Overview
- The General Court confirmed the European Commission was correct to treat Messenger as an "important gateway," which means DMA obligations apply to the app.
- Judges annulled the gatekeeper designation for Meta's Marketplace because the Commission did not adequately explain its reasoning, but the label had already been dropped after user numbers fell below the DMA threshold.
- Meta said it welcomes the Marketplace outcome, is reviewing the Messenger ruling, and will consider whether to appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
- Gatekeeper status requires actions such as enabling certain interoperability, limiting self-preferencing, and providing specified data access, which will affect how businesses and third-party services connect with Messenger users.
- The decision strengthens the Commission's enforcement reach under the DMA while also setting a procedural check that regulators must thoroughly record and justify designation decisions, leaving the dispute unresolved if Meta pursues a CJEU appeal.