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Bundesverband der Deutschen Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie e. V.

BDLI

Der BDLI vertritt die Interessen der Industriebranchen der zivilen Luftfahrt, Ausrüstung und Werkstoffe, der Verteidigung und Sicherheit sowie der Raumfahrt.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Andreas Glück (Member of the European Parliament)

8 Dec 2025 · EU Space Act

Meeting with Engin Eroglu (Member of the European Parliament) and Airbus

2 Oct 2025 · European defence market integration

Meeting with Jeremie Godet (Head of Unit Defence Industry and Space)

3 Sept 2025 · Discuss SMEs and German companies’ participation in the IRIS2 programme.

Meeting with Vanesa Hernandez Guerrero (Head of Unit Taxation and Customs Union) and Airbus and

3 Jul 2025 · Exchange of views on commercial rebalancing measures set out in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/778 (currently suspended until 15 July 2025) , which have an impact on EU companies, especially in the EU aeronautical and space industry.

Meeting with Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Mar 2025 · Exchange on current developments in civil aviation

Meeting with Timo Pesonen (Director-General Defence Industry and Space)

20 Mar 2025 · To follow up on current issues.

Meeting with Andrea Wechsler (Member of the European Parliament) and Hexagon Composites ASA

20 Mar 2025 · EU Energy and industry policy

Meeting with Andrius Kubilius (Commissioner) and

10 Feb 2025 · Meeting with representatives of German security and defence industry

Meeting with Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (Member of the European Parliament)

29 Jan 2025 · Exchange about security and defence industry related topics

Meeting with Andrea Wechsler (Member of the European Parliament) and FIPRA International SRL and

15 Jan 2025 · EU Energy and industry policy

Meeting with Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

18 Jul 2023 · NZIA

Response to Space Strategy for security and defence

10 Feb 2023

Der BDLI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie e.V.) begrüßt die öffentliche Konsultation zur EU-Weltraumstrategie für Sicherheit und Verteidigung durch die Europäische Kommission und beteiligt sich daran gerne. Dabei unterstützt der BDLI die Stellungnahme und die Position des europäischen Dachverbandes ASD-Eurospace zu dieser Konsultation. Darüber hinaus unterstreicht der BDLI in seiner Stellungnahme (vgl. Anlage) einige zentrale Schwerpunktthemen.
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Response to Proposal for a basic regulation of the European Chemicals Agency

6 Oct 2022

The motivation for a basic regulation on the function and operation of ECHA and its bodies against the background of the Green Deal and the CSS is understandable. We thank you for the opportunity to contribute some basic comments on this matter. (1) ECHA and its bodies follow the principle of sustainability and pay attention to the consideration of the interests of nature, society and economy in their work. In the case of the economy, however, we note that ECHA's view is very much focused on the chemical industry. The manufacturers of end products are also subject to the laws, regulations and fee ordinances, but their interests and concerns should be taken into account to a much greater extent in the future. This should be taken into account in a basic regulation. (2) In the case of the aerospace industry, there are good reasons for the EU to have established industry-specific agencies: EASA, ESA and EDA. Strict regulations imposed by these agencies on our industry will ensure that we can fulfill our societal mission: safe aviation, security and defense capability, high-performance and infrastructure-providing space. ECHA's implementation of REACH substance regulation often comes into conflict with the regulatory framework of the above-mentioned industry-specific agencies in the business lives of companies. Therefore, when ECHA and its bodies make decisions regarding the aerospace industry, the agencies EASA, ESA and EDA should be involved in the process. (3) The beneficiaries of ECHA's activities are nature, society, and industry. ECHA's current fee-funding model should therefore be fundamentally reconsidered. It should also be considered that ECHA is exposed to a conflict of interest in a fee-based model. When prioritizing substances to be regulated, the protection of humans and nature should have top priority. In this context, the expected fee revenues should be subordinate depending on the groups of substances to be regulated. These considerations lead to the conclusion to finance ECHA from European Union funds.
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Meeting with Niklas Nienass (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

19 Sept 2022 · German aerospace, sustainability, new space market

Meeting with Walter Goetz (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)

13 Jul 2022 · Aerospace Industries

Meeting with Niklas Nienass (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Mar 2022 · New Space

Response to Revision of EU legislation on registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals

