status, the list of novelties also includes: the possibility for any State (European or not) to apply for Membership and Associate Membership; the phasing out of the current “Observer” status; the confirmation of international co-operation agreements as an important means of establishing initial formal links with CERN. At the same time, the document clearly states that the applications for Membership will be subject to the Council first expressing its interest in considering them. Going further in the process, Membership will only be granted to States once they have completed at least two years of Associate Membership, and, of course, only if they fulfill the requisite criteria. Associate Membership therefore becomes an obligatory pre-stage for Membership.
The new procedures are a response to the increasingly global nature of the scientific community using the Laboratory’s facilities and infrastructures. However, geographical enlargement will not change the fundamentally European identity of CERN. “Council has recognized the importance of maintaining the European character of the Organization”, confirms Felicitas Pauss. “European Member States will remain in the majority and applications for Membership from EU/EFTA States will be strongly encouraged. The new rules are designed to be beneficial to and sustainable for both CERN and its global partners”.
