Article 3U.K.Exemption from the obligation to prepare an Eel Management Plan
1.A Member State may be exempt from the obligation to prepare an Eel Management Plan if appropriate justification is provided that river basins or maritime waters lying within its territory do not constitute natural habitats for the European eel.
2.Member States shall communicate to the Commission not later than 1 January 2008 a request for exemption prepared in accordance with paragraph 1.
3.On the basis of a technical and scientific evaluation by the Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries or by other appropriate scientific bodies, the request for exemption shall be approved by the Commission in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 30(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002.
4.Where the Commission approves a request for exemption, Article 4 shall not apply to the Member State concerned.