It is June 19, 2026. The Odoo ecosystem is buzzing with unprecedented activity in Europe. Whether it’s the recent opening of Odoo’s 21st office in Lyon on June 1, the success of the Odoo Business Show in Arlon last night, or Odoo’s selection by Randstad as the most attractive company in Wallonia, the Belgian software company continues to reach new heights.
But for SME executives, CFOs, and CTOs, the news this June is dominated by pressing regulatory deadlines and the first major revelations about Odoo 20, which will be unveiled at the Odoo Experience in Brussels this coming September.
As a former developer in Odoo’s R&D department and an independent consultant, I offer a comprehensive analysis of how these changes will affect your business today.
1. Odoo 20: What to Expect at the Odoo Experience (September 2026)
The company took advantage of the recent Partner Days to outline the roadmap for its major release: Odoo 20. While Odoo 19 focused on database stabilization and an initial layer of generative AI, Odoo 20 is shaping up to be the version of intelligent automation.
"Agent-based" AI Replaces the Chatbot
Gone are the days when you had to type a prompt to get a response. Odoo 20’s AI is becoming proactive. It will autonomously monitor system anomalies (such as an impending stockout or a supplier delivery delay) and generate alerts or corrective purchase orders without human intervention. In addition, Claude’s (Anthropic) AI will be natively integrated into Odoo’s chat feature.
100% Offline Mode (Offline Core Apps)
This is a major announcement for field teams and logistics: the core ERP applications (Finance, Inventory, Production) will operate entirely without an internet connection. You’ll be able to create, edit, and archive inventory transactions or payroll records in areas without internet access; synchronization will occur as soon as the network connection is restored.
Simplifying the Point of Sale (POS)
Odoo 20 eliminates the technical headache of SSL certificates for POS hardware. Thanks to a direct connection via Chromium-based browsers, local printers and payment terminals will be detected instantly.
2. Electronic Invoicing: The Countdown Is Picking Up Speed
This is the hot topic for all finance departments in the Benelux and France as summer approaches.
In France: 74 days until the mandatory inspection (September 1, 2026)
On September 1, 2026, all French companies subject to VAT will be required to be able to receive structured electronic invoices (Factur-X, UBL, CII). Odoo is now officially registered as a Partner Digitalization Platform (PDP) in France. The ERP will therefore act as a direct and secure access point for your interactions with the tax authorities (PPF).
In Belgium: "Self-Billing" Tolerance Set to End Soon (June 30, 2026)
While the general grace period for the B2B electronic invoicing requirement ended on March 31 in Belgium (with fines of up to €5,000), a critical deadline is fast approaching: June 30, 2026, marks the end of the specific grace period for self-billing (invoicing by the customer). Belgian companies that have not yet set up these complex technical workflows with their suppliers face direct financial penalties starting in July.
3. What strategy should we adopt regarding updates?
With the end of life for Odoo 14 on Odoo.sh scheduled for October 31, 2026, and the 25% maintenance surcharge applied by the vendor to obsolete versions (Odoo 16 and earlier), the cost of technological stagnation has never been higher.
To avoid paying an unnecessary surcharge while preparing your infrastructure for the new features in Odoo 20 (which will require at least PostgreSQL 15 or 16), a database health audit is essential.
Get a head start on the new school year with R&D expertise
Migrating an ERP system or bringing it into compliance with the 2026 tax regulations isn’t something you can wing. As a former R&D developer at Odoo, I’ll help you clean up your data, separate your custom code from the standard modules, and configure your AI agents securely.
- 👉 Plan your migration or secure your electronic billing processes.
- 👉 Contact me directly to discuss the development of custom modules or the integration of Odoo into your infrastructure.
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