Romanian government urged to take back ‘Big Brother of bills’

Professional associations have urged the Romanian government to retract the emergency ordinance requiring companies to implement the e-invoice system for transactions with final consumers from January 2025.

Currently, the e-invoice system is used only for transactions between companies and the government (Business to Government) or between companies (Business to Business), but last Friday, without prior public consultation, the government broadened the scope of the system to make transactions between companies and final consumers mandatory.

The Finance Ministry claims the measure is part of efforts to curb tax evasion. On the other hand, professional associations describe it as the “Big Brother of bills.”

Particularly, the Association for Technology and Internet (ApTI) on Wednesday sent an open letter to the People’s Advocate and the National Supervisory Authority for the Processing of Personal Data, calling for a public response to what they describe as a “gross violation of citizens’ rights.”

ApTI criticises the excessive collection and processing of a vast amount of data, saying that it poses “significant risks to the majority of the population” and that the government aims to create a database of detailed information on online shopping habits from over seven million citizens.

They noted that the rule also favours foreign companies, commenting that “your personal data won’t reach the Romanian state if you buy from China.”

Meanwhile, the Organisation of Women Entrepreneurs within UGIR (OFA UGIR) warned that the measure could harm domestic consumption due to fears of surveillance and that online purchases might shift to neighbouring countries and direct purchases from EU stores.

(Catalina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)

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