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The EU Commission is forcing the messaging service Whatsapp to allow AI assistants from other providers in the European Union free of charge again. The EU Commission announced that the US company Meta, to which WhatsApp belongs, must implement the interim measures within five working days.
June 9, 2026, 5:39 p.mJune 9, 2026, 5:45 p.m
Otherwise, she fears “serious and irreparable damage” to competition in the growing market for universal AI assistants. There, smaller providers and new market participants currently have the opportunity to challenge established large companies. At the same time, the authority is continuing to investigate whether the group is violating EU competition law with the restrictions.
Whatsapp is an important access point to consumers in Europe for AI companies, said EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera. “With today’s decision, we also preserve the freedom of citizens across Europe to choose which AI assistants they want to use with WhatsApp, without this decision being made for them.” The EU Commission monitors compliance with competition law in the EU.
Other providers were excluded
The EU Commission has been investigating the case since December 2025. The background is that last October, Meta blocked third-party providers from access to interfaces through which companies connect their services with WhatsApp. According to the EU Commission, this approach means that only Meta’s own AI (“Meta AI”) is available to users.
After the commission had already threatened coercive measures, Meta formally reopened access in March, but introduced a fee. The competition authorities in Brussels see this as a de facto continuation of the access ban. The decision that has now been made obliges Meta to restore access to the same conditions that applied before October 15, 2025, it said.
Meta faces penalties
If the measures are violated, the group could face fines of up to ten percent of total sales in the previous financial year. In order to enforce the decision, the commission can also impose daily penalty payments of up to five percent of the average daily turnover.
The investigation into the case has not yet been finally completed. There is no legal deadline by which investigations must be completed.
A Meta spokesman said in February that there was no reason for the EU to intervene. “There are many AI options that can be used across app stores, operating systems, devices, websites and industry partnerships,” the spokesperson argued. The EU Commission incorrectly assumes that the WhatsApp interface is an important sales channel for these chatbots.
Further procedures
Separately, EU proceedings are ongoing against WhatsApp parent company Meta, headed by Mark Zuckerberg, for violations of European digital laws. According to preliminary investigation results, Facebook and Instagram do not adequately protect children from the dangers of their offers, as the EU Commission announced at the end of April.
The Brussels internet watchdog requires platforms to enforce the minimum age of 13, which they themselves have set in their terms of use. Otherwise there is a risk of a severe penalty – up to six percent of the annual group turnover. Daily penalties would also be possible to get the US company to give in. (awp/sda/dpa)