30 May 2021

Summary The aerospace industry supports the objectives of REACH, in particular the principle of better protecting citizens and the environment from hazardous chemicals. We are keen to participate constructively in the revision of the legislation. Such a revision should address the identified shortcomings in a targeted and efficient way, based on a sound impact assessment. We view with great concern the political paradigm shift from a risk-based to a hazard-based approach in EU chemicals regulation. In order to be able to continue to develop, use and operate socially relevant technologies and complex products with high performance requirements and long lifetimes, such as aircraft, in Europe in the future, it must also be possible to use hazardous chemicals in the future if there is no risk to humans or the environment in doing so. A major concern for our industry is that changing or new regulations do not disrupt supply chains. This risk exists when legislators impose requirements on the supply chain that cannot be met in practice. To support early identification of unintended consequences of the REACH revision, and to find workable options for implementation, we call on the EU Commission to conduct a comprehensive dialogue, in particular with manufacturers of complex articles and systems. About our industry and our products The aerospace industry is characterised by high safety and reliability requirements while meeting challenging product performance parameters. This results in stringent certification and qualification processes and strict design specifications for the entire supply chain. The aerospace supply chain is global, highly complex and deeply integrated. The vast majority of supplier companies are small and medium-sized. In contrast to the consumer-oriented industry, our quantities are small, suppliers are often active in niche markets and in some very specific cases act as a "single source supplier". The life cycle of many aerospace products, such as aircraft and aircraft engines, is measured in decades. Throughout the life cycle of these products, their reliability and safe use must be ensured. This includes the need to maintain, repair and service complex products, sometimes using the same processes and materials qualified decades earlier. It is of utmost importance for our industry that these requirements are taken into account during the REACH revision process as part of the shaping of the EU chemicals legislation. Direct reference to some key messages from the Inception Impact Assessment Communication in the supply chain Timely, complete and efficient communication of information along the supply chain is essential for achieving a high level of protection for humans and the environment. The current lack of requirements for an electronic exchange format urgently needs to be overcome. What is needed is a binding standard and also a legal obligation to provide the relevant data electronically. The authorisation procedure is too heavy and inflexible. We share the Commission's assessment that the current authorisation procedure is cumbersome and inflexible. With regard to the granting of authorisations, we consider it urgent that cooperation between the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is institutionalised. Companies in the aerospace industry are experiencing dramatically conflicting requirements from two European technical authorities. On the one hand, aviation regulations demand exact compliance with the respective manufacturing and maintenance specifications. On the other hand, and at the same time, the requirements of REACH partly enforce the abandonment of such procedures. In our view, the resolution of this contradiction in the approval procedure would be favoured by a regular involvement of EASA. We would like to actively support the REACH revision process and are at the European Commission's disposal for detailed cooperation.
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Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner)

30 Nov 2020 · BDLI-Space talk: “Quo vadis European Space after the COVID-19 pandemic? – The future of European Space in view of the German EU Council Presidency”.

Meeting with Jean-Eric Paquet (Director-General Research and Innovation)

24 Nov 2020 · Berlin Aviation Summit: speech + panel with aviation CTOs

Response to Action Plan on synergies and cross-fertilisation between the civil, defence and space industries

22 Oct 2020

Aeronautics, space, security and defense industries form a high-tech ecosystem that is of strategic importance to Europe. Many of its firms have activities in numerous sectors and are part of a complex web of international supply chains. These supply chains include many SME. Due to its nature, this ecosystem has a long record of creating and exploiting synergies among its sectors. BDLI supports the announced Action Plan on synergies between civil, defense and space industries. This initiative is welcome as Covid-19 puts our sectors under enormous pressure, and public spending on research and innovation in Europe remains far below the level of the US and China. Synergies cannot replace funding, but they can optimize the return on investment and contribute to enhancing technological sovereignty. The EU can foster cross-fertilization among industry sectors if it exploits potential synergies among its own policies and programs. The legal bases of many 2021-27 programs indicate the intention to do so, but it remains uncertain if and how this can be achieved in practice. The Action Plan can make a difference here. From an industrial angle, the EU should improve synergies both horizontally (among research and innovation programs) and vertically (between R&I and investment/procurement programs). The former, e.g. between the EDF and Horizon Europe, can foster cross-fertilization among sectors; the latter, e.g. security research and the Internal Security Fund, can help bring research results to the market. From a technological point of view, synergies are possible mainly at lower technology readiness levels of research for components and subsystems. In digital domains like Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing or Blockchain, many underlying models, theories and developments are the same for different sectors; sharing research efforts at this level would accelerate the development of sector-specific solutions and free-up resources for their deployment. All emerging technologies are driven by huge investments from commercial sectors. They are also indispensable enablers for defense, aerospace and security. The uptake of these technologies in defense and security applications should be a priority of the Action Plan. It should envisage that civil EU programs like the European Cloud or the European Processor initiative take into account defense and security requirements from the outset to ensure that their results will be useable also for the next generation of European defense and security capabilities. The Action Plan has to consider the differences between defense, security, space and civil markets. As business models and regulatory frameworks are not the same, a balance must be found on the openness of research results, IPRs, guarantees for risk investments, assurance of economic return. Therefore, the new emerging technologies will bring new challenges, e.g. for the standardization and use of data. The synergies made during the research phase will not eliminate differences between sector-specific applications. We believe that the EU can best foster synergies through flagship programs and Strategic Value Chains. Both concepts can unite different technologies and connect partners from different sectors around a common objective. The Action Plan should include concrete initiatives to implement this approach. Finally, the Action Plan should not limit itself to identifying ad hoc already existing opportunities for synergies. It should also point the way to a more systematic approach that creates synergies by design. This requires structural reforms and new governance structures that combine cross-sectorial technology watch, sector-specific capability planning, close coordination of funding programs and structured engagement of stakeholders. This must not result in shifts between or shortening of the individual program lines.
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Response to ReFuelEU Aviation - Sustainable Aviation Fuels

