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    LinkedIn Article by Markus Hornburg
    February 18, 2026 (about 14 hours ago)

    Mandates Are Not the Goal. They Are the Baseline.

    Featured image for: Mandates Are Not the Goal. They Are the Baseline.
    European Union VAT News • LinkedIn Article by Markus Hornburg

    Summary

    The article argues that compliance with country mandates should be seen as a baseline, not the ultimate goal. It emphasizes that true invoicing success lies in data governance and ensuring invoices are accurate, fraud‑free, and defensible in accounting, rather than merely passing XML validation. The author highlights mandates in Poland, France, Belgium, Germany, and Saudi Arabia, and calls for a holistic approach to tax determination and data integrity.

    Key Insights

    Which countries are highlighted as having digitization mandates in the article?

    The article mentions Poland, France, Belgium, Germany, and Saudi Arabia as jurisdictions with digitization mandates.

    According to the author, what is the difference between format compliance and data governance in invoicing?

    Format compliance focuses on validating XML structure, while data governance ensures commercial compliance, such as correct VAT determination, contract linkage, and accurate pricing.

    What does the article suggest businesses should prioritize over merely meeting country mandates?

    Businesses should focus on ensuring tax determination is correct before submission, invoices are commercially valid before accounting, and data integrity is traceable to source to achieve fraud‑free, defensible accounting entries.

    Europe
    European Union
    Compliance
    E-Invoicing
    Cross-Border
    Read full article on LinkedIn by Markus Hornburg
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