It has truly been a Peppol week with a capital P. On Tuesday and Wednesday (June 16–17), service providers, government agencies, and various experts in e-invoicing gathered in Brussels for the OpenPeppol Conference Europe.
The conference theme, “Shaping the Future of Interoperable Digital Commerce,” undeniably captured the essence of the ongoing transformation. Peppol is no longer just about exchanging invoices. It has become the foundation of a global digital infrastructure for business.
The need for scalable and future-proof integration solutions has never been greater. As companies and organizations face new cross-border reporting requirements and undergo inevitable automation, the strategy has shifted.
The focus is now on long-term scalability based on the principle “one connection – reach everyone!” The two-day conference clearly demonstrated how the discussion has shifted from purely technical issuessuch as functional, standardized transmission to policy, compliance, and digital commerce.
Harmonization Is a Must
OpenPeppol Secretary General André Hoddevik set the tone right away on day one with his keynote address on how e-invoicing intersects with e-reporting. The message was crystal clear: the future requires harmonization of e-invoicing, PINT (Peppol International Invoice), and initiatives such as the Peppol ViDA pilot to ensure reliable data exchange.
The fact that Peppol has outgrown its European framework was confirmed by Joanna Declerq Zelechowska, who presented an exciting new initiative in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Meanwhile, Belgium led the way on its home turf; Wouter Bollaert from the Belgian Ministry of Finance presented the country’s concrete roadmap for the transition from mandatory e-invoicing to e-reporting.
A model that is predicted to become a European benchmark.
“With its e-invoicing mandate, which took effect in January, Belgium has really driven up volumes. We’ve seen exceptional growth from December of last year until now,” notes André Hoddevik.
Carmen Ciciriello of the European Commission also emphasized the EU’s strong commitment to digital interoperability. Although the ViDA regulations themselves do not require Peppol, the conference cemented the network’s role as the most mature framework for future VAT reporting.
Furthermore, insights from France’s implementation process, presented by Estelle Prunier and Cyrille Sautereau, underscored the importance of focusing on the actual implementation rather than fixating solely on regulations.
Working Group in the United Kingdom
But even though the ViDA implementation requires a rapid pace, the conference’s second day offered food for thought regarding the wisdom of rushing and choosing relatively untested solutions. The spotlight turned to the UK, which – by being relatively late to the game – discovered a key ingredient that early adopters had partly overlooked in their rush.
Namely, hindsight.
The UK’s strategy is to learn from the mistakes and successes of others. Instead of viewing e-invoicing solely as a tool for tax compliance, the British are aiming to create broader business value. By the time the law mandating e-invoicing takes effect in 2029, every aspect should be thoroughly examined.
Whether Peppol will be used as the platform has not yet been decided. The British government is expected to make a decision on this in its fall budget, but there are strong indications that this will be the case. OpenPeppol’s Chief Operating Officer, Lefteris Leontaridis, explained during the conference that he is working closely with the country’s tax and customs authority (HMRC).
“But the most important thing is that our members and service providers reached out to us and asked what they could do. So now we’ve created a working group with our members and HMRC as a participating party in the discussions,” says Lefteris Leontaridis, explaining in more detail:
“The goal is to identify the requirements of the British market and how Peppol can meet those conditions. Peppol is not unknown in the UK. We have a Peppol authority in the country, and it has been used quite frequently in the National Health Service (NHS). In terms of volume and traffic, Peppol has been among the top five for ten years.
“Provided that the UK chooses a decentralized model and an open ecosystem, which would be wise, Peppol will be a part of this,” predicts Lefteris Leontaridis.
The path is clear
Overall, the conference in Brussels made it clear that Peppol has taken on a new form. By incorporating areas such as logistics, eProcurement, digital identity, and network governance, the network has become a stable foundation for the digital commerce of the future.
The journey has only just begun, but the path toward a fully integrated, global, and frictionless market has been charted.