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ARTICLE · 12 JULY 2026

Must Meta Open WhatsApp To Competing AI Assistants?

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The European Commission has imposed interim measures requiring Meta to restore third-party AI assistant access to WhatsApp's Business API, marking a significant enforcement action under Article 102 TFEU. This decision addresses Meta's alleged abuse of dominant position by excluding competing AI assistants while maintaining access only for its own Meta AI. The case raises critical questions about competition enforcement in emerging digital markets and whether early foreclosure effects can irreversibly streng

BelgiumAntitrust/Competition Law
Robert Klotz
Robert Klotz
Lucia Rama
Lucia Rama

By a decision of June 9, the Commission obliged Meta to provisionally restore access to WhatsApp for competing AI assistants. While such interim measures are imposed in a separate procedure, they are closely linked to the main investigation into the alleged abuse of Meta's dominant position under Article 102 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which is ongoing. The decision on interim measures is based on Article 8 Regulation 1/2003, allowing the Commission to intervene on a provisional basis during the investigation to prevent serious and irreparable harm to competition until a final decision is adopted.

Facts of the Case

In October 2025, Meta introduced a policy under the WhatsApp Business Terms and Conditions that excluded general-purpose third-party AI assistants from the WhatsApp Business API, leaving only Meta's own AI assistant, "Meta AI," available. Following the Commission's intervention, Meta reinstated access for third parties in March 2026, subject to

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