1. The two Parties shall undertake to promote the economic integration of Community operators into the fisheries sector in Mauritania as a whole.
2. In order to develop the fresh products sector, by way of an incentive Mauritania shall grant Community operators landing fish in Mauritanian ports (in particular for the purposes of sales to local industries, adding value to these products in Mauritania or transporting catches made in Mauritanian fishing zones by land) a reduction in the amount of fees, in accordance with Annex I to this Protocol and with the relevant Mauritanian law.
3. The two Parties shall also decide to set up a task force to identify obstacles to direct Community investment in the fisheries sector in Mauritania, and the opportunities for such direct investment or possibilities of supporting such investment, and the measures easing the conditions governing it.
Article 9
Disputes — suspension of application of the Protocol
1. Any dispute between the Parties over the interpretation of this Protocol and its Annexes or its application shall be the subject of consultations between the Parties within the Joint Committee provided for in Article 10 of the Agreement, in a special meeting if necessary.
2. Application of the Protocol may be suspended at the initiative of one of the Parties if the dispute between the two Parties is deemed to be serious and if the consultations held within the Joint Committee under paragraph 1 have not resulted in an amicable settlement.
3. Suspension of application of the Protocol shall require the interested Party to notify its intention in writing at least three months before the date on which suspension is due to take effect.
4. By way of derogation from the suspension procedure provided for in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, the Community reserves the right to suspend application of the Protocol immediately in the event of failure by Mauritania to comply with commitments made with regard to implementation of its sectoral fisheries policy. Such suspension shall immediately be notified to the Mauritanian authorities.
5. In the event of suspension, the Parties shall continue to consult with a view to finding an amicable settlement to their dispute. Once such settlement is reached, application of the Protocol shall resume and the amount of the financial contribution shall be reduced proportionately and pro rata temporis according to the period during which application of the Protocol was suspended.
Article 10
Suspension of application of the Protocol on grounds of non-payment
Subject to Article 4, if the European Community fails to make the payments provided for in Article 2, application of this Protocol may be suspended on the following terms:
(a) The Ministry shall notify the European Commission of the non-payment. The Commission shall carry out the necessary checks and, where necessary, transmit the payment within no more than 30 working days of the date of receipt of the notification.
(b) If no payment is made and non-payment is not adequately justified within the period provided for in paragraph (a), the competent Mauritanian authorities shall be entitled to suspend application of this Protocol. They shall inform the European Commission of such action forthwith.
(c) Application of the Protocol shall resume as soon as the payments concerned have been made.
Article 11
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