The future circular collider in Europe

The proposed Future Circular Collider (FCC) integrated programme consists of two stages: An electron–positron collider serving as a highest-luminosity Higgs-boson, electroweak and top-quark factory, followed by a proton–proton collider with a collision energy around 100 TeV. In 2021, the CERN Council initiated the FCC Feasibility Study. This study covered, inter alia, physics objectives and potential, geology, civil engineering, technical infrastructure, territorial implementation, environmental aspects, R&D needs for the accelerators and detectors, socio-economic benefits, and cost. The Feasibility Study was completed on 31 March 2025. The subsequent European Strategy Symposium has singled out the FCC as the by-far preferred future collider option for CERN. I will present a few study highlights, the status, and the next steps.