The European Parliament announced that, as of June 4, 2026, it will replace Google with the French privacy-focused search engine Qwant as the default search engine in its internal computers’ Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox browsers. In an email sent to MEPs, the Parliament stated that the move is “in line with its commitment to digital sovereignty and the protection of users’ personal data,” describing Qwant as a “privacy-oriented European search engine that does not track users or collect personal data.” The policy covers the Parliament’s 720 MEPs and thousands of assistants and administrative staff; users can change their browser’s default settings or access other search engines directly — it is not mandatory.
This search engine switch is part of Brussels’ broader push for “technological sovereignty.” On the same day, the European Commission also announced a “Buy and Use European” package covering chips, cloud computing, and AI, aimed at reducing the EU’s dependence on large US technology companies. Against this backdrop, in November last year, a cross-party group of 38 MEPs sent a letter to Parliament President Roberta Metsola urging a gradual phasing out of foreign technologies such as Microsoft 365; the Dutch government also recently announced it would switch to the German cloud service STACKIT to reduce its reliance on US tech. This search engine adjustment echoes the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority’s new publisher content protection rules imposed on Google on the same day, as well as Poland’s announcement of a digital sovereignty policy, collectively reflecting a systemic reassessment of European institutions’ dependence on US technology.