Today The Commonwealth of The Bahamas signed an [Agreement with Germany](https://bfsb-bahamas.com/international/014363600.pdf) for Assistance in Civil and Criminal Tax Matters through Exchange of Information. Signing on behalf of The Bahamas was the Hon. T. Brent Symonette, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. H.E. Jürgen Engel, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas signed on behalf of Germany.
The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that The Bahamas welcomes the conclusion of the Agreement with Germany, a fellow active participant in the ongoing work of the OECD Global Forum on Transparency and Tax Information Exchange, as well as in the previous Committee on Level Playing Field Issues. He said, *“It is manifestly evident from the involvement of both of our Governments in the international cooperation work of the UN and the OECD, as well as the conclusion of this TIEA today, that there is mutual commitment to the effective implementation of accepted international standards for financial regulation and cross-border cooperation.”*
The Agreement is the twenty-first tax information exchange agreement that The Bahamas has concluded, fifteen of which have been signed with OECD members and eight with members of the G-20. (See [Tax Cooperation](https://bfsb-bahamas.com/international.php) for additional details).
Minister Symonette also took the opportunity to extend the appreciation of The Bahamas to both Ambassador Jürgen Engel and to the German negotiator for their respective roles in enabling the execution of the agreement, and indicated that this jurisdiction looks forward to the continued expansion of the cooperative relationship with Germany.