Strengthening Science Through Diplomacy Act of 2025
The Strengthening Science Through Diplomacy Act of 2025 would amend the International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA) to extend the same privileges and immunities the United States already provides to other public international organizations to CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research). Specifically, the bill authorizes the President to apply the IOIA’s protections to CERN under terms the President determines, in the same manner and to the same extent as for other international organizations in which the U.S. participates through treaties or congressional authorization and funding. The goal is to support science cooperation and diplomacy by giving CERN a similar legal framework of immunities and privileges that other U.S.-participating international organizations enjoy when operating in the United States. In short, if enacted, the President could extend U.S. immunities and privileges to CERN, facilitating its activities in the United States under the same conditions that apply to other international organizations the U.S. participates in. The bill does not by itself create new funding or specific programs; it provides a mechanism to extend existing protections to CERN.
Key Points
- 1Purpose: Add CERN to the list of international organizations to receive the privileges and immunities provided by the International Organizations Immunities Act, enabling smoother collaboration and operations in the United States.
- 2Authority and mechanism: The President would determine the terms and conditions under which IOIA protections are extended to CERN, ensuring the extension is delivered in the same manner and to the same extent as for other public international organizations in which the U.S. participates.
- 3Consistent with existing practice: The extension would align CERN’s status with other international organizations that the United States participates in, whether through treaties or Acts of Congress authorizing participation or funding.
- 4Legal and administrative scope: The protections cover the “provisions of this title” (IOIA), meaning immunities and privileges typically associated with such organizations (e.g., certain immunity from jurisdiction for organizational acts, staff, and perhaps property and activities related to official functions), as determined by the President.
- 5Legislative status and process: Introduced in the House on July 10, 2025 by Rep. Castro (and co-sponsors), referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. No accompanying funding or treaty is specified in the text; it is an authorization to extend existing immunities, under the President’s terms.