20 Apr 2020

Comment of BDLI German Aerospace Industries Association 1/ The global market launch of SAF is essential for the sustainable development of aviation in accordance with internationally agreed CO2 reduction targets. The connection between global air traffic growth and a positively developing global economy is undisputed. COVID-19 has plunged the world into a deep crisis, but we must nevertheless assume that in the medium to long term the global economy and global air traffic will return to a growth path and that society will rightly demand the resolution of political goals such as the EU's Green Deal. Despite continuous improvements in the fuel efficiency of modern aircraft, the propulsion generation and energy supply of the globally operating aircraft fleet will continue to depend on the availability of liquid aviation fuels for many years to come. In parallel, aviation research is working on new propulsion options, but the significant introduction of these new propulsion systems into fleets is a distant prospect. In addition, due to its’ financial impact on aircraft operators, COVID-19 currently weakens the fleet renewal capability of airlines, so that the medium-term substitution of fossil fuels by sustainable alternative fuels as a “drop-in”-solution represents a strategic element in the sustainability strategy of international aviation. 2/ Market failure requires political decisions and framework conditions at European and global level. Their definition and implementation cannot be postponed. Even in the long term, without additional measures SAF will be at a cost disadvantage compared to fossil aviation fuel. Due to climate policy priorities and due to the economic role of civil aviation, which will continue to grow in the medium to long term, the market launch of SAF is in the interest of society. For this reason, political support for the introduction of SAF in aviation is required and it needs to be accompanied with a competition-neutral political framework. The EU initiative ReFuelEU Aviation is therefore exactly the right approach to prepare such environment. We urge that such an approach be harmonised within the European Union and must lead to a level playing field in the member states. It must be ensured that market distortions in relation to non-EU territories and market participants are avoided. Coordination through the International Civil Aviation Organisation ICAO must be the final objective. The economic distortions currently generated by COVID-19 must not lead to relevant delays in the political process. 3/ The aviation industry will accompany the process constructively and positively. We expressly welcome the ReFuelEU Aviation initiative of the European Commission and consider the political measures addressed in the Inception Impact Assessment to be highly relevant to achieving the political goal of the EU Green Deal. We look forward to the further process and will gladly support the initiative.
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Response to European Partnership for Clean Aviation

27 Aug 2019

German Aerospace Industries Association BDLI fully supports the statements and descriptions provided by the Inception Impact Assessment for the European Partnership Clean Aviation. CONTEXT AND PROBLEM DEFINITION The document very accurately describes the context and the need to establish such a partnership in the forthcoming EU Research Framework Program Horizon Europe. The continuation of global growth in air transport is undisputed. It is also known that, compared to other mobility industries, far fewer options are available to achieve deep decarbonization of air transport in the foreseeable future. Large scale and high risk investments in Research and Innovation (R&I) with exceptional long return on investment cycles are necessary in order to deliver meaningful success. Efforts to provide climate- and environment-friendly knowledge and technologies for aviation must therefore be further increased at the European level through the co-operation of industry, universities, large-scale research and politics. The effectiveness of European success in aviation research to date is already reflected in the fact that approximately 50% of civil passenger aircraft delivered today originate from Europe. In addition, European aviation equipment companies are an integral part of the supply chains of non-European aviation manufacturers. Therefore, European technology generates a huge impact on the environmental performance of global aviation. OBJECTIVES AND MAPPING OF POLICY OPTIONS The European aviation stakeholders have described the challenges and objectives of European aviation as a matter of societal relevance in the joint document Flightpath 2050 and have outlined the solution in the form of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). A European partnership Clean Aviation is urgently needed in order to achieve the goals we have set together within the European network. We advocate the following investigative streams within the European effort: Explore: innovative and disruptive technology exploration; Mature: technology maturation, partial integration or technology benchmark and potential benefit evaluation; Demonstrate: representative context demonstration for performance assessment and social and market acceptance. A prerequisite for the successful coordinated work of aviation stakeholders at Horizon Europe is the concentration of aviation activities in the Clean Aviation partnership. The European Union plays an important role in this. The establishment of Clean Aviation under the regime of an Institutional European Partnership (Article 187) is therefore, in our view, the most promising political option. SUMMARY BDLI supports the ambitious goals of European aviation, which are aimed at environmental friendliness, safety and competitiveness. The increase of the R&I activity as well as an increase of the R&I budget mostly made up of grants from the EU and in-kind contributions of the industry are indispensable for this. The Clean Aviation European partnership has highest relevance for further progress of civil aviation in Europe and beyond. It is in the interest of society to make it a success.
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