Meta Platforms announced on Thursday in Brussels that it will permit rival classified ads service providers to advertise on Facebook Marketplace. This decision comes after the company was fined 797 million euros ($828 million) by the EU for granting preferential treatment to its own service.
The European Commission found that Meta Platforms had engaged in unfair practices against its competitors, linking Facebook Marketplace to its main social network Facebook, which violated EU antitrust regulations. In response, Meta launched the Facebook Marketplace Partner Program to address the EU's concerns while simultaneously contesting the fine in court.
The company referred to the initiative as a direct response to the EU's actions, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggesting that the EU's decision unfairly targets U.S. companies. Meta piloted the program with eBay in Germany, France, and the United States last month.
Under the program, third-party partners, specifically online classified ad service providers as defined by the European Commission, can now showcase their consumer-to-consumer inventory alongside other third-party listings and Facebook user items on Facebook Marketplace. The Commission is currently evaluating Meta's compliance with the November ruling.