The European Parliament will replace Google with French search engine Quant as the default on its internal Firefox and Edge browsers. Starting June 4, any address‑bar query will automatically be sent to Quant unless a user manually switches to another provider. Officials say the switch supports the bloc’s digital‑sovereignty agenda and tighter personal‑data safeguards, while still allowing staff to override the setting.

EU officials frame dependence on American tech as a strategic risk, and the search‑engine change dovetails with a sovereignty package expected on June 3 that will tighten procurement rules for digital services. France is leading the charge, planning to migrate government workstations from Windows to Linux and to drop Zoom and Microsoft Teams in favor of the domestically built Visio conferencing tool, a clear push for home‑grown infrastructure.

Google’s AI‑laden Search rollout has prompted competitors to capitalize on the EU’s move; DuckDuckGo announced a record single‑day traffic surge on June 1 after the policy was revealed. Although Parliament employees may still navigate to any site they choose, the directive signals a broader institutional shift toward privacy‑first alternatives and away from the dominance of U.S. platforms.