EU Moves to Force Meta to Restore AI Rivals’ Access to WhatsApp

Key Takeaways

• Interim Measures Loom: The European Commission is considering interim measures that would require Meta to restore third-party AI assistants’ access to WhatsApp while the investigation continues.
• Pricing Model Under Scrutiny: Regulators’ preliminary view is that Meta’s revised fee-based access model may have the same exclusionary effect as the original ban, potentially restricting competition in the AI assistant market.
• Abuse of Dominance Concerns: The case centers on whether Meta’s conduct constitutes an abuse of a dominant position under EU competition law, particularly in a fast-growing and strategically important AI ecosystem.
• Expanded Scope Across the EEA: The investigation now covers the entire European Economic Area, including Italy, signaling a broader regulatory push and coordination among competition authorities.
• Early Intervention Signals Shift: The potential use of interim measures highlights a more proactive enforcement approach in digital and AI markets, where regulators are seeking to prevent harm before final rulings.

Deep Dive

The European Commission has escalated its antitrust case against Meta, signaling it may impose interim measures that would force the company to restore full access for rival AI assistants on WhatsApp as the investigation unfolds.

In a Supplementary Statement of Objections issued Tuesday, the Commission set out its preliminary view that Meta’s recent policy changes, despite appearing to reverse an earlier ban, may still effectively exclude third-party AI assistants from the platform.

At the heart of the dispute is Meta’s October 2025 update to its WhatsApp Business terms, which barred third-party general-purpose AI assistants from operating on the platform starting in January 2026. Regulators moved quickly, opening formal proceedings in December and warning in February that the move could amount to an abuse of dominance under EU competition law.

Meta responded in March by revising the policy, formally lifting the ban but introducing a fee-based access model for third-party AI providers. That change, however, appears to have done little to ease regulatory concerns. According to the Commission’s latest assessment, the pricing framework may be “equivalent” in effect to the original exclusion, potentially limiting competitors’ ability to enter or expand in the fast-growing AI assistant market.

The Commission is now considering interim measures—an uncommon but powerful tool in EU antitrust enforcement, that would require Meta to reinstate access for third-party AI assistants under the same conditions that existed before October 2025. If imposed, those measures would remain in place until a final decision is reached.

“Pushing out competitors in fast-evolving markets like AI is exactly the type of conduct that interim measures are designed to address,” said Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition. She added that replacing a ban with pricing that produces a similar outcome does not alter the Commission’s preliminary view that Meta’s conduct may constitute an abuse of its dominant position.

The case has also broadened in scope. In coordination with Italy’s competition authority, the Commission has expanded its investigation to cover the entire European Economic Area, bringing Italy, previously subject to a separate national probe, under the EU-wide review.

Meta now has the opportunity to respond to the Commission’s latest findings and exercise its rights of defense, including requesting a hearing. The issuance of the supplementary objections does not prejudge the final outcome, but it shows the Commission’s increasing willingness to intervene early in digital markets where it sees a risk of lasting competitive harm.

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