Close Relationship Between Liechtenstein and Switzerland Continues

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-news.com, Brussels

07 June 2001

Otmar Hasler, head of the Liechtenstein government, paid his first official visit abroad to Switzerland recently, and in a meeting with the Swiss Federal President, Moritz Leuenberger, confirmed the importance of a close partnership between the two countries.

Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which were also under the European Commission spotlight this week at ECOFIN (the monthly meeting of economic and finance ministers) have said that they share a comparable attitude towards the tax harmonisation efforts of the OECD. Both are notoriously protective of their banking secrecy laws.

Mr Hasler told the press in Bern last week that the bilateral relationship and the position of the two countries within the international community of states had been discussed during his meeting with the Swiss Federal President and the Federal Councillor, Kaspar Villiger. He added that experiences with liberalised markets, and the importance within Europe of respecting the autonomy of a small state had also been discussed. Both men stressed the necessity of maintaining this good relationship in the future.

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