The European Commission has made a free public country-by-country reporting tool available to help companies prepare Public CbCR reports in the required common template and iXBRL format. This is an important development for multinational groups preparing for the next phase of tax transparency reporting in the EU.
The tool is part of the European Commission’s Public Country-by-Country Reporting Taxonomy Project. The project supports companies with the preparation of Public CbCR reports under Directive 2013/34/EU and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2952.
What has been published?
The European Commission has published a package containing the Public CbCR taxonomy, technical documentation, an iXBRL reporting manual, and an Excel-based report generator.
It can be found on the below URL:
https://finance.ec.europa.eu/publications/public-country-country-reporting-taxonomy-project_en
The report generator is designed to help companies create an iXBRL Public CbCR report in XHTML format, using the common layout required under the EU rules.
In practical terms, this means that companies now have access to a free tool that can be used as a reference point for preparing Public CbCR reports. The package includes taxonomy files in all EU languages and guidance for both tax teams and IT departments.
We tested the tool
We tested the European Commission’s free Public CbCR report generator. The tool is an Excel-based VBA macro file and, in our test, it only worked properly in Microsoft Excel for Windows.
This is important for tax teams to know in advance. Many multinational groups use mixed IT environments, including macOS users, browser-based Excel, or restricted corporate devices where macros are disabled by default. In those cases, the tool may not run without support from IT.
The fact that the tool is based on Excel and VBA makes it familiar for many users, but it also means that companies should check their internal security policies, macro settings and operating system compatibility before relying on it in a reporting process.
Scope of the European Commission tool
The European Commission tool only generates the European Public CbCR output in iXBRL/XHTML format. It is specifically designed for the EU Public CbCR reporting framework.
It does not generate Public CbCR filings for other jurisdictions, such as the Australian Taxation Office. These jurisdictions may have different technical specifications, reporting formats, validation rules and filing requirements.
This distinction is important. Public CbCR is increasingly becoming a global topic, but the required output formats are not necessarily the same across countries. A tool that generates the European iXBRL/XHTML report does not automatically solve Public CbCR requirements outside the EU.
For this purpose, we are developing functionality in TPGenie to support jurisdiction-specific Public CbCR outputs, including formats that differ from the European iXBRL/XHTML approach.
Why this matters
Public CbCR is another example of the broader shift from narrative tax reporting to structured, data-driven tax reporting. Tax authorities, regulators, investors, journalists and other stakeholders increasingly expect tax information to be available in a standardised, machine-readable format.
For multinationals, this changes the nature of tax reporting. It is no longer only about writing a report. It is also about ensuring that the underlying data is complete, consistent, traceable and suitable for reuse across multiple reporting obligations.
The release of a free European Commission tool confirms this direction. Public CbCR is not just a disclosure exercise. It is part of a wider movement towards structured tax data, comparable reporting formats and increased public scrutiny.
How TPGenie can support the process
TPGenie enables users to download CbCR data in Excel format. This means that data already available in TPGenie can be exported and prepared for use in the European Commission’s free Public CbCR tool.
The downloaded Excel data from TPGenie can be used as input for the European Commission tool, reducing the need to manually rebuild the Public CbCR dataset from scratch.
This can help limit manual copy-paste work and reduce the risk of inconsistencies between internal CbCR data and the final Public CbCR output.
In addition, TPGenie is being developed to support Public CbCR requirements beyond the European Commission tool, including jurisdiction-specific outputs where the required format is not European iXBRL/XHTML.
A useful tool, but not a full compliance process
The European Commission’s tool is a useful development, but it should not be seen as a full compliance process on its own. A free generator can help create the required output format, but it does not automatically address the full Public CbCR workflow.
Companies still need to collect the relevant data, validate it, reconcile it with financial systems, review it internally, approve it, and ensure consistency with other tax and transfer pricing documentation.
The quality of the Public CbCR output depends on the quality of the underlying data and process.
Conclusion
The European Commission’s free Public CbCR report generator is a practical step. It gives companies, advisors and software providers a clear reference point for the required EU iXBRL/XHTML format and common reporting layout.
Our test showed that the tool is Excel/VBA-based and works properly in Excel for Windows. Companies should verify compatibility, macro settings and internal IT restrictions before using it in a formal process.
It is also important to note that the tool only generates the European Public CbCR iXBRL/XHTML output. It does not generate Public CbCR reports for other jurisdictions, such as the Australian Taxation Office. For those purposes, TPGenie is developing functionality to support jurisdiction-specific Public CbCR outputs.
For TPGenie users, the process can be made more practical by downloading CbCR data from TPGenie in Excel format and using that data as input for the European Commission tool. This can reduce manual work and support consistency between internal CbCR data and the final Public CbCR output.
Public CbCR is another sign that tax compliance is moving from static documents to structured, reusable data.
Recent Comments