Brussels, 02/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 2 December, European ministers responsible for competitiveness reached an agreement in principle on the draft directive will lead to standard e-invoicing standard for public procurement across the EU (see EUROPE 10974).
The Lithuanian minister for the economy, Evaldas Gustas, stated “the proposal aims to facilitate the integration of e-invoicing systems on the basis of an interoperable system that prevents too much internal market fragmentation”. The commissioner for the internal market, Michel Barnier, called on ministers to “put public contracts at the service of growth” and said that complete digitalisation of the public markets in four or five years' time, thanks to e-signatures and e-invoicing, would lead to savings of “€80 billion for clients and companies”. He did, however, voice two reservations regarding the legislative proposal, one on the different transposition deadlines for the central and regional public authorities and the other on the adoption of the future standard by way of implementing acts. If these two points are retained after negotiations with the EP, there is a risk that implementation could be seriously delayed. (MB/transl.fl)