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עדכון אחרון:
01/11/2010 21:50:09
By Paul Snell
Purchasers across Europe will
be forced by law to settle suppliers' bills within 30 days, after
the European Parliament voted in favour of legislation to tackle
late payment.
MEPs voted 612 to 12 to approve the
measure, which will give businesses and public bodies a 30-day
deadline. Organisations that fail to meet this will face an 8 per
cent interest charge, in addition to any previously agreed rate, as
well as a €40 fixed charge per invoice for recovery costs.
However, the cut-off date can be
extended to 60 days if both parties agree. And for private sector
firms the limit can be pushed beyond that providing it is not
"grossly unfair" and has been "expressly agreed" in the contract.
Public bodies that provide healthcare will also be excluded from
the legislation, as in many European nations these are funded
through reimbursement schemes.
"The directive will pave the way for a
whole new payment culture," said German MEP, and the rapporteur who
presented the report to parliament, Barbara Weiler. "We aimed to
have ensured that the rights of the smaller companies are enforced
in order to improve liquidity and create a better climate for
investments into new jobs."
The Parliament's vote will now have to
be approved by the European Council, and member states will have
two years to implement the rule into national law.
Eurochambres, which
represents more than 20 million companies in Europe, said it was
broadly pleased with the decision. "We would have preferred
business-to-business transactions to have been excluded from the
scope of the directive, but the agreement reached is acceptable
since it allows businesses to agree on payment periods longer than
60 days. This broadly respects the fundamental principle of
contractual freedom," said secretary general Arnaldo Abruzzini.
He added the decision not to allow
public bodies more than 60 days to make payment would benefit many
suppliers to that sector.
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