This webinar, scheduled for March 26, 2026, will cover e‑invoicing and digital reporting obligations across Northern Europe, including Germany, Poland, the Nordics, and the Baltics. Participants will learn about upcoming timelines, the shift to real‑time compliance and CTC models, and practical steps for centralizing and automating reporting. The session aims to help organizations prepare for evolving regulatory requirements in the region.

The article examines the European Court of Justice ruling on loyalty programme vouchers, noting that while some advisers praised the court’s definition of a voucher for VAT purposes, a UK partner highlighted unanswered questions. It offers expert commentary on the implications for VAT compliance in the EU and the UK.

Governments worldwide are banning PDF invoices in favor of structured e-invoicing formats, with Belgium mandating Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 from 1 January 2026 and the EU’s ViDA regulation requiring structured invoices for all intra‑EU B2B transactions by July 2030. France, Germany, Poland, and India also have specific structured‑invoice mandates, creating a global shift toward machine‑readable data. The article explains the legal, operational, and cost implications of this transition for finance teams.

Fintua’s blog post outlines how digital platforms and marketplaces must shift to real‑time VAT compliance, driven by EU directives DAC7 and ViDA. It highlights the need for continuous transaction controls, platform liability to collect and remit VAT, and the challenges of reconciling data across jurisdictions such as Mexico and South Korea. The article stresses embedding compliance into systems and cross‑functional collaboration to meet evolving regulatory demands.

This article provides a comprehensive, region‑by‑region overview of e‑invoicing requirements, detailing mandatory formats, transmission protocols, and deadlines for each country. It highlights key national mandates such as Italy’s FatturaPA, France’s Factur‑X, Germany’s XRechnung, and India’s JSON‑based IRP system, offering a practical guide for businesses operating across borders.

The article discusses how e‑invoicing transforms VAT recovery on travel and entertainment expenses, highlighting the shift from manual, employee‑driven processes to automated, XML‑based workflows. It outlines the challenges of identifying T&E invoices, preventing duplicate payments, and the varying complexities across EU jurisdictions, and offers practical guidance for businesses to implement classification logic and align e‑invoicing with ERP transformations.

EU member states are pushing for a €2 customs handling fee on low‑value parcels (below €150) to take effect on 1 July 2026, ahead of the planned 1 November 2026 date. An interim €3 customs levy will also apply from 1 July 2026 until March 2028, while the €150 duty threshold is slated for removal under the 2028 customs reform. The fee could be reduced to €0.50 for importers registered with the Trust and Check Trader scheme.

The European Court of Justice issued three rulings on 12 March 2026 that clarified VAT deduction rights across the EU. The decisions confirmed that Spain can maintain its entertainment expense restrictions under Article 176, that late invoices do not preclude deductions if claimed within the limitation period, and that technical failures in electronic refund transmission cannot cancel refund claims. These rulings reinforce that VAT rights cannot be undermined by excessive formalism or administrative shortcomings.

EN 16931‑1, the EU e‑invoicing standard, is being updated to a mid‑2026 release that expands B2B functionality and aligns with the ViDA initiative. The revision is not backward compatible, requiring migration for existing version 3 implementations, and will be formally approved in late January 2026 with publication concluding within six months. Key national roll‑outs include Germany’s XRechnung 4.0 and France’s CTC extensions.

Bloomberg Tax’s commentary examines the European Commission’s proposal to grant EU anti‑fraud bodies access to national VAT data, a move aimed at closing the €128 billion annual VAT gap. The article highlights the debate over jurisdiction and the balance between cross‑border enforcement and national sovereignty.

The EU is set to overhaul its e‑commerce customs regime, abolishing the <EUR 150 exemption on July 1 2026 and replacing it with a flat EUR 3 fee per product. From November 1 2026 a EUR 2 handling fee will apply to all distance‑sale goods, while platforms will become deemed importers responsible for duties, VAT and compliance. A new customs data hub is slated for 2028 and dedicated e‑commerce warehouses are encouraged to mitigate the impact.

The CJEU reaffirmed that substantive VAT exemption conditions prevail over formalities, with three 2025 judgments clarifying that missing Article 45a documents, incomplete export paperwork, or absent customs steps do not automatically deny exemptions if fraud is absent. The rulings reinforce fiscal neutrality and outline narrow exceptions where formal non‑compliance can defeat an exemption.

The European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs released a draft report on 4 February 2026 urging the European Commission to overhaul the outdated 1977 VAT exemption for financial services. The report proposes taxing identifiable charges such as fees and commissions, introduces coordinated temporary windfall taxes on exceptional bank profits, and calls for an alternative to the withdrawn EU-wide Financial Transaction Tax.

The Peppol network will enforce a mandatory switch from G2 to G3 digital certificates on 1 April 2026. Failure to migrate will revoke the G2 trust chain and disconnect Access Points from the network. OpenPeppol has issued detailed guidelines to help providers become dual‑capable during the transition.

The blog explains how embedding tax automation into marketplace platforms can unlock revenue, reduce risk, and support compliance across multiple jurisdictions. It outlines platform reporting obligations in the EU (DAC7), UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, and other countries, and highlights the benefits of integrated tax services for sellers and platform operators.

The EU will eliminate the €150 customs and VAT threshold for low‑value consignments from March 2028, making e‑commerce platforms the de‑emed importers responsible for all duties and VAT. A single EU Customs Authority and a Customs Data Hub will be established to centralise and simplify customs procedures, with the new regime expected to raise €1 billion in revenue annually.

The article examines the Tour Operators’ Margin Scheme (TOMS), highlighting its intended simplification for travel agents and the significant challenges it poses, such as blocked input VAT and inconsistent application across EU Member States. It discusses the scheme’s impact on profitability, competitive distortions, and the European Commission’s public consultation on reforms launched in 2025.

On 13 February 2026 CEN approved updates to EN 16931‑1, modernising the standard for B2B e‑invoicing and ViDA‑driven reporting across the EU. The revision adds mandatory fields such as IBAN details, early‑payment discount and late‑payment charge indicators, and clarifies syntax bindings to UBL and UN/CEFACT CII, requiring businesses to adapt validation and mapping processes for automated compliance.

The article argues that compliance with country mandates should be seen as a baseline, not the ultimate goal. It emphasizes that true invoicing success lies in data governance and ensuring invoices are accurate, fraud‑free, and defensible in accounting, rather than merely passing XML validation. The author highlights mandates in Poland, France, Belgium, Germany, and Saudi Arabia, and calls for a holistic approach to tax determination and data integrity.

This article explains the technical intricacies of the Peppol discovery process, detailing how participant identifiers are hashed and resolved via DNS to Service Metadata Publishers (SMPs). It highlights key components such as the Service Metadata Locator (SML), SMP metadata signing, and the lack of fallback routing, underscoring the importance of correct configuration for reliable e‑invoicing.