Trials will run until to the end of September with eight unnamed partners and from October 1 the new platform will be open to all advertisers.
The big change from Facebook's current standard ads is that site users will be able to comment on so-called "engagement ads", "become a fan" of the product or service, or send a brand-related virtual gift to a friend - all without having to click through to a separate page. The comments and actions are visible to a user's friends list.
Online communities have been resistant to traditional advertising, but Facebook believes this new approach will be better received.
"We're doing it in a way that is consistent with consumer expectations," said Blake Chandlee, Facebook's EU commercial director. "This adds the element of engagement, something closer to making brands part of the conversation."
An advertiser trial has already started in the US, with Paramount Pictures promoting a video clip of its controversial Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder.
The movie's use of word "retard" has led to protests - among them a Facebook group called Tropic Blunder, Stop the Thunder, which had more than 1,400 members. Adidas and food company Betty Crocker are also set to take part in the US trial.
The trial is the latest attempt by Facebook to refine its advertising policy. Advertisers can already create branded pages and target ads on Facebook, but last year Facebook members protested against the site’s Beacon ad programme, forcing changes to the system that shared members' activity from third-party sites on their news feeds.