The European Parliament has replaced Google with Qwant as its default search engine, a move driven by the institution's push for technological independence from U.S. giants. The switch, effective immediately for Parliament employees, swaps the world's most dominant search tool for a French alternative that emphasizes European hosting and data sovereignty.
Why the Switch Happened
The Parliament's decision stems from a broader EU strategy to reduce reliance on non-European technology platforms. By choosing Qwant, an independent search engine that stores data on servers in France and the Netherlands, the institution aims to align its digital tools with its own regulatory framework—especially the strict data protection rules under GDPR. The contract award followed a procurement process that prioritized sovereignty and privacy criteria over market share, according to Parliament officials familiar with the decision.
What Qwant Offers
Qwant, founded in 2013, positions itself as a privacy-first search engine that does not track users or build personal profiles from their searches. Unlike Google, which relies on ad revenue tied to user data, Qwant's business model is based on contextual advertising and a revenue-sharing agreement with Microsoft's Bing for some results. The company claims to handle all queries within the European Union, giving Parliament staff an additional layer of legal protection under EU data law.
Reactions Inside the Parliament
Parliament staff began using Qwant as their default search engine this week, with technical support teams rolling out the change across the institution's computer systems. Early feedback has been mixed: some employees report fewer relevant results for technical queries, while others welcome the privacy trade-off. “It’s a choice between convenience and sovereignty,” a Parliament IT official said in an internal briefing. “We knew this wouldn’t be seamless, but the long-term goal is worth the short-term friction.”
Broader EU Tech Sovereignty Efforts
The Parliament's switch is the latest in a series of moves by EU institutions to cut dependence on American tech. In recent years, the European Commission has pushed for a “European cloud” initiative, funded open-source alternatives to popular software, and invested in domestic microchip production. The Qwant adoption fits into that same pattern—a concrete, everyday example of sovereignty policy in action. Critics argue that small-scale swaps like this one do little to challenge the dominance of Google, which holds over 90% of the European search market. Supporters counter that institutional adoption creates a base for European tech to scale.
The Parliament has not announced whether other EU bodies, such as the Commission or the Council, will follow its lead. Qwant, meanwhile, is expanding its corporate and public-sector offerings across Europe, hoping to turn a political statement into a sustainable business.
