EU Council approves updated tax cooperation agreements with five countries
The Council of the European Union has approved updated tax cooperation and transparency agreements with Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino. The updated agreements align with new international standards developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and expand the automatic exchange of financial account information to include electronic money products and digital currencies. The new protocols also establish a framework for cooperation on value-added tax recovery and the prevention of tax fraud and evasion, while strengthening due diligence and reporting requirements to help tax administrations act more effectively on shared information. The updated agreements are set to enter into force on 1 January 2026, and the EU has indicated that it intends to further deepen cooperation on tax matters with Switzerland.