The Regional Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (RPOA-SSF) is a historic political commitment setting out a ten-year roadmap towards the long-term environmental, economic and social sustainability of the sector. Signed as a Ministerial Declaration in September 2018 by high-level representatives of Mediterranean and Black Sea countries and the European Union, it sets out the specific principles, objectives and – importantly – concrete actions that are needed over 2018–2028 to guarantee a sustainable future for small-scale fisheries in the region.This brochure summarizes the aims of the RPOA-SSF and gives an overview of the process leading to its creation. It also includes some background on the current state of the region’s small-scale fishing sector, and explains why the plan is so urgently needed.