1) The expert group on e-invoicing identified the importance of e-invoicing for business competitiveness, cost savings, and service innovations. 2) Key recommendations included meeting SME needs, harmonizing legal frameworks, maximizing interoperability, adopting common standards, and establishing implementation processes. 3) E-invoicing could automate administrative processes and cut costs in half for enterprises, particularly helping SMEs, and yield large savings for the public sector.

1. Results of the Expert Group on e-Invoicing Bo Harald ChairEC Expert Group on e-Invoicing

2. Expert Group on e-Invoicing - Mission Defined in Commission Decision of 31 October 2007: Identify shortcomings in current regulatory framework Define e-Invoicing business requirements Address relevant e-invoicing data elements (and linkages) Propose responsibilities for standardisation bodies and time schedule Propose a European e-Invoicing Framework - a common conceptual structure

4. Cost savings in public sectors

5. Service innovations

7. Reasons for fast adoption Value of information in structured form apparent Productivity improvement potential – 250bn > business case for service providers and customers (Deutsche Bank Research report – 54bn€ pa in Germany alone) Demographic challenges – liberating for more productive work much needed

8. Dilemma nbr 1: EU workforce nose-diving 2020 35 million smaller 25 m larger Digitalization key to automation. Productivity improvement potential 250bn with e-invoicing Automation liberates much needed resources for productive work Automation leads to real time completion of processes 5

10. becoming integrated e-parts of value chains

11. improved cash flow, cheaper financing and real time visibility5. Very large savings and service improvement potential in public sector

12. 2. Key Recommendations Progress made Banking sector could do more 1: Meet the needs of SMEs as a priority focus. 2: Harmonise and clarify the legal and VAT framework based on equal treatment of paper and electronic. 3: Maximise interoperability and reach. 4: All actors to adopt a common invoice standard and data model- the UN/CEFACT CII v.2. 5: Establish an organisational process for implementation of the EEIF. 6: Widely promote and communicate the benefits. VAT-directive for equal treatment Much work needed Great progress in ISO EC to establish PAN-EU Multi stakeholder Forum and recommend member states to do same Much work needed in SME and public sector

13. Time for EU to address the needs of SMEs Small enterprises cannot afford to invest in advanced ERP systems Small enterprises cannot afford to communicate in x number of standards to their counterparts Small enterprises cannot afford to support connectivity to x number of counterparties Service providers should take all this in account – provide the simplest interfaces

14. More than dematerialization – cutting administrative costs in all dimensions Very important to demonstrate full potential for SMEs: Automated accounting Automated and real time cash flow estimates Automated and real time VAT Automated invoice financing Automated and unified reporting to public sector All achieved by moving to e-invoicing.

16. This would speed up migration to e-invoicing and make it voluntary (deadlines for unstructured invoicing and transparent pricing still needed)

18. “Ice Age” “Huge Ice Age” 3 approaches: “Any hype will do” Early start: “Explorer” Late (re)start: “Panicky follower” 12 2010-03-07 Page 12 2006-03-23

19. It is created ! The future is not planned nor prognosed Thank you bo.harald@tieto.com, http://boharald.blogspot.com 2010-03-07 13