2025 News Items
07 October 2025 - Update of Retirees Email List
The Retirees Email Addresses listing has been updated with the latest information.
5 October 2025 – Shift of CERN Pension Payment
On the matter of a shift of the CERN pension payment date (as announced in a letter from the CERN pension fund sent in June), the formal final decision is still pending. In fact, there seems to be pressure from "higher up" not to give up this idea "too easily" (i.e. after the objection expressed by the GAC-EPA committee). For that reason, the GAC-EPA committee will soon send a message to all GAC-EPA members (i.e. the majority of you), asking for their opinion. As this is a matter for all CERN pension fund beneficiaries, I will likely distribute this message as well to the non GAC-EPA members from ESO, to get also the reaction of these pensioners (and demonstrating at the same time how GAC-EPA is involved in defending the interests of the CERN pension fund beneficiaries - see also below). We count on your prompt reaction.
5 October 2025 – Annual Meeting CERN Pensions Fund
The Annual Information Meeting (AIM) presented by the CEO of the CERN pension fund will be held in the Telescopium (i.e. "old") auditorium on Wednesday 19 November 2025 at 15:00. Additional information - including the corresponding Microsoft Teams link to follow this presentation remotely - will surely be communicated by HR in due time.
For the ones not able to attend on that date/time, the AIM will also be presented at CERN on Tuesday 14 October. The details of that meeting (incl. the Zoom link) can be found via the GAC-EPA website.
5 October 2025 – Search for ESO candittions for the GAC-EPA Committee
We are looking for one of more GAC-EPA members to stand as a candidate to occupy the ESO seat in the GAC-EPA committee for the next 2 years. Any ESO GAC-EPA member can put her-/himself forward as a candidate, either directly at the GAC-EPA or via the ESO GAC-EPA representative (Erik Allaert).
Clearly it is in the interest of all of us to fill this vacancy, and the new representative can count on support from the current ESO GAC-EPA representative plus others closely involved with GAC-EPA.
Please note that the application deadline is set to 20 October 2025.
20 August 2025 - Agenda ESO's Pensioners' Event - 25th September 2025
The agenda of ESO's Pensioners' Event 2025 on Thursday, 25th September at the ESO HQ in Garching is now available. Please check the link on the Documents and Presentations page (limited access).
For those who will join remotely, please find on the Documentation and Presentations page. As mentioned in the agenda, the presentations will be opened by our DG at 13:00 (Garching time). The link will work a few minutes before foreseen start time.
04 August 2024 – Save the date for the Year-End Events in Germany and Chile - Update
In the recent Internal News the Director General has announced that the Year-End events will take place on 6 December (Garching) and on Saturday 13 December (Santiago). The venue for both is still TBD.
We assume that - like previous years - also the pensioners will get an invitation, but this may still take a while. In the meantime, better reserve the corresponding date on your calendar.
22 July 2025 - Viewgraphs for the ESO General Assembly 10 June 2025
The viewgraphs of the latest ESO General Assembly on 10 June 2025 have been added to the Documentation page (password protected).
20 July 2025 - ESO's Pensioners' Event - 25th September 2025
The ESO's Pensioners' Event 2025 will take place on Thursday, 25th September at the ESO HQ in Garching. There will be a remote connection option for those who cannot attend in person and who would like to hear the presentations.The presentations will also be made available afterwards. More details can be found in the email from Fiona Brazil in the Documents and Presentations section (limited access).
If you intend to participate please confirm you attendance by replying to the email you recently received from Daniela Ferreira Strauss.
30 June 2025 - Update of Retirees Email List
The Retirees Email Addresses listing has been updated with the latest information.
01 June 2025 - Save the date: Second ESO Pensioners' Event on 25 September
The second ESO Pensioners' Event will take place on 25 September. More details will follow as they become available.
01 June 2025 – 18 July: ESO Garching International Staff Association Summer Party
This year’s ESO Garching International Staff Association Summer Party will be held on Friday, 18 July, at the entrance to the new building, or inside (new cafeteria and surrounding area) depending on the weather. We are looking forward to seeing you there!
More details can be found here!
25 April 2025 - Update of Retirees Email List
The Retirees Email Addresses listing has been updated with the latest information.
14 March 2025 - Farewell event for Bruno Leibundgut on 30 April 2025
On the occasion of the retirement of the Director for Science, Bruno Leibundgut at the end of April 2025 after more than 32 years of commitment to ESO, ESO Staff and ESO retired staff are invited to a farewell event to celebrate with Bruno his multi-fold contributions to the organisation. The event will take place at the ESO Garching HQ on Wednesday 30 April 2025, his last working day
The event will take place at the Eridanus auditorium, starting with a talk by Bruno (within the series Astronomy for non-astronomers (AfnA) entitled: Exploring Universes.) and ends with refreshments and a toast for Bruno. The Microsoft Teams link for online attendance will be published at a later stage.
10 Februrary 2025 - ESO Pensioners New Year's gathering
Two photos of the New Year's gathering on 10 February in restaurant "Made in Italy" are now available.
21 December 2024 - Update of Retirees Email List
The Retirees Email Addresses listing has been updated with the latest information.
