Qwant and Ecosia Launch Staan, a European Search Index to Challenge Big Tech

European search engines Qwant and Ecosia have launched Staan, a new search index developed through a joint venture aimed at offering a privacy-focused, cost-effective alternative to dominant U.S. search platforms like Google and Bing. The initiative, known as the European Search Perspective (EUSP), marks a significant step toward building a European digital infrastructure independent of American and Chinese tech giants. The collaboration began last year when Qwant, a French privacy-centric search engine, partnered with Ecosia, a German non-profit search engine, to create a shared search index. Staan is now actively powering search queries for both companies, with plans to serve about 50