In 2004, the European Commission proposed a new financial instrument for fisheries - the European Fisheries Fund - to cover the period 2007-2013. The fund would replace the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance as the fisheries sector’s main source of structural adjustment funding. This report, written by Clare Coffey (IEEP) for BirdLife International/RSPB, examines the Commission proposal and concludes that it offers significant potential for supporting a truly sustainable development of Europe’s inshore fisheries.