Meta forces the EU’s hand by breaking two critical EU competition laws. Can Meta afford to stand its ground amidst an ongoing antitrust investigation?
It’s not unknown that Meta is in the midst of ongoing antitrust cases against it, with several warnings by the EU. And now the EU has administered its emergency power- only the second time in over 20 years. This interim measure was imperative- and here’s the extent of it.
Meta has already been under formal investigation since December of 2025 because the EU suspected it of breaking EU competition rules. Specifically, two- Article 102 TFEU, i.e., Abuse of Dominant Market Position, and the latest Digital Markets Act (DMA).
According to the first rule, Meta is trying to gain an unfair monopoly across the rapidly growing AI-assistant market. It had previously banned rival third-party companies or chatbots from WhatsApp to position its own product at the forefront. That, according to the EU, means that the tech giant is abusing its dominance in the consumer comms market. And honestly, that doesn’t sound unreasonable.
Even after this warning, Meta decided to stand its ground.
It merely tweaked the ban- allowing rival AI companies on WhatsApp, but for a fee, and for a year.
That is where the EU had to intervene and administer interim measures. Why was this necessary, as per an EU commissioner-
“In rapidly evolving markets, competition can be lost long before a final decision is adopted. That is why these interim measures will remain in place for the duration of the investigation, in order to prevent harm that would be almost impossible to repair.”
Meta now has until 15th June to comply- with no certain conclusion in sight. But that could change soon.
If Meta is found guilty, it would have to pay a fine of up to 10% of its annual revenue, or around $20 billion, depending on its 2025 numbers. But the case could also continue for quite a while as Meta plans to appeal these multi-million-euro fines. At the core of their pushback is unfairness against American tech giants.
The verdict is yet to come to light- until then, Meta remains under the EU’s microscope.
