Over 80% of the European Union’s marine protected area only marginally regulates human activities

To address the ongoing deterioration of marine ecosystems and its consequences on livelihood, the European Union (EU) now aims to achieve 30% coverage of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), with 10% under strict protection per region.Here, we provide the first assessment of protection levels of EU MPAs, describing the level of legal restrictions of activities and using the MPA Guide framework.While MPAs covered 11.4% of EU national waters in 2022, 0.2% were fully or highly protected.As much as 86% of MPA coverage showed low levels of protection, or would not be considered compatible with conservation objectives as they allow industrial activities.Most MPA coverage showed minimal protection across Member States, sea regions, and legal types of MPAs.The EU MPA network likely provides limited ecological outcomes.Reaching the EU's 10% strict protection target will require radical changes to the regulations on activities in EU MPAs.