In an era where Google controls over 90% of the global search market, European search engine competitors Ecosia and Qwant are joining forces to reduce their reliance on U.S. tech giants like Microsoft and Google. Their groundbreaking partnership aims to create a new, independent search engine infrastructure that will put European businesses back in control. This collaboration marks a significant step towards digital sovereignty for Europe, as the two firms plan to develop a European search index set to launch in 2025.
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Ecosia and Qwant Form European Search Perspective
Ecosia, based in Berlin, and Qwant, headquartered in Paris, have announced a strategic partnership under the “European Search Perspective” (EUSP). This joint venture, which both companies will own equally, intends to create a privacy-first, sustainable, and European alternative to the search engines dominated by U.S. firms. The new search index will be launched in France in the first quarter of 2025, offering improved search results for French and German queries.
A New Chapter in Search Engine Development
The key objective of this collaboration is to build a search index from scratch, freeing both Ecosia and Qwant from relying on U.S. companies like Microsoft for backend search technology. Ecosia, which integrates a mix of Google and Bing results, has long relied on these platforms for search infrastructure. By developing their index, Ecosia and Qwant plan to gain more control over their search processes while fostering innovation in search technologies tailored to European users’ needs.
Christian Kroll, CEO of Ecosia, emphasized the importance of European tech companies taking charge of their infrastructure. “This project is possible due to new competition regulations in Europe,” Kroll noted, referring to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which enforces fair access to platforms from U.S. tech giants. This regulation has made it easier for alternative search engines to challenge Big Tech by ensuring that companies like Google share the necessary data to train new search models.
A Privacy-First Approach for Users
Both Qwant and Ecosia are known for their privacy-focused missions. Qwant has long promised to protect users’ data, never tracking or selling their information. Ecosia, on the other hand, is committed to sustainability, planting trees with each search made on its platform. With the new European search index, both companies combine their strengths—privacy, and sustainability—while ensuring users’ data remains secure.
In addition to using the new index, Ecosia and Qwant are opening up their search technology to other independent search engines and tech companies. This move could revolutionize the European search landscape by providing smaller players the tools they need to compete with Google’s dominance. This shift could also reduce the growing reliance on U.S.-based search engines, marking a milestone in Europe’s digital autonomy.
Reducing Dependence on U.S. Big Tech
While Qwant and Ecosia are not targeting U.S. tech companies directly, their goal is to ensure European businesses can stand independently in the digital world. Olivier Abecassis, CEO of Qwant, explained that this move was not anti-American but rather about creating a more resilient and sovereign digital space in Europe. “It’s all about the sovereignty of our business and companies,” Abecassis said. The collaboration is driven by the need to shield European businesses from external pressures, such as increasing costs for accessing Microsoft’s Bing Search API, which powers search for many alternative engines.
Christian Kroll echoed this sentiment, noting that Europe’s growing dependence on U.S. technology is a critical vulnerability. He pointed to the geopolitical instability in Europe, such as the energy crises stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as a reminder of the risks associated with over-reliance on a single foreign country for critical infrastructure. The new search index aims to mitigate this dependence, ensuring European companies control their digital destinies.
Leveraging the Potential of A.I. and Search
As the digital world continues to change, the emergence of generative AI is reshaping the way we interact with technology is changing how search engines operate. Ecosia and Qwant focus on creating a transparent and secure data pool to accommodate the growing demands of A.I. technologies, which rely on vast amounts of search data for training and fine-tuning. The shift toward AI-powered search is reshaping how users engage with the web, and Ecosia and Qwant are positioning themselves at the forefront of this change.
The success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT has already disrupted traditional search, as users increasingly turn to A.I. chatbots for information. In response, Google has integrated its own A.I. model, Gemini, into its search engine to maintain its competitive edge. However, as the A.I. paradigm shift accelerates, there’s a growing demand for diverse search engines that prioritize transparency, privacy, and data security.
With a new European search infrastructure, Ecosia and Qwant aim to offer an alternative to Google’s AI-powered search. This could help diversify the market and give users more options for how they search the web, emphasizing user rights, privacy, and data integrity.
Building a Future for Independent Search
As the digital ecosystem continues to shift, the importance of maintaining control over search technology becomes even more apparent. Ecosia and Qwant’s European Search Perspective project represents a bold step towards a more independent, privacy-focused, and sustainable internet. By building their search index, the two companies are challenging Google’s dominance and paving the way for a more diversified and resilient search industry in Europe.
This new chapter in search engine development offers hope to smaller players and European users alike, who the U.S.-centric search engine giants have long underserved. By creating a search index from the ground up, Ecosia and Qwant are setting the stage for a more equitable digital future where European companies can thrive without being beholden to Big Tech.
The collaboration between Ecosia and Qwant represents more than just a technological partnership. It is a call for digital sovereignty, a move towards privacy-first search technology, and an effort to reduce dependence on U.S. companies that have held a dominant position in the digital industry for years. As the project progresses, the European Search Perspective could serve as a blueprint for other regions and companies seeking to reclaim control over their digital futures, ensuring that search engines remain open, transparent, and secure for all users.
