By threatening interim measures against Meta, EU regulators are signaling that access to dominant platforms like WhatsApp will be treated as a frontline competition issue in the AI era, not one to be settled years later.
European Union competition regulators have taken a decisive step against Meta Platforms, warning that they may order the U.S. technology group to stop blocking rival artificial intelligence services from WhatsApp while an antitrust investigation is still ongoing.
The move underscores Brussels’ growing determination to intervene early in fast-moving digital markets, particularly as AI becomes embedded in services used daily by hundreds of millions of people.
On Monday, the European Commission said it had sent a statement of objections to Meta, formally accusing the company of breaching EU competition rules by abusing a dominant position. At issue is Meta’s decision, implemented on January 15, to allow only its own Meta AI assistant to operate on WhatsApp, effectively excluding competing AI chatbots from access to the messaging service’s Business API.
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What makes the case especially significant is the Commission’s stated willingness to impose interim measures, a tool used sparingly in EU antitrust enforcement. Such measures are designed to prevent “serious and irreparable harm” to competition before a final ruling is reached, reflecting regulators’ concern that delays could allow market power to become entrenched beyond repair.
“We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field,” EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said, arguing that dominant technology companies should not be allowed to leverage their existing platforms to tilt emerging AI markets in their favor.
Ribera said the Commission was considering swift action to preserve access for competitors to WhatsApp while the investigation proceeds, warning that Meta’s policy risks causing lasting damage to competition in Europe.
The case sits at the intersection of two forces reshaping global regulation: the rise of generative AI and the EU’s increasingly interventionist stance toward Big Tech. WhatsApp is one of the most widely used messaging platforms in Europe, giving Meta a powerful distribution channel at a time when AI companies are racing to integrate chatbots into consumer and business workflows. Regulators fear that denying rivals access to such a platform could distort competition at a formative stage of the market.
Meta has rejected that view, saying the Commission is overstating WhatsApp’s importance as a gateway for AI services. In an emailed statement, a company spokesperson said there was “no reason for the EU to intervene,” adding that users can access AI tools through app stores, operating systems, devices, websites, and partnerships across the industry. The spokesperson said the Commission’s reasoning “incorrectly assumes the WhatsApp Business API is a key distribution channel for these chatbots.”
The dispute echoes similar concerns raised outside Europe. In December, Italy’s competition authority moved against Meta on the same issue, prompting the Commission to cite the Italian case as a precedent for considering interim measures. By contrast, a Brazilian court last month suspended an interim order imposed by that country’s antitrust agency, illustrating how regulators and courts globally are still grappling with how to apply competition law to AI-driven markets.
However, the urgency appears to outweigh the risk of legal pushback for Brussels. The Commission has repeatedly argued that traditional antitrust timelines, which can stretch over several years, are ill-suited to digital markets where competitive dynamics can shift in months. In AI, officials worry that first-mover advantages tied to user access and data could lock in winners long before regulators reach final decisions.
The investigation also highlights the EU’s willingness to press ahead with enforcement despite criticism from the United States, where officials and industry groups have accused European regulators of disproportionately targeting American technology companies. The Commission has insisted that its actions are technology-neutral and grounded in law, even as geopolitical tensions rise around trade, industrial policy, and technological leadership.
The outcome of the case could have implications far beyond Meta. A decision to impose interim measures would send a strong signal to other platform owners that integrating proprietary AI tools into dominant services may attract swift regulatory scrutiny if rivals are shut out. It would also reinforce the EU’s broader strategy under its competition rules and new digital laws to keep markets open while technologies are still evolving.
The case adds to Meta’s mounting regulatory burden in Europe, where it is already subject to obligations under the Digital Markets Act. For the AI sector, it sharpens a central question: whether control over platforms with massive user bases will be allowed to shape the competitive landscape of artificial intelligence, or whether regulators will step in early to keep those gateways open.
The Commission said its decision on interim measures will depend on Meta’s response and its right of defense. Even so, the warning alone marks a turning point, suggesting that in the race to define the AI economy, Europe is no longer prepared to wait until the finish line to decide whether the competition was fair.