About

1. Background of e-invoicing and Platform ELFA Belgium
E-invoicing and invoice automation promise to unlock major benefits for almost everyone. Corporates, SME’s, banks, public administrations, service providers and even consumers can profit from e-invoicing. The most striking benefit would be the multi-billion cost savings in Belgium and even larger savings in Europe.

In Belgium, approximately 1 billion bills are sent to customers; at least half of which are sent between companies and to the government. A transition to full scale e-invoicing could lead to savings up to € 3,5 billion. Nevertheless it is said that a mere 1 percent of all invoices is sent electronically.

From January 2010 onwards it is allowed to use e-invoicing in Belgium without any specific technological safety measures. This should help adoption of e-invoicing in Belgium, embracing major cost savings for senders and receivers of invoices, large corporations, SME’s, the Belgian government and Belgium as a whole.

2. Major barriers
Three issues have been mentioned as [slider title="major barriers to a successful penetration and adoption e-invoicing in Belgium."]

The lack of confidence in and knowledge of operational issues surrounding e-invoicing.

The fragmented standardisation of e-invoices in Belgium, Europe and even globally.[/slider]

Common practices show that partly because of these barriers the penetration and adoption of electronic invoicing and invoice automation in and Member States is relatively low and at different speeds.

3. Mission and objectives of Platform ELFA Belgium
It stands out that there was not a platform with a focus on sharing information, promoting members’ interests, building social networks and obtaining knowledge. Platform ELFA Belgium has that focus and a corresponding mission.

The mission of Platform ELFA Belgium is:

To help accelerate the awareness, adoption and penetration of e-invoicing invoice automation and its related domains (payments, accounting, credit management, archiving, authenticity) across the country. Creating benefits and opportunities for its visitors, members, partners and participants.

4. Objectives of Platform ELFA Belgium
To achieve this mission, Platform ELFA Belgium aims at several objectives that distinguishes Platform ELFA Belgium from other initiatives:

Communicating a flexible viewpoint on e-invoicing and invoice automation, refraining from developing a proprietary viewpoint on specific issues, for instance: models, definitions or standardisation formats.

Taking into account a diversity of domains surrounding e-invoicing and invoice automation such as payments, credit management, archiving and authenticity.

Facilitating the transfer of knowledge by organisations inside and outside Platform ELFA Belgium; learning from each other and effectively raising the common level of knowledge on e-invoicing and invoice automation.

Providing an interactive platform which can be used to broadcast (product)information and new developments related to e-invoicing and invoice automation.

Building networks and connections across Europe between SME’s, corporates, service providers, banks, public administrations, tax auditors and policy makers. Expanding their portfolios and interconnectivity possibilities.

Connecting and cooperating with partner initiatives, providing added value for members, partners and stakeholders of Platform ELFA Belgium.

Promoting the interests of Platform ELFA Belgium Members on a pre-competitive level, therefore not intruding the interests of individual members.

Providing members and partners the possibility to create extra value by adding special features for members and partners on the website, the forum, in newsletters and through other means.

This objectives are realised by deploying several activities and instruments using a S.M.A.R.T. framework with [slider title="four interlocking segments:"]

OBTAIN+KNOWLEDGE: transferring and obtaining knowledge
BUILDING+NETWORKS: building social networks
SHARE+INFORMATION: sharing information with members, partners and participants
PROMOTING+INTERESTS: promoting member’s and partner’s interests[/slider]

5. Benefits as a member, partner or participant

The benefits for members, partners and participants are: