The FDP, the liberal party that is part of the ruling coalition in Berlin, has proposed renegotiating with the Swiss to toughen the agreement.

ECONOMIST: European tax diplomacy

Reagan got tax reform and an arms agreement with Russia even while urging Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.

WSJ: Unlucky (Lame) Ducks? The Myth of the Presidential Second-Term Curse

All the same, if there are substantial and eye-catching changes to the convention text, or if (as seems quite likely) the inter-governmental conference simply fails to reach agreement on time next month, there will be much hand-wringing in Brussels, Paris and Berlin.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne