The member States of the Council of Europe and the member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), signatories of this Protocol,
Considering that the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, done at Strasbourg on 25 January 1988 (hereinafter “the Convention”), was concluded before agreement was reached on the internationally agreed standard to exchange information in tax matters;
Considering that a new cooperative environment has emerged since the Convention was concluded;
Considering that it is desirable that a multilateral instrument is made available to allow the widest number of States to obtain the benefit of the new co-operative environment and at the same time to implement the highest international standards of co-operation in the tax field;
Have agreed as follows:
