In brief: The EU forces Meta through interim measures to grant AI assistants free access to WhatsApp Business Tools and reverse a fee model deemed anticompetitive.
The European Commission has ordered Meta through interim measures to provide competing AI assistants free access to WhatsApp Business Tools. The company must revert by next week to the conditions prior to October 2024, when such access was still free of charge.
The European Commission issued this order on Tuesday after Meta began restricting access in October 2024 and introduced fees for competing AI assistants in March 2025. The interim measure remains in effect until the completion of the antitrust investigation against the company, which has been ongoing since December 2024.
EU competition chief Teresa Ribera justified the decision by noting that in rapidly growing markets, competition can be impaired for a long time before antitrust proceedings are concluded. She referred to WhatsApp as “key access to European consumers.” The Commission sees Meta’s fee model as effectively excluding competitors from the market. This is only the second application of such emergency measures in over two decades.
Meta argues in response that WhatsApp Business Tools were not designed for AI chatbots and that competitors have access to users through app stores and other channels. A company spokesperson criticized the decision as overregulation and announced plans to appeal. At the same time, Meta pointed out that OpenAI and other large companies would now be able to use the paid WhatsApp Business product for free, which would be financed by other European users.
Non-compliance with the order could result in fines of up to ten percent of Meta’s annual group revenue. The decision comes amid a period of significant tensions between Meta and Brussels: the company is appealing a €200 million fine it received in 2024 under digital markets rules. Similar proceedings are underway in Italy and Brazil; Italian authorities withdrew their review one day before this decision, while Brazil had already forced Meta to reopen access in March.
Source: www.politico.eu · Published June 9, 2026
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