Already a major player in the European motorcycle industry, BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch has taken on another key role after being elected president of the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) for the next two years.
He was elected at the 2026 ACEM General Assembly, hosted by BMW Motorrad at the BMW Welt in Munich. The annual event brings together representatives from across the motorcycle industry to review the year’s progress and define strategic priorities at political and technical levels.
ACEM says Flasch’s term of office will focus on three strategic priorities: securing the integration of L-category vehicles – quads, tricycles, motorcycles and mopeds – into Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) across major European cities; advancing the industry’s decarbonisation agenda while safeguarding the sector’s industrial competitiveness; and promoting the role of motorcycling in leisure, touring and sport as a driver of economic growth across Europe.
As well as the new president, the ACEM governing committee has three vice-presidents: outgoing ACEM president Michele Colaninno (CEO, Piaggio Group), Claudio Domenicali (CEO, Ducati Motor Holding) and Clément Villet (director of land mobility, Yamaha Motor Europe).
Flasch said: “I am honoured to take on the presidency of ACEM, and grateful to my colleagues for their trust. ACEM enters this new mandate from a position of strength, building on solid foundations laid in recent years under Michele Colaninno’s presidency. Our task now is to carry that momentum forward and keep strengthening the industry’s voice in Europe. L-category vehicles are not a niche; they are a solution to the mobility challenges Europe faces today. Our industry has the technology, the ambition, and the responsibility to deliver on sustainability while keeping riding accessible, safe, and entjoyable for millions of Europeans. Competitiveness remains our watchword. We will work closely with EU institutions to ensure that the regulatory environment supports innovation and industrial investment, rather than constraining it. I look forward to working together to make the motorcycle industry stronger within Europe and beyond.”