Towards increased support for companies in the implementation of electronic invoicing

Chambre de Commerce
De gauche à droite: Marc Wagener, COO et directeur Entrepreneurship de la Chambre de commerce, Lex Delles, ministre des Classes moyennes et Carlo Thelen, CEO/directeur général de la Chambre de commerce

On 15 March 2022, Lex Delles, Minister for Small and Medium-sized Businesses, and Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce, discussed the topic of electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) at the event "E-Invoicing: meeting experts from the field", organized at the Chamber of Commerce.

Digitization represents an enormous growth potential not only for Luxembourg, but also for Europe as a whole. Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce, emphasized that "SMEs that integrate digital technologies into their strategy can grow up to three times more 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 generalized use of electronic invoicing will allow companies to make significant savings and gain in efficiency. The implementation of electronic invoicing within companies brings many advantages: increased processing speed, significant reduction of processing costs, better traceability of invoices, possible reduction of disputes, acceleration of payment deadlines, facilitation of consultation and archiving, facilitated accounting, reinforced data security.

The law of December 13, 2021 amending the law of May 16, 2019 on electronic invoicing in the context of public procurement and concession contracts came into force on December 18, 2021. This law makes the use of electronic invoicing mandatory in the context of public procurement contracts, according to a timetable set according to the size of the companies between 18 May 2022 and 18 March 2023.

Beyond this regulatory framework specifically applicable 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 the digitization and implementation of e-invoicing by businesses, the Chamber of Commerce will develop a series of dedicated services, including specific training on e-invoicing offered by the House of Training. The House of Entrepreneurship, for its part, has set up a specific consultancy to help entrepreneurs and guide them in the implementation of their electronic invoicing tool. The objective of these services is to raise awareness and support each entrepreneur in his digital transformation, via 3 pillars, namely advice and guidance, awareness via free workshops and the implementation of digital solutions within the company.

In order to support companies in their digitalization process and to facilitate the implementation of mandatory electronic invoicing, the Directorate General of Middle Classes will set up a "Fit 4 Digital Package" dedicated to "e-invoicing". This package is aimed at small and medium-sized companies and applies to both the public (B2G) and private (B2B) markets.

Companies with less than 50 employees that do not yet have an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system to manage their day-to-day activities, such as accounting, can benefit from a module that includes the installation of an ERP software and an e-invoicing system. Companies with less than 50 employees that already have an ERP system will be able to take advantage of the "Fit 4 Digital Packages" from the House of Entrepreneurship, which indicate the steps to take in order to install an electronic invoicing system.

Companies with 50 to 249 employees that do not yet have an ERP system can take advantage of consulting and investment support within the framework of the "Fit 4 Digital" program to install ERP software and an electronic invoicing system. Companies with 50 to 249 employees that already have an ERP system will have the opportunity to install an e-invoicing system as part of the 360° diagnosis of the "Fit 4 Digital" program.

The Minister of Middle Classes, Lex Delles, stressed in this context that "digitalization is a real source of growth, regardless of the size of a company. Indeed, new technologies allow to reduce costs, increase visibility and finally increase competitiveness. In this context, mandatory electronic invoicing is an important step towards digitalization and administrative simplification. The Ministry of Digitization wants to create the conditions that will speed up and simplify the invoicing procedure in public procurement, to the benefit of companies. The new 'Fit 4 Digital Package' dedicated to e-invoicing, will support companies in the implementation of e-invoicing through a personalized approach that adapts to the individual situation of each company".

For more information about the program and the services offered by the House of Entrepreneurship:

Pour plus d’informations concernant le programme et les services offerts par la House of Entrepreneurship:
Tél. (+352) 42 39 39-840
E-mail: digital@houseofentrepreneurship.lu

Communicated by: General Directorate of Middle Classes / Chamber of Commerce

Lex Delles, ministre des Classes moyennes
Carlo Thelen, CEO/directeur général de la Chambre de commerce
Gérard Soisson, Ministère de la digitalisation