In the past few days, I came across two particularly insightful materials on e-invoicing.

In the past few days, I came across two particularly insightful materials on e-invoicing.

My thanks to the team at Rossum for sharing The Global Shift to eInvoicing - an extensive analysis prepared by the International Observatory on eInvoicing at Politecnico di Milano.

And thank you to Ellen Cortvriend highlighting the new Call for Evidence issued by the European Commission.

➡️ Links to both resources are shared in the comments for easy access.

Both documents clearly show that Europe (and the world) is standing at a crossroads.

In its Call for Evidence on the revision of EU e-invoicing rules, the European Commission notes that although EN16931 has been successfully introduced, the reality remains fragmented and adoption is progressing too slowly for the needs of the Single Market.

Meanwhile, the Milan report highlights a global trend: more than 80 countries are introducing mandatory e-invoicing, with a clear shift away from PDFs towards fully structured data and secure transmission through interoperable networks like Peppol. It strongly calls for abandoning PDF (including hybrid PDF/XML) and moving towards pure data files — the only format that truly enables high-level automation and reliable data for both businesses and public administrations.

But waiting for a “perfect solution” is not an option. And Europe’s landscape is highly uneven. Belgium will introduce mandatory B2B e-invoicing in 2026 and already has around 600,000 Peppol participants. The Czech Republic? Fewer than 100 — despite having a similar population and purchasing power parity to Belgium. And there is still no binding date for mandatory adoption.

So what can be done right now — especially in the Czech Republic, where no mandate exists?

a) Medium and large enterprises
The private sector can take the lead. The business case already exists: fewer errors, less manual work, faster processing. This is why I’m sharing TV Nova instructional video for suppliers, which outlines the path forward — from Peppol to the practical use of the local ISDOC format delivered by e-mail.

b) Small businesses
Simple online invoicing tools continue to grow in popularity, adopted voluntarily by entrepreneurs. And here lies a major opportunity: sponsored invoice delivery via Peppol. If the receiving company (typically a larger organisation benefiting from automation) covers the delivery cost, the small supplier gains professional e-invoicing at no expense. For invoicing software providers, this model can even become a new revenue stream.