1.   This Agreement shall apply to the Regional Advisory and Coordination Cell and its staff.

2.   The provisions applicable to the Regional Advisory and Coordination Cell or its staff shall apply in the same manner to ad hoc contributors from EUCAP Sahel Mali and EUCAP Sahel Niger who visit the territory of the host state for ad hoc training and advisory activities.

3.   This Agreement shall apply only within the territory of the host state.

4.   For the purposes of this Agreement:

1.   The Cell shall have the necessary legal capacity under the laws and regulations of the host state to fulfil its mission.

2.   In particular, it shall have the capacity to contract, lease, acquire and dispose of the movable and immovable property necessary for its activities.

3.   The law applicable to contracts concluded by the Cell in the host state shall be determined in those contracts.

4.   The contracts may stipulate that the claims settlement procedure referred to in Article 25 shall be applicable to disputes arising from the application of those contracts.

1.   The Cell's official facilities shall be inviolable. Staff or officials of the host state may only enter the Cell's official facilities with the consent of the Head of Cell.

2.   Exceptionally, however, in the event of fire or other accidents requiring immediate protective measures, and where the prior consent of the Head of Cell cannot be obtained in time, staff or officials of the host state shall be allowed to enter the official facilities for the time necessary to implement such protective measures, under the supervision of a member of the Cell.

3.   The Cell shall be authorised to construct or modify facilities as necessary for its operational requirements. No compensation shall be requested from the Cell by the host state for such constructions or modifications.

4.   The Cell's official facilities are not intended to be used for consular activities.

5.   The Cell shall not permit its headquarters to serve as a safe haven for a person who has been prosecuted for a crime or for an offence classified as in flagrante delicto, or who is the subject of a court warrant or criminal conviction.

1.   The Cell may install and operate radio sending and receiving stations, as well as satellite systems. It shall cooperate with the host state's competent authorities with a view to avoiding conflicts in the use of appropriate frequencies. The host state shall grant access, free of charge, to the frequency spectrum in accordance with its legislation in force.

2.   The Cell shall enjoy the right to unrestricted communication by radio (including satellite, mobile or hand-held radio), telephone, telegraph, facsimile and other means, as well as the right to install the equipment necessary for the maintenance of such communications within and between official facilities, including the laying of cables and land lines for its official purposes.

1.   The host state shall permit and support, free of charge, activities relating to the medical evacuation of members of staff of the Cell.

2.   The Head of Cell shall take charge of and make all suitable arrangements for the repatriation of any deceased member of staff of the Cell, as well as of their personal property.

3.   No autopsy shall be performed on any deceased member of staff of the Cell without the agreement of the state of which the deceased was a national or of their beneficiaries. Whatever the circumstances, no autopsy may be performed without the presence of a representative of the Cell or of the state of which the deceased was a national.

4.   The host state and the Cell shall cooperate to the fullest extent possible to ensure the prompt repatriation of any deceased member of staff of the Cell.

1.   The Cell and EU staff shall respect the laws and regulations of the host state and shall refrain from any action or activity incompatible with the objectives of the EU.

2.   The Cell and EU staff shall refrain from any commercial or profit-making activities.

1.   The Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania shall authorise EU personnel to enter and stay in Mauritania, without any visa fee or time limit.

2.   EU staff shall be exempt from the host state's regulations on the registration and control of aliens, but shall not acquire any right to permanent residence or domicile in the territory of the host state.

3.   EU staff may drive motor vehicles, including armoured cars, in the territory of the host state provided that they hold a valid national, international or military driving licence in one of the sending states.

4.   The host state shall grant the Cell and EU staff freedom of movement and freedom to travel within its territory, including its air space, for their official purposes in the areas concerned by their activities, to be determined by mutual agreement with the competent authorities of the host state.

5.   For their official purposes, the Cell and EU staff members may use roads, bridges, ferries and airports without the payment of fees, tolls, taxes or similar charges. The Cell and EU staff members shall not be exempt from charges for services requested and received, under the same conditions as those laid down for the host state's armed forces.

1.   EU staff shall enjoy the following privileges and immunities:

2.   The competent authorities of a staff member's country of origin shall have the right to exercise within the territory of the host state all the criminal jurisdiction and disciplinary powers conferred on them by the legislation of the country of origin with regard to all EU staff subject to that legislation.

1.   Locally employed staff shall enjoy privileges and immunities only to the extent granted by the host state. However, the host state shall exercise its jurisdiction over such staff in such a manner as not to interfere unduly with the operation of the Cell or the activities of ad hoc contributors. Locally employed staff shall enjoy the same rights as locally employed staff at the European Union delegation in Nouakchott.

