eInvoicing: the influence of the EU on the expansion of electronic administrative services

Abstract

The digital transformation poses major challenges for local authorities. In order to keep pace with modern development, various basic administrative procedures need to be digitized. The status of digitization in German municipalities demonstrates that they are reaching their limits. As administrative units are to be considered as an interface between society and state, the following paper will focus on this topic.

This paper reflects on the necessary expansion of eGovernment services in local authorities against a European background, with the aim of bringing together the European and municipal levels. The European Union (EU) has set itself the goal of contributing to the modernisation of digital public services and serving as a catalyst through various programs. This paper discusses to what extent the EU achieves its stated goal and whether its actions generate added value in local authorities by using eInvoicing as an example. With the Directive 2014/55/EU the EU set a standard, henceforth all European public administrations must be able to accept invoices in electronic format from their suppliers. The paper aims to demonstrate the significance of the above stated directive, with a specific focus on local authorities.