The CERN Council is the highest authority of the Organization and has responsibility for all-important decisions. It controls CERN’s activities in scientific, technical and administrative matters. It approves programmes of activity, adopts the budgets and reviews expenditure. The Council is assisted by the Scientific Policy Committee and the Finance Committee. The Director-General, appointed by the Council, manages the CERN Laboratory. The Director-General is assisted by a directorate and runs the Laboratory through a structure of departments.

CERN is run by 23 Member States, each of which has two official delegates to the CERN Council. One represents his or her government’s administration; the other represents national scientific interests. Each Member State has a single vote and most decisions require a simple majority, although in practice the Council aims for a consensus as close as possible to unanimity.

Director-General

• International relations
• Communication
• Council Secretariat
• Directorate's office
• EU projects office
• HSE Unit: Occupational health and safety and environmental protectiont
• Host states relations
• Internal audit
• Knowledge and technology transfer
• Legal service
• Resources planning and control
• Translation and minutes service
• VIP office

Administration and general infrastructure

• FP Finance and procurement
• GS General infrastructure services
• HR Human resources

Research and scientific computing

• IT Information technology
• PH Physics

Accelerators and technology

• BE Beams
• EN Engineering
• TE Technology

Taken from CERN's structure

(*) For the bibliography used when writing this Section please go to the References Section