Meta Opens Facebook Marketplace To Rival Classified Ad Providers Following EU Fine

Meta has introduced the Facebook Marketplace Partner Program, a new initiative aimed at addressing concerns raised by EU regulators, even as the company continues to contest the fine in court.

Meta stated, "This new program will mean that third-party partners (specifically, online classified ad service providers as defined in the European Commission's decision) will be able to list their consumer-to-consumer inventory on Facebook Marketplace."

Source : Unsplash/Mariia Shalabaieva

Meta Platforms announced on Thursday that it will permit competing classified ads services to list their ads on Facebook Marketplace. This decision comes three months after the tech giant faced a €797 million ($828 million or roughly Rs. 7,185 crore) antitrust penalty from the European Union for engaging in unfair business practices. The European Commission’s November ruling found that Meta had imposed unjust trading terms on competitors and unlawfully linked Facebook Marketplace to its social platform, violating EU antitrust laws.

In response, Meta introduced the Facebook Marketplace Partner Program, a new initiative aimed at addressing concerns raised by EU regulators, even as the company continues to contest the fine in court.

The company reiterated a recent statement from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, asserting that the EU ruling "serves as another example of the EU directly targeting US companies in a manner that is tantamount to a tariff regime."

Meta revealed that it had already conducted pilot tests of the program in partnership with eBay in Germany, France, and the United States last month.

What Does It Mean?

Through this program, Meta stated: "This new program will mean that third-party partners (specifically, online classified ad service providers as defined in the European Commission's decision) will be able to list their consumer-to-consumer inventory on Facebook Marketplace."

The company added, "That inventory will appear side by side with other third-party inventory and Facebook user listings."

Meanwhile, the European Commission is currently reviewing whether Meta has fully adhered to the measures outlined in the November ruling.

This initiative marks Meta’s attempt to comply with EU regulations while maintaining its legal challenge against the antitrust penalty.