According to EU Directive 2014/55 / EU of April 2014 it is mandatory for all contracting authorities to receive and process electronic invoices.
The aim of EU Directive 2014/55 / EU of April 2014 is to promote digitization in the public sector, thereby simplifying and accelerating processes. Estimates assume possible cost savings of 60 to 80%.
An e-bill within the meaning of the EU Directive 2014/55 / EU must meet certain structure and content requirements.
XRechnung is a German internal administrative standard. It has defined a uniform internal invoice term and given it the name X-Rechnung.
The XRechnung is a structured, standardized record in XML format that can be sent and processed electronically. The XLM format is only machine-readable.
Other digital formats such as emails, plain PDFs, or scanned invoices do not meet the requirements because they lack standardization and structure.
ZUGfeRD is a hybrid format. It consists of the mandatory machine-readable part, which contains all information according to the EU Directive and an additional image or PDF file that can be read by persons.
However, it is still unclear whether all federal states accept the hybrid format.
PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine) is an international solution aimed at standardizing cross-border, publicly funded public procurement (public eProcurement) within the European Union.
It is an open European data exchange network that any person and institution can join. The aim of PEPPOL is to connect a wide range of procurement processes and electronic billing systems in Europe via a web service-based infrastructure. This meets the requirements of secure and reliable data transmission.
The country-specific requirements and their implementation may differ between EU Member States, but they typically use Universal Business Language (UBL) in different versions with customizations, as well as PEPPOL specifications and access points for verification and transport. The main advantage of UBL is that business documents can be standardized for different purposes. UBL is a flexible, international standard that supports many business needs, so these business documents can be exchanged across borders.
Zugferd 2.0 Profile EN 16931 is a fully compliant CIUS of the CEN standard.
XRechnung is a compliant CIUS of the CEN standard
You send us your invoices as XML or create them via our cloud solution. We take care of the mapping and the validation and forward your invoice to the invoice recipient. We support all 3 formats (X-bill, ZUGFeRD, PEPPOL BIS).
Experience the e-invoicing advantages:
compliant with legal regulation
cost reductions for document editing
reduction of faulty invoices and fast execution of payments
We support and advise you on the implementation of e-invoicing.
We offer our Access Point Service for buyers and suppliers, providing access to the PEPPOL network.
PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine) is an internationally developed solution designed to standardize cross-border, electronically supported public procurement (public eProcurement) processes within the European Union.
It is an open European data exchange network that any individual or institution can join. PEPPOL aims to connect diverse procurement processes and electronic invoicing systems across Europe via a web service-based infrastructure. This infrastructure ensures secure and reliable data transmission.
OpenPEPPOL aims to enable European companies to conduct cross-border, electronically supported public procurement procedures. Its primary focus is on promoting competition for government contracts and securing better conditions for taxpayers. PEPPOL provides access to its networks via access points with standardized electronic documents based on PEPPOL BIS. Key features of PEPPOL include the ability to freely choose the access point provider, share electronic documents with any company via the PEPPOL network, and avoid complex connections between buyers, suppliers, and other parties.
All e-invoices must also be archived electronically. The GoBD (Principles for the proper management and storage of books, records and documents in electronic form, as well as for data access) apply. The XML file of the XRechnung (e-invoice) serves as the original invoice.
Webware Internet Solutions GmbH continues to actively support cross-border digitalisation in Europe by participating in two major European Union projects focused on eDelivery and electronic invoicing.
Webware participated in the UP-ACCESS project within the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme. The project implemented the AS4 protocol and upgraded the Service Metadata Publishers (SMPs) of four PEPPOL Access Points, used by thousands of customers across the EU.
The developed solution was compliant with Directive 2014/55/EU and enabled secure, standardised cross-border digital messaging while reducing complexity and operational costs.
Webware Internet Solutions was a member of the EURINV consortium, co-financed by INEA under the CEF Telecom programme.
The project supported compliance with the European Standard on Electronic Invoicing (EN 16931) and Directive 2014/55/EU, upgrading cloud eInvoicing platforms to support UBL and CII for interoperable cross-border invoicing within the EU and EEA.
Through initiatives such as UP-ACCESS and EURINV, Webware Internet Solutions contributes to the advancement of secure, standardised and efficient digital document exchange in Europe, supporting the growing mandatory adoption of electronic invoicing across both public and private sectors.
