# BIM Policy Trends in Europe: Insights from a Multi-Stage Analysis
## 3 Results
### BIM Policy in Europe
#### 3.2.10 Germany  
In 2015, the Reform Commission for the Construction of Major Projects recommended the use of BIM and promoted the digitalization of construction [67]. That same year, a roadmap for digital design and construction (_Stufenplan Digitales Planen und Bauen_) was published [68], which anticipated BIM implementation by 2020 for transport infrastructure projects. The plan outlined three development phases: (I) the preparatory phase, from 2015-2017; (II) the pilot phase, from mid-2017 to 2020, specifying the minimum requirements for pilot projects at the so-called Performance Level 1 (_Leistungsniveau 1_); and (III) the performance phase, from 2020, where BIM performance is required at a Performance Level 1 for all new transport infrastructure projects. The Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport (_Bundesministerium fur Digitales und Verkehr_ BMDV) is responsible for the BIM implementation in infrastructure projects, while the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction (_Bundesministerium fur Wohnen, Stadentwicklung und Bauwesen_ (BMWSB)) oversees building construction projects. A general plan for 2021 was created for federal highways, assuming three stages. Specifically, from 2021, it involves the preparation of know-how; in the second phase, it will be gradually implemented for the Autobahn GmbH, and in the last stage, it will be applied to all new projects [69]. In 2022, the BIM implementation strategy for waterway projects was published [70]. Similarly to the previous strategies, it is divided into three stages: stage I by 2020, stage II by 2025, and stage III by 2030, with BIM models and plans for digital twin adoption. In 2022, a strategy for the railway industry was also published [71]. It was noted that the BIM methodology is already being used for new infrastructure projects. It is assumed that BIMwill be implemented by 2025 at the planning and construction stages and will be further developed in the following years at the operational stage. This strategy is also divided into three parts: stage I, for 2015-2020, in accordance with a roadmap; stage II, for 2020-2025; and the last, stage III, called Digital Transformation (_Digital Transformation_), from 2025, which ends the development of BIM in the planning and construction phases, by which it will no longer be considered a \"new method\" but a \"new normality\". Once this phase is complete, BIM should be fully implemented in the planning and construction phases and linked to digital assets. Strategies for federal buildings with planned implementation dates were published in 2021 [72]. They form the basis for a more detailed BIM handbook to be developed at a later date. The strategy assumes a BIM mandate from 2020 at level I, focusing on the planning and design phase; from 2023 at level II for very large projects with a budget of more than EUR 50 million; from 2025 at level II (also relating to the tender and construction phase) for projects from EUR 0.5 million; and at level III for very large projects. From 2027, it is planned to implement level III for projects from EUR 0.5 million, which will also use external approval processes by authorities and logistics planning with BIM. The strategy specifies what will be required for levels I to III.