The General Court in Luxembourg has upheld the European Commission's decision to designate Meta Platforms' Messenger app as a gatekeeper under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). In its ruling, the court concluded the Commission made no error in determining that Messenger operates as an important gateway that businesses use to reach users, which brings the app within the DMA's obligations for large digital platforms.
In a separate finding, the same court overturned the Commission's gatekeeper designation for Meta's Marketplace platform. Judges said the Commission failed to provide a sufficient explanation for applying the label to Marketplace. That portion of the ruling is described as having limited practical effect because the Commission removed the gatekeeper label from Marketplace last year after the platform's user metrics fell below the DMA's required threshold.
The court's confirmation that Messenger individually qualifies as an important gateway preserves the Commission's original classification of the messaging service. As a result, Messenger remains subject to the regulatory duties the DMA imposes on designated gatekeepers - obligations aimed at digital services identified as having substantial market influence and serving as key access points between businesses and end users.
The decision to annul the Marketplace designation was based specifically on the court's view that the Commission did not adequately explain its reasoning for applying the gatekeeper label in that instance. Because the Commission had already rescinded the Marketplace designation following the platform's decline below the user threshold, the court's ruling on Marketplace changes little in practical terms.
Overall, the General Court's split outcome leaves Messenger bound to the DMA requirements while removing the legal basis for the Commission's previously asserted gatekeeper status for Marketplace. The court's findings affirm the Commission's approach in the Messenger case but signal that the Commission must provide clearer explanations when asserting gatekeeper status for other services.