Two European search engines join forces to counter Google

92% market share for Google in Europe. It's a problem.

Qwant and Ecosia, French and German respectively, announce their alliance to develop an independent European search index.

This collaboration, called European Search Perspective (EUP)represents much more than a simple commercial partnership. This is a direct response to the growing dependence of European digital services on Microsoft and Google search APIs, the costs of which continue to rise.

The initiative comes at the right time as generative artificial intelligence is disrupting the online search industry. “ With the emergence of artificial intelligence tools, the demand for search indexes is now different“, explains Christian Kroll, CEO of Ecosia.

A European ambition

The road to technological independence is far from over. The real challenge lies in access to data. At a time when proprietary platforms increasingly restrict access to their content, building a relevant search index becomes a balancing act.

However, the Qwant-Ecosia alliance has significant advantages. With their 26 million combined users and technical expertise, both companies are starting with a solid foundation. In addition, the European regulatory context, particularly with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), creates a more favorable environment for the emergence of alternatives to large American companies.

Where Google and Microsoft have built empires on the massive collection of personal data, EUP offers a different vision, centered on respect for privacy and data sovereignty.

The deployment of EUP will be carried out gradually, starting with France in the first quarter of 2025, followed by Germany at the end of 2025. English will be the third language supported, with the ambition to gradually extend coverage to other European languages.