CERN Council Sets the Course for the Future of Particle Physics

The CERN Council has updated the European Strategy for Particle Physics, marking an important milestone for the future of high-energy physics in Europe and beyond. The update confirms the full exploitation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), through the completion and operation of its High-Luminosity upgrade, as the highest medium-term priority for European particle physics. Looking further ahead, the electron–positron Future Circular Collider, FCC-ee, has been identified as the preferred option for CERN’s next flagship project.

The FCC-ee would offer a broad and ambitious programme in fundamental physics, with outstanding discovery potential. Through ultra-precise measurements of the Higgs boson and other elementary particles, it would address some of the central open questions in particle physics, from the foundations of the Standard Model to possible signs of new physics beyond it.