"It is very important to have a good relationship between Switzerland and Germany," said Didier Burkhalter. "We now need to find a way – and we will discuss this at Wednesday's cabinet meeting -- to ensure a stable relationship with Germany."

Germany has said it is prepared to pay for data on clients of Swiss banks who may have been evading German taxes that is being offered to authorities by a whistleblower, even if the information has been obtained illegally.

 

"In principle, the decision has been made," Schaeuble told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper, adding the legal basis was similar to a case in 2008 when Germany paid for data stolen from Liechtenstein's top bank LGT.

 

"Therefore we could not decide any differently," he added.

 

A Swiss lawmaker criticised Berlin's latest move in a simmering row over Swiss banking secrecy.

 

"Here we have a new form of bank robbery," Swiss lawmaker Pirmin Bischof told Germany's Deutschlandfunk radio. "Before, you had to go to the bank and get hold of the money with a weapon. Today you can do it electronically by stealing data. "This should not be allowed in a country based on the rule of law," Bischof added. (C ) Reuters