Brussels, 10 June, 2008 — The “Computing Technology Industry Association” (CompTIA) announces that its “European E-Business Council”/EEC will in partnership with other stakeholders advice the European Commission on the harmonization of e-Invoicing, critical to the future of electronic commerce in Europe.

CompTIA, in cooperation with the SME Union of the EPP, is organizing a luncheon debate on 11 June in the European Parliament to discuss among stakeholders concerned key e-Invoicing issues that will shape the future of electronic commerce in Europe. The debate will address in particular barriers and potential opportunities of e-Invoicing and will be moderated by MEP Piia-Noora Kauppi. Speakers will include:

· Costas Andropoulos, Head of Unit, ICT for Competitiveness and Innovation, DG Enterprise and Industry, European Commission

· Ms Carmen Ciciriello, Chief Executive Officer of SEPA International Ltd., member of the European Commission Expert Group on e-Invoicing

· Kai Haberzettl, Business Consultant, Hewlett Packard and board member of the CompTIA European e-Business Council, and

· Gerhard Huemer, Director, Economic and Fiscal Policy, European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME)

According to estimates by the “European Association of Corporate Treasurers” up to 80% of costs, or EUR 243 billion can be saved alone in the business-to-business market in the EU by using harmonized e-Invoicing tools. Currently, the use of e-Invoicing in Europe is limited due to a lack of harmonization, legal uncertainties related to cross-border transactions, and other operational constraints.

e-Invoicing is an important element of the Commission’s Innovation Strategy to face the challenges of economic globalization. “Making the value chain more efficient reduces costs; and improving the certainty of the environment in which value chains operate makes them more competitive,” said Robert Biddle, Vice President, e-business and software solutions, CompTIA. “One of the ways to achieve these goals is to establish a common framework for e-Invoicing, enabling business partners to send invoices and receive payments electronically throughout the EU.”

***
For the EEC see: http://www.comptia.org/sections/eec/default.aspx.

For further information, please contact Steven Ostrowski, Director, Corporate Communications

+1 630-678-8468, sostrowski@comptia.org or Timme Dossing +32 2 234 58 57, tbd@cabinetdn.com.

CompTIA is a global Industry association representing the business interests of the information technology industry. For more than 26 years CompTIA has provided research, networking and partnering opportunities to its 22,000 members in 102 countries. The association is involved in developing standards and best practices, and influencing the political, economic and educational arenas that impact ICT worldwide see: www.comptia.eu