On September 18, the international standard-setting organization for business document exchange, OpenPeppol, formally approved the Ministry of Digital Affairs (moda) as a Peppol Authority. OpenPeppol is responsible for operating Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line) and currently has member enterprises from 43 countries worldwide. Through the Peppol cross-border electronic document exchange platform, enterprises can directly exchange business invoices and other documents without replacing their existing systems or negotiating field formats with trading partners. This significantly reduces cross-border transaction costs, while also improving operational efficiency and data accuracy.

Taiwan’s accession to Peppol carries strategic importance. In addition to most EU member states, many of Taiwan’s close trading partners—including Australia, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, and Malaysia—are also Peppol members. This means future cross-border digital transactions between Taiwan and these economies will become smoother and more immediate. According to surveys by Australian service providers, using Peppol for business document exchange can reduce costs by as much as 80%, compared with traditional paper-based or complex Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) methods. This achievement is the result of joint efforts by the Ministry of Digital Affairs (moda), the Office of Trade Negotiations under the Executive Yuan (OTN), the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium, and the International Trade Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (TITA).

Looking ahead, moda will develop localized Peppol technical and application specifications tailored to domestic needs, ensuring that enterprises can adopt the system more conveniently and securely. At the same time, moda will actively assist domestic service providers in applying for OpenPeppol accreditation, thereby accelerating Peppol adoption across industries. These efforts will further drive industrial upgrading and transformation, while enabling businesses to seize new opportunities in global cross-border trade.