Germany and Switzerland have signed an agreemen

Germany and Switzerland have signed an agreement which will make it easier for Berlin to get information about - and tax revenue from - German tax evaders.

The agreement, signed by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and his Swiss counterpart, Hans-Rudolf Merz in Berne, brings to an end years of discord between the two countries. The German government believes many of its wealthy citizens have invested millions of euros in Swiss banks, and thus avoided paying tax on them.

The new dual taxation agreement is one of a series of bilateral deals that Switzerland has signed to comply with tougher international standards and new rules set out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The agreement will grant Berlin greater access to information on the Swiss bank accounts of Germans suspected of tax fraud.