Anything known about VAT number validation not working

[f1-outsourcing]

I am getting in a more or less default setup, the error message that an entered VAT number is not correct. However this is a correct number. I wondered if this should still be ok or if this code/validate calculations are maybe out dated?

[f1-outsourcing]

It looks like vies was down. I am not sure how often this happens, but it raises the question if it is not possible to have some sort of 'own' test being done locally.