For more than 25 years, the Staff Association, taking advantage of the presence at CERN of delegations to the Council and the Finance Committee, has organised a cocktail party twice a year, in March and in September after the Finance Committee meeting. It brings together delegates from Member States and Associate Member States with the nationals of their country, chosen by the Staff Association among the Organisation's personnel to be "ambassadors" of the Association and the personnel. For the first time in its history, the traditional "cocktail party" of the Association's Ambassadors had to be interrupted, throughout the year 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Association did not give up and resumed this practice in March 2021, in a brand new form via Zoom, while adapting to the current health context.

The Staff Association would first like to thank the employed and associated members of personnel who participated in large numbers during the public meeting of June 7.

This year the OGA will be held on Friday, 25 June 2021 at 11 am.

We informed you in our ECHO No. 356 that the mandate of this working group was, as we expected for a long time, about to be finalised. It is now done! At the SCC meeting on 6 May, the mandate, whose objectives you will find below, was approved by the Management and the Staff Association. Three members of the management including HR Department representatives and three members of the SA will compose this working group. The kick-off meeting will take place on June 3.

Do you have any questions about the Five- Yearly Review of employment conditions 2021 (5YR 2021)? Would you like to know more about the Staff Association's program of work for 2021? Do you have any suggestions on this topic?