CERN Council declares its intention to terminate cooperation agreements with Russia and Belarus at their expiration dates in 2024

Statement by the CERN Council:

At its 208^th meeting yesterday, the CERN Council reiterated its denunciation of the continuing illegal military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation with the involvement of the Republic of Belarus, which has resulted in a widespread humanitarian crisis and significant loss of life. CERN was established in the aftermath of World War II to bring nations and people together for the peaceful pursuit of science. Member States recalled that the core values of the Organization have always been based upon scientific collaboration across borders as a driver for peace, and stressed that the aggression of one country against another runs counter to these values.

The Council declared that it intends to terminate CERN’s International Cooperation Agreements (ICAs) with the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus at their expiration dates in 2024. However, the situation will continue to be monitored carefully and the Council stands ready to take any further decision in the light of developments in Ukraine.

CERN’s International Cooperation Agreements, ICAs, normally run for five years, and are tacitly renewed for the same period unless a written notice of termination is provided by one party to the other at least six months prior to the renewal date. The ICA with the Russian Federation expires in December 2024, that with the Republic of Belarus in June 2024.

These measures follow those already adopted at an extraordinary meeting of the Council on 8 March, and at the Council’s regular meeting on 25 March. The Council reaffirmed that all decisions taken to date, along with the actions undertaken by the Management, which have had a marked impact on the involvement of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the scientific programme of the Organization, remain in force.

The Council also decided to review CERN’s future cooperation with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) well in advance of the expiration of the current ICA in January 2025.

The full text of the Council’s resolutions can be found here.

Quote from Fabiola Gianotti, CERN Director-General:

“Yesterday’s Council’s decision confirms the strong condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation aided by Belarus, while leaving the door ajar for continued scientific collaboration should conditions allow in the future,” said Director-General Fabiola Gianotti.

About CERN
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s leading laboratories for particle physics. The Organization is located on the French-Swiss border, with its headquarters in Geneva. Its Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Cyprus, Estonia and Slovenia are Associate Member States in the pre-stage to Membership. Croatia, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Pakistan, Türkiye and Ukraine are Associate Member States. The European Union, Japan, JINR, the Russian Federation, UNESCO and the United States of America currently have Observer status. The Observer status of the Russian Federation and of JINR is suspended in accordance with the CERN Council Resolutions of 8 March 2022 and 25 March 2022, respectively.

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