The European Commission (EC) has issued a Statement of Objections to Meta, expressing preliminary concerns that the company may have violated EU antitrust rules by blocking third-party general-purpose AI assistants from WhatsApp.
The regulator announced its intention to impose interim measures aimed at preventing potential serious and irreparable harm to competition.
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The case centres on changes to WhatsApp’s business terms that, in practice, restrict access to the WhatsApp Business Solution for AI providers where AI is the primary service.
Meta announced an update to its WhatsApp Business Solution Terms on 15 October 2025. The Commission said that, since 15 January 2026, the only AI assistant available on WhatsApp has been Meta’s own tool, Meta AI, with competitors excluded.
In its initial assessment, the Commission said Meta is likely dominant in the European Economic Area (EEA) market for consumer communication applications, notably through WhatsApp. It also said Meta is likely abusing that position by refusing access to WhatsApp to other businesses, including third-party AI assistants.
The Commission said it currently views WhatsApp as an important entry point for general-purpose AI assistants to reach consumers. It argued there is urgency because the change risks raising barriers to entry and expansion and irreparably marginalising smaller competitors in the AI assistant market.
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By GlobalDataEC Clean, Just and Competitive Transition Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera said: “AI markets are developing at rapid pace, so we also need to be swift in our action. That is why we are considering quickly imposing interim measures on Meta, to preserve access for competitors to WhatsApp while the investigation is ongoing, and avoid Meta’s new policy irreparably harming competition in Europe.”
According to the EC, the Statement of Objections on interim measures does not determine the investigation’s final outcome. It stated that Meta has the opportunity to respond, review the investigation file, submit written replies, and request an oral hearing with both Commission and national competition authority representatives.
If the Commission concludes the legal threshold is met after Meta’s defence, it can adopt a decision imposing interim measures, without prejudging the final decision on the substance of the case.
At the start of the investigation, the EC noted that Meta’s policy prohibits AI providers from using a tool that enables businesses to communicate with customers via WhatsApp. This limitation applies specifically when AI is the primary service offered through the ‘WhatsApp Business Solution’.
Businesses may still use AI tools for ancillary or support functions, such as automated customer support offered via WhatsApp. The Commission is concerned that such new policy may prevent third party AI providers from offering their services through WhatsApp in EEA.
WhatsApp allows businesses to communicate with customers through the platform, including via the WhatsApp Business Solution and related APIs.
The Commission said several AI providers have offered access to AI assistants through WhatsApp, enabling users to interact with conversational AI within the app for tasks such as answering questions, generating content or accessing customer support.
Meta has enforced the policy through updated terms and conditions for business users, known as the WhatsApp Business Application Programming Interface terms. These updates have been in effect since 15 October 2025 for AI providers new to WhatsApp and have been applied since 15 January 2026 for those already present on the platform.
The Commission opened formal proceedings on 4 December 2025. Its investigation and the Statement of Objections cover the EEA except Italy, where the Italian Competition Authority imposed interim measures on Meta in December 2025.
The probe operates under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement, which prohibit the abuse of a dominant position affecting trade and competition within the Single Market.
The EC also cited Regulation 1/2003, under which it can impose interim measures where, at first sight, there is an infringement and there is an urgent need to prevent serious and irreparable harm to competition.
