The European Commission has taken an unusual step because of its speed and decisiveness against MetaIn just two months since the investigation began, Brussels has preliminarily concluded that Mark Zuckerberg's company may be violating EU competition rules by closing WhatsApp's door to artificial intelligence tools developed by third parties.
According to the Competition Department, the new policy applied to WhatsApp Business makes Meta AI is the only accessible artificial intelligence assistant on the platform, excluding rivals that rely on this channel to reach businesses and consumers in Europe. Given the risk that this situation could cause “serious and irreparable” damage to the market, the European Commission has informed the technology company of its intention to impose provisional measures.
What exactly is Brussels investigating?
The conflict begins on 15th October 2025, when Meta announces an update to the terms of use for its enterprise solution WhatsApp BusinessAccording to the Commission's account, this change effectively prohibits third-party-created general-purpose AI assistants from operating within the application.
The new policy comes fully into effect on January 15, 2026From that date forward, the only AI assistant available to WhatsApp users is Meta AI, the company's own tool. All rival developers offering chatbots, conversational assistants, or AI-based customer service solutions through WhatsApp are banned from the platform.
For Brussels, this move goes far beyond a simple contractual change: EU services suspect that Meta may be abusing a dominant position in the consumer communication application market within the European Economic Area, leveraging WhatsApp's enormous reach.
The Commission emphasizes that WhatsApp is a “key entry point” so that AI assistants can reach end users. If that access is restricted to a single tool controlled by Meta, the result is a significant obstacle for other competitors who want to grow in the European market for artificial intelligence applied to messaging.
The formal file is opened in December 2025The European Commission has launched an investigation into whether WhatsApp Business's new terms prevent AI providers from communicating with their clients when their core business is precisely artificial intelligence. This investigation, based on the EU's classic competition rules of 2002 and subsequent amendments, is ongoing and has no set conclusion date.
Risk of serious and irreparable damage to competition
In its public communications, the European Commission insists that there is a “urgent need” to actThe reason is simple: if the investigation drags on for years and the ban on third-party assistants remains in place, the effects on the market could be virtually irreversible.
Brussels fears that Meta's conduct artificially raise barriers to entry and expansion in the AI assistant market, especially in the messaging channel. EU authorities believe this policy could “irreparably marginalize” smaller competitors who lack the resources to withstand the loss of access to a widely used platform like WhatsApp for too long.
In practical terms, the restrictions on WhatsApp Business prevent many European AI companies from maintaining contact with their own customers through this channel if artificial intelligence is their core service. This translates into fewer options for consumers and businessesless diversity of solutions and a direct brake on innovation in the European digital ecosystem.
From the regulator's point of view, blocking alternatives to Meta AI may to permanently reduce the plurality of actors in a sector considered strategic for Europe's competitiveness. Hence, the Commission has decided to move quickly with precautionary measures, something less common when acting solely within the traditional competition framework.
Brussels fears a repeat of the scenarios seen in the old cases against Microsoft, where fines and corrective measures came too late, after the market had already been transformed. Therefore, the Vice President responsible for Competition, Teresa Ribera, emphasizes the need to react quickly in a field as dynamic as artificial intelligence and digital services.
Statement of charges and possible provisional measures
As a central part of the procedure, the Commission has sent Meta a statement of charges in which it details its preliminary objections. In that document, Brussels argues that the company may be infringing Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 54 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area, which prohibit the abuse of a dominant position when it distorts competition in the single market.
The analysis by the Competition experts concludes, at first glance, that Meta occupies a dominant position in the EEA consumer communication app market thanks to WhatsApp, and that it would be abusing that position by denying access to the platform to other operators, including general-purpose artificial intelligence assistants developed by third parties.
The Commission considers that the conditions imposed by Meta generate the so-called “closure effects”A single company controls access to essential digital infrastructure and sets rules that prevent the entry or expansion of effective competitors. In this case, Meta AI's exclusivity within WhatsApp Business would be the specific mechanism for this closure.
Given this scenario, Brussels has informed the company that it is considering adopting provisional measures with a rapid character to preserve rivals' access to the platform while the investigation continues. In other words, it could order Meta to temporarily reopen WhatsApp Business to third-party AI assistants until a final decision is reached on the merits of the case.
The intervention is based on Article 8 of the European competition regulation, which allows for the imposition of precautionary measures when there is strong evidence of an infringement and a clear urgency to prevent serious and irreparable harm to competition. EU sources insist that the issuance of the statement of objections and the possible adoption of these measures do not prejudge the final outcome of the case.
