EU Parliament replaces Google with French search engine 'Qwant' in tech sovereignty push

EU has taken a bold initiative in first tech switch by replacing the world's top search engine, 'Google,' with 'Qwant.'

The European Parliament said on Wednesday that it will switch to a French search engine from Google, underscoring Europe's push to reduce its reliance on U.S. technology in favor of local alternatives.

This move is a direct reflection of Europe's intensifying push for "digital sovereignty" and stricter user data privacy, dropping the US tech giant to favor a homegrown alternative.

The European Commission will later announce measures on chips, cloud computing services, and AI as part of its "Buy and Use European" drive.

The Commission further said it would develop minimum performance standards for both new and existing data centres, with a "needs assessment" due by 2027.

The change will be applied automatically, though users will still be able to select alternative search engines.

"It is part of a larger framework of actions aimed at reducing EP reliance on non-EU digital tools and promoting European-based, privacy-focused services," the spokesperson said.

Qwant:

Paris-based search engine Qwant, founded in 2013, markets itself as a privacy-first alternative to dominant tech firms. 

It is specifically built to avoid tracking users, building advertising profiles, or selling personal data.

Qwant will become the automatic default search engine for the EU parliamentarians when lawmakers and staff search from the address bars of Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox browsers on Parliament devices.

European Parliamentarians will use Qwant as default search engine as the EU seeks to reduce reliance on US tech giants and bolster digital sovereignty amid growing big tech scrutiny

The change affects 720 lawmakers, alongside thousands of assistants and administrative staff.

Notably, the change will take effect from June 4, 2026.