June 27, 2026, 11:25 am | Read time: 2 minutes
The European Parliament is changing the default search engine on its service computers. In the future, search queries via the browser’s address bar will no longer default to Google but to Qwant. With this move, the EU institution is at least departing from the provider that has dominated the European search engine market for years.
Change affects Firefox and Edge
As reported by the online magazine “Politico,” the European Parliament informed its employees via an internal memo about the change, which took effect on June 4. Those entering a search term in Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge will now be automatically redirected to Qwant.
The search engine from France positions itself as a European alternative to major U.S. providers. According to its own statements, Qwant does not track users for advertising purposes and does not store user-related data.
Google can still be used
However, the change does not mean that Google will disappear from employees’ daily work. The search engine remains accessible. Additionally, users can change the default search engine in their browser themselves.
The decision mainly affects the starting point of a search. Employees’ freedom of choice remains intact. Nevertheless, such a default setting in a public institution initially draws attention to a particular service and gives it preference in daily work.
Set Up Google Search Without AI
Google lawsuit: Internet giant faces restrictions after losing court case
Change also has political significance
The switch also brings into focus the question of what information large tech companies receive about the workflows of European institutions. Search queries can provide clues about the topics employees are dealing with and the routines that develop.
According to Politico, the European Parliament justifies the move by wanting to give more consideration to European providers. The change is thus not only a technical adjustment but also a signal in favor of a European offering.
Also of interest: Euro-Office challenges Microsoft 365
Symbolic loss for Google
The decision by the European Parliament initially changes little about Google’s strong market position. According to StatCounter, Google reached a market share of 87.5 percent in Europe in April 2026. The second-largest provider, Bing, achieved 5.6 percent in the same period.
For this reason, the switch is mainly seen as a symbolic step. The European Parliament demonstrates that the discussion about dependence on large U.S. platforms is not only conducted politically. Instead, the institution also opts for a European alternative in a frequently used tool within its own work environment.