2.   Locally employed staff shall be covered by Mauritanian social security legislation under the conditions of ordinary law. The Cell shall comply with this legislation as the employer of these staff members.

1.   Within its means, the host state shall ensure the security of the Cell and EU staff.

2.   To that end, the host state shall take the measures necessary for the protection and security of the Cell, ad hoc contributors and EU staff. Any specific provisions proposed by the host state shall be agreed with the Head of Cell before implementation.

3.   If required, supplementary arrangements shall be made in accordance with Article 23.

1.   The Cell, EU staff, the EU and the sending states shall not be liable for any damage to or loss of civilian or government property which is related to operational necessities or caused by activities in connection with civil disturbance or the protection of the Cell or EU personnel.

2.   With a view to reaching an amicable settlement, claims for damage to or loss of civilian property not covered by paragraph 1, as well as claims for death of or injury to persons and for damage to or loss of assets, facilities or means of transport belonging to the Cell or an ad hoc contributor, shall be forwarded to the Cell via the competent authorities of the host state, if brought by natural or legal persons from the host state, or to the competent authorities of the host state, if brought by the Cell.

3.   Where no amicable settlement can be reached, the claim shall be submitted to a claims commission composed on an equal basis of representatives of the Cell and of the host state. Settlement of claims shall be reached by common agreement.

4.   Where no settlement can be reached within the claims commission, the claim shall:

5.   The arbitration tribunal shall be composed of three arbitrators, one arbitrator being appointed by the host state, one being appointed by the Cell and the third being appointed jointly by the host state and the Cell. Where one of the parties does not appoint an arbitrator within two months or where no agreement can be found between the host state and the Cell on the appointment of the third arbitrator, the arbitrator in question shall be appointed by the president of a court of justice designated jointly by the parties.

6.   An administrative arrangement shall be made between the Cell and the administrative authorities of the host state in order to determine the terms of reference of the claims commission and the tribunal, the procedure applicable within these bodies and the conditions under which claims are to be lodged.

1.   Whenever this Agreement refers to the privileges, immunities and rights of the Cell and of EU staff, the government of the host state shall be responsible for implementing them and for ensuring they are respected by the competent local authorities of the host state.

2.   Nothing in this Agreement is intended or may be construed to derogate from any rights that a sending state may have under other agreements.

1.   Each year the Cell shall inform the competent Mauritanian authorities of the names and addresses of its staff and of ad hoc contributors. The Cell shall also inform the host state in advance of any substantial variation in the number of its staff.

2.   The host state shall provide full cooperation and support to the Cell and its staff. If required, supplementary arrangements shall be made in accordance with the last paragraph of this Article.

3.   The Head of Cell and the official designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania shall consult each other at regular intervals and take appropriate measures to ensure close and reciprocal liaison at all levels to ensure the proper application of this Agreement.

4.   The Head of Cell shall at all times cooperate with the competent Mauritanian authorities to facilitate the proper application of this Agreement.

5.   The host state shall facilitate the execution of contracts concluded by the Cell with commercial entities for official purposes.

6.   For the purposes of the application of this Agreement, operational, administrative and technical matters may be the subject of separate arrangements made between the Head of Cell and the host state's administrative authorities.

1.   Any dispute which may arise between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Cell concerning the application or interpretation of this Agreement shall be settled by negotiation. All issues arising in connection with the application of this Agreement shall be examined jointly by representatives of the Cell and the host state's competent authorities.

2.   Failing any prior settlement, disputes concerning the interpretation or application of this Agreement shall be settled exclusively by diplomatic means between the host state and EU representatives.

1.   This Agreement shall be provisionally applied from the date of its signature.

2.   This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the first month after the parties have notified each other of the completion of the internal procedures necessary for this purpose. The Agreement shall remain in force until the date of departure of the last EU staff member, as notified by the Cell.

3.   The notifications referred to in paragraph 2 shall be addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

4.   This Agreement may be amended in writing by mutual consent of the parties. Such amendments shall be executed as separate protocols, which form an integral part of this Agreement and shall enter into force in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article.

5.   The termination or suspension of this Agreement shall not affect any rights or obligations arising from the execution of this Agreement prior to such action.

6.   Upon its entry into force, this Agreement shall repeal and replace all previous provisions relating to the establishment, operation, immunities and privileges of the Cell and its staff.

7.   This Agreement shall be drawn up as four original copies, two in Arabic and two in French. Both versions are authentic. In the event of a divergence of interpretation, the French version shall prevail.