BS Forum on ICT Standards for SMEs
The benefits and challenges of e-invoicing and e-identification were the themes of the second edition of SBS’ Forum on ICT standards for SMEs, which took place on 31 March during the Cluj Innovation Days in Cluj-Napoca, one of the most important software development centres and leading city in IT services exports of Romania.
The Forum showcased the value of e-invoicing and e-identification for European SMEs in the framework of the Digital Single Market, but also the potential challenges. Firstly, the market needs time to incorporate the latest administrative requirements.
Secondly, the implementation of these new standards is difficult for SMEs in the absence of adequate tools. This raises the issue of the cost-effectiveness of these standards resulting in smaller entrepreneurs less willing to update their current systems.
Finally, the fact that government agencies act as intermediaries for electronic business-to-business transactions is a concern for SMEs as regards privacy and information security.
All panellists however agreed that the standardisation work in support of e-invoicing and e-identification initiatives are key structural elements for the functioning of the Digital Single Market and might be very beneficial for SMEs. However, the practical implementation is still difficult.