Germany, Luxembourg sign tax transparency deal

BERLIN, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Germany and Luxembourg have signed a joint agreement on information exchange over tax data, the German Finance Ministry said on Thursday.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble met his Luxembourg counterpart Luc Frieden in Berlin earlier on Thursday and the two had agreed to bring bilateral data exchange into line with OECD standards, the ministry said in a statement.

Schaeuble's predecessor Peer Steinbrueck clashed repeatedly with Germany's neighbors Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg over bank secrecy, accusing the countries of serving as havens for German tax evaders.

The three have taken steps in recent months to improve transparency on taxes, and analysts have said relations between Germany and its neighbors could take on a more diplomatic tone under Chancellor Angela Merkel's new centre-right government.