Brussels, 15 April 2026 — The European Commission has issued a Supplementary Statement of Objections to Meta, indicating its intention to require the company to restore third-party AI assistants’ access to WhatsApp under the same conditions that existed prior to a policy change on 15 October 2025. This move comes despite modifications Meta announced on 4 March 2026.
This action is part of the Commission’s interim measures procedure amid an investigation into a possible abuse of dominant market position by Meta, stemming from the company’s restrictions on third-party AI assistants accessing its messaging platform, WhatsApp. This follows a Statement of Objections issued on 9 February 2026, wherein the Commission preliminarily concluded that Meta’s practices appear to violate EU antitrust regulations by excluding third-party assistants from engaging with users on WhatsApp.
In the latest Supplementary Statement, the Commission scrutinized Meta’s decision to allow access to WhatsApp for third-party AI assistants, contingent upon the payment of a fee. Preliminary assessments suggest that this new policy effectively mirrors the previous access ban. The Commission expressed concern that such conduct could hinder competition in the rapidly expanding AI assistant market.
As a result, the Commission plans to impose interim measures to avert serious and irreparable harm to competition, pending Meta’s response and the exercise of its rights of defense. These interim measures, if enacted, would remain in effect until the Commission concludes its investigation and arrives at a final decision regarding Meta’s actions.
Additionally, the Commission, in collaboration with the Italian competition authority, has broadened its investigation to include Italy, thereby covering the entirety of the European Economic Area (EEA). Italy was previously excluded from the inquiry as its competition authority had initiated a separate investigation into the matter.
Meta’s controversial update to its WhatsApp Business Solution Terms, announced on 15 October 2025, effectively banned third-party general-purpose AI assistants from using the application starting 15 January 2026. Following this, the Commission officially opened investigations on 4 December 2025, leading to the initial Statement of Objections sent on 9 February 2026, which highlighted potential breaches of EU competition laws. Meta submitted its response on 2 March 2026, and later published a revised policy on 4 March that lifted the ban but instituted a pricing structure applicable to third-party AI assistants.
In today’s Supplementary Statement of Objections, the Commission reiterated that the revised pricing policy appears to maintain the exclusion of third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp, thereby suggesting a potential breach of competition regulations. To avert significant and irreparable damage to competition, the Commission aims to require Meta to restore access for third-party AI assistants under the conditions that prevailed before October 2025, pending a thorough investigation.
The issuance of the Supplementary Statement of Objections does not prejudge the investigation’s outcome, allowing Meta the opportunity to address the Commission’s concerns.
Meta, headquartered in the United States, is a multinational technology enterprise known for its social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, as well as consumer communication applications like WhatsApp and Messenger. The company also offers online advertising solutions and products in virtual and augmented reality. Meta developed a general-purpose AI assistant and has recently acquired another similar service.
Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement prohibit the abuse of a dominant position that may impact trade and restrict competition within the Single Market. According to Regulation 1/2003, interim measures may be applied if there is an apparent infringement of competition laws and an urgent need to protect against the risk of serious harm to competition.
A Supplementary Statement of Objections represents a formal step in the Commission’s inquiry into the necessity of imposing interim measures. The Commission informs the involved parties of its preliminary findings, allowing for written responses and the opportunity for an oral hearing where parties can present their perspectives before Commission and national competition authority representatives.
If the Commission determines, after parties have exercised their rights, that the conditions for interim measures are fulfilled, it may adopt a decision to enforce such measures. Adoption of an interim decision does not influence the final conclusions of the Commission regarding the case.
Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, stated, “Pushing out competitors in fast-evolving markets like AI is exactly the type of conduct that interim measures are designed to address. Replacing the legal ban with pricing that has a similar effect does not change our preliminary view that Meta’s conduct appears to be an abuse of its dominant position, which may seriously harm competition on the market for AI assistants. This is why we continue our proceedings towards interim measures, which would reinstate full access for rival AI assistants to WhatsApp until we have analysed the matter in full.”
For further updates, additional information will be available under case number AT.41034 in the public case register on the Commission’s competition website.
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