Meta, for its part, you will be able to present arguments and defend your position Before any measure is finalized, the company has the right to respond to the charges, provide evidence, and propose compromises if it deems it appropriate. The administrative procedure will continue its normal course, although with the added feature that precautionary measures could be implemented concurrently.
Geographical scope of the case and Italy's role
The case opened in Brussels covers the entire European Economic Areawith one notable exception: Italy. In that country, the national competition authority had already acted on its own in December 2025, imposing interim measures on Meta regarding the use of AI assistants on WhatsApp.
Therefore, the EU procedure expressly excludes Italian territory, respecting the precautionary measures issued at the national level. In the other Member States and EEA countries, the European Commission will take the initiative and coordinate any decision affecting Meta's policy on WhatsApp.
This mixed approach—involving both national authorities and the Commission—reflects the strengthening control over large digital platforms within the single market. Although the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA) is not being applied in this specific investigation, the case falls within the same general trend: preventing large technology companies from closing ecosystems in which they have an almost omnipresent presence.
Ribera noted that at least one member state, Italy, had already taken similar steps to those now being considered by the European Commission, suggesting a certain convergence of criteria among European regulators in the face of the rise of artificial intelligence.
Meta's arguments and broader regulatory context
In response to the accusations, Meta maintains that There is no reason for the EU to intervene in the WhatsApp Business interface. According to the company, users have numerous alternatives to access AI services through app stores, operating systems, devices, websites, or other industry agreements, without needing to integrate them into the messaging platform itself, and even run them locally.
In its version of events, the multinational maintains that the artificial intelligence ecosystem is broad and dynamic enough to guarantee competition, even if WhatsApp prioritizes the use of its own Meta AI assistant. The company emphasizes that it has the right to design and manage the functionalities of your service in accordance with their safety, quality and user experience criteria.
However, for Brussels the key point is not the existence of other avenues for accessing AI, but the impact that the closure of WhatsApp has on the ability of rivals to scale and reach European usersThe Commission notes that instant messaging has become a basic communication infrastructure, used massively by both individuals and companies to interact, contract services or receive support.
The case is part of a broader context of Tensions between major US technology companies and European regulationIn recent years, Meta has already received significant fines in the EU, for example for its "consent or pay" model on Facebook and Instagram, and other digital giants have been subject to similar proceedings related to competition, privacy, or child protection. Furthermore, artificial intelligence has moved to the forefront of the European political agenda, both for its economic potential and the risks it poses; recent examples include Google's new AI, Gemini They demonstrate the rapid integration of models into services.
Furthermore, artificial intelligence has moved to the forefront of the European political agenda, both because of its economic potential and the risks it poses. Brussels authorities have made it clear that they want to prevent a few actors from controlling key infrastructure and data in this field, something they consider fundamental for the Strategic autonomy and innovation in Europe.
Why the Commission's speed is key in this case
One of the most striking aspects of this case is the the speed with which the European Commission has movedFrom the opening of the formal investigation to the announcement of its preliminary conclusions, only a few months have passed, a very unusual pace in major competition cases.
Traditionally, antitrust investigations in the EU have dragged on for years, with decisions and sanctions arriving only after the market had radically changed. The old proceedings against Microsoft, for pre-installing Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, are a classic example of effective resolutions on a scenario that was already outdated.
This time, the Competition authorities want to avoid that discrepancy. They believe that The AI assistant market is in full takeoff phase. And the decisions made now could shape its structure for a long time. If a platform with the weight of WhatsApp establishes exclusivity for its own tool from the outset, the disadvantage for the rest could be difficult to reverse.
Therefore, although the case falls within the classic competition framework, Brussels' approach resembles the philosophy of the Digital Millennium Challenge Corporation (DMA): acting from the first signs to prevent a problem of digital power concentration from becoming structural. In Ribera's words, it is about “not being late” when it comes to protecting effective competition in a sector where everything moves at high speed.
Meanwhile, the investigation will continue gathering information, analyzing market data, and listening to Meta and other affected parties, from AI companies to potential European customers who have seen their projects or integrations into WhatsApp Business disrupted.
The standoff between Brussels and Meta over competition's access to artificial intelligence on WhatsApp has become a litmus test for European digital policy: on one side, a platform with enormous reach that only allows its own assistant; on the other, a regulator determined to prevent the closure of a key channel before the market matures. What the Commission ultimately decides, and how Meta responds, will significantly shape the playing field for Conversational AI and messaging services in Europe in the coming years.
