3.78.  Mauritania has not made any notification under Article 15.2 of the WTO TBT Agreement. At the end of March 2018, there was no national enquiry point for TBTs in place. Mauritania has experienced difficulties in implementing its legislation relating to the standardization, certification and accreditation process. Despite the adoption of a law in 2010, the regulatory framework for standardization, certification and accreditation remains weak in the absence of implementing decrees. The accreditation system envisaged for 2013 is not yet operational

3.79.  The legislation on standardization and quality promotion has not changed since Mauritania's last TPR in 2011. Under Article 2 of Law No. 2010‑003 of 14 January 2010, standardization, certification and accreditation activities are coordinated and monitored by the Minister responsible for industry. Since 2011, the following measures, among others, have been adopted: Decree No. 198/2014 of 14 October 2014 amending the Ministry's organization chart in order to strengthen the powers of the Standardization and Quality Promotion Directorate (DNPQ)[67]; and the national quality policy, on 8 May 2016

3.80.  The national standardization, metrology and quality promotion system consists of the following bodies: the National Standardization and Quality Promotion Council, responsible, in particular, for helping the Government to define national policy in the field and to give its opinion on any strategic question relating to these areas; the Mauritanian Accreditation Committee, responsible for giving its opinion on accreditation requests from certification bodies; the National Standardization and Metrology Office, which is not yet operational; and the national technical committees: the Agri‑Food Standards Committee, which existed at the time of Mauritania's last TPR in 2011; and other committees established since then, namely, the Committee on Rice and Wheat established by prime‑ministerial order in 2016, the Electrotechnical Committee, the Anti‑Corruption Committee, the Construction Committee (with a technical regulation on cement), and the Chemistry Committee, which also deals with mineral water

3.81.  The initiative for drafting a new standard may come from any operator or international institution. All the bodies interested in the preparation of a standard may submit their proposals, together with the necessary supporting documents, to the DNPQ. The decision may be based on economic (importance of the sector for imports or exports, risks for the individual) or non‑economic criteria. A standardization programme is drawn up each year. The technical committee competent for the area concerned prepares a draft standard which undergoes a two‑month public consultation stage; and letters are also sent to the bodies concerned for comment. The secretariat of the committee in question finalizes and adopts the standard, which is then published by the DNPQ

3.82.  The standard is made compulsory by order of the Minister responsible for industry, if it concerns health, the environment, or following a reasoned request. The order is published in the Official Journal. Changes in technical regulations are published in the Official Journal and copies are distributed among the interested public bodies. Since 2010 there have been a dozen technical regulations covering food products (in particular, edible oils and wheat flour) and mineral water. Provisions adopted by other national institutions have also introduced other technical regulations. In practice, it would seem that for reasons such as safety and health, international standards (including those of the Codex Alimentarius) are likely to be required for certain imports

3.83.  According to the National Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity (SCAPP) report, where the analytical and testing laboratory and conformity control infrastructure is concerned, there is still a lack of equipment and qualified human resources as well as funding, with performance often dependent on external support. The DNPQ has a national metrology laboratory, which takes a quality approach, and a legal metrology laboratory

3.84.  The inspections are mainly focused on the hygienic condition and safety of food (including fishery) products, medicinal products and other mass consumables, including hydrocarbons. These inspections are intended to guarantee the quality of the products, protect the public, and ensure healthy competition on the domestic market by suppressing bad commercial practices, while conforming to the commitments made under the WTO Agreements on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS). However, the quality control facilities are modest and controls are rare, with Mauritania accepting conformity certificates issued by recognized foreign bodies

3.85.  Fishery products constitute an exception. Controls, through inspections and analyses, are carried out on all fishing activities. The laboratory of the National Office for the Sanitary Inspection of Fishery and Aquaculture Products (ONISPA) has been accredited to international requirements since March 2013 for purposes of analysis and testing (Section 4.1.2.3.3). It appears that cattle also undergo veterinary inspection at border posts and in the ports (Section 3.3.3)

3.86.  Mauritania does not yet have a national accreditation system. It is a member of the Arab Accreditation Council with Iraq, for calibration purposes. Mauritania has signed cooperation agreements with Tunisia and Algeria, Senegal and Sudan for the purpose of making joint assessments

3.87.  Mandatory labelling requirements apply to a number of goods, such as food products, cigarettes, and matches. The labelling must always be in French and/or Arabic. In the case of food products, labelling must indicate the nature of the product, the ingredients and the quantity, as well as the place of production and the use‑by date. In addition, according to Decree No. 2009‑102 of 6 April 2009 regulating veterinary pharmacy in Mauritania, the packaging of medicated feedstuffs for animals must necessarily bear a label indicating their full composition, as well as their date of manufacture and use‑by date