Report on the State of Play of Axis 4 in the Member States: May 2010

The introduction of Axis 4 for the “sustainable development of fisheries areas” within the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) has marked a radical step within EU fisheries policy, introducing a territorial emphasis to a programme that has traditionally been aimed at sectoral support. This departure from previous operating norms has implied a significant challenge to National Administrations and fishing communities alike as they have had to adopt a completely new approach to using EU fisheries funds allocated to this priority axis.