Marc Wagener, COO and Director Entrepreneurship at the Chamber of Commerce; Lex Delles, Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises; Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce;
Credit: Emmanuel Claude / Chamber of Commerce
On Tuesday 15 March 2022, Luxembourg's Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Lex Delles, and the Director General of the Chamber of Commerce, Carlo Thelen, discussed electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) support measures as part of the event "E-Invoicing: meeting experts in the field”, organised at the premises of the Chamber of Commerce.
Digitilisation represents enormous growth potential not only for Luxembourg but also for Europe as a whole. Mr Thelen, stated: “SMEs that integrate digital technologies into their strategy can experience growth up to three times greater than those that do not. The Chamber of Commerce supports Luxembourg companies in this digital transition so that it can be a real lever for the development of services and cost control”.
In this context, the widespread use of electronic invoicing could allow companies to make significant savings and gain in efficiency. The implementation of electronic invoicing within companies brings many advantages: increased speed of processing, significant reduction in processing costs, better traceability of invoices, possible reduction in disputes, acceleration of payment deadlines, facilitation of consultation and archiving, easier accounting and reinforced data security.
The law of 13 December 2021, amending the law of 16 May 2019, on electronic invoicing in the context of public procurement and concession contracts entered into force on 18 December 2021. This makes the use of electronic invoicing mandatory in the context of public contracts, according to a schedule set according to the size of the companies between 18 May 2022 and 18 March 2023.
Beyond this regulatory framework applicable specifically to public procurement, the transition to electronic invoicing is an important lever for transformation and profitability for all sectors and particularly for business-to-business (B2B) exchanges.
In order to facilitate digitilisation and the implementation of electronic invoicing by companies, the Chamber of Commerce will develop a series of dedicated services, including specific training on electronic invoicing offered by the House of Training. The House of Entrepreneurship, for its part, has set up specific advice to help entrepreneurs and guide them in the implementation of their electronic invoicing tool. The objective of these services is in particular to raise awareness and support for each entrepreneur in their digital transformation, via three pillars, namely advice and guidance, awareness raising via free workshops and the implementation of digital solutions within of the company.
Anxious to support companies in their digitilisation efforts and to facilitate the implementation of mandatory electronic invoicing, the General Directorate will set up a “Fit 4 Digital Package” dedicated to “e-invoicing”. This package is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses and applies to both the public (business-to-government, B2G) and the private (B2B) markets.
Companies with less than 50 employees that do not yet have an ERP (Enterprise resource planning) system managing their daily activities, such as accounting, will be able to take advantage of a module providing for the installation of ERP software as well as a electronic invoicing system. Companies with fewer than 50 employees who already have an ERP system will be able to benefit from support from the House of Entrepreneurship as part of the “Fit 4 Digital Packages” indicating the measures to be taken in order to install an electronic invoicing system.
Companies with 50 to 249 employees that do not yet have an ERP system will be able to take advantage of advice assistance respectively investment assistance under the "Fit 4 Digital" programme in order to install ERP software as well as than an electronic invoicing system. Companies with 50 to 249 employees that already have an ERP system will be able to install an electronic invoicing system as part of the 360° diagnosis of the “Fit 4 Digital” programme.
Minister Delles, underlined in this context that “digitalisation is a real source of growth, regardless of the size of a company. Indeed, new technologies make it possible in particular to reduce costs, increase visibility and ultimately increase competitiveness. In this context, mandatory electronic invoicing is an important step for digitilisation and administrative simplification. The Ministry of Digitalisation intends to create the conditions that will accelerate and simplify the invoicing procedure in the context of public contracts, and this for the benefit of companies. The new 'Fit 4 Digital Package' dedicated to 'e-invoicing', will support companies in the implementation of electronic invoicing thanks to a personalised approach which adapts to the individual situation of each company”.
Further information about the programme and services offered by the House of Entrepreneurship is available via tel.: 42 39 39-840 and email: digital@houseofentrepreneurship.lu.
