Global Daily Tax News, EU Member States Agree New E-Invoicing Standard, (Apr 6, 2026)

The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) has recently approved the revision of EN 16931-1, the European standard governing the content and format of electronic invoices, in EN 16931-1:2026.

In the formal vote, representatives of the National Standardisation Bodies of 17 member states supported the revision unanimously. The remaining member states abstained, with no objections raised.

The European Commission will soon publish the reference to the new standard, including a transition phase. Guidance is also expected from CEN to support implementation of the standard.

The European Commission said: "The revision reflects developments under the VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) initiative, including requirements to support e-invoicing for automated VAT reporting. The Definitive Text was made available on March 18, 2026, marking the completion of the drafting process and its formal distribution by CEN to national standardisation bodies."