This document contains the final report in the framework of the study on the Invoicing Directive (2001/115/EC) now incorporated into the VAT Directive (2006/112/EC), as applicable on 1 January 2008. Article 237 of the VAT Directiverequires that “the Commission shall present, at the latest on 31 December 2008, a report and, if appropriate, a proposal amending the conditions applicable to electronic invoicing in order to take account of future technological developments in that field.” This study should give the European Commission an objective analysis of the current

In 2001, EU Council Directive 2001/115/EC on Invoicing was published, with the purpose of simplifying, modernising and harmonising the conditions for invoicing and electronic invoicing in respect of value added tax. By 1 January 2004, this directive was to have been transposed into the national legislation of every EU Member State, with a date of 1 May 2004 being laid down for the ten newly-joined Member States. Although there has been some disharmony in the translation into local legislation, many companies and solution-providers expected a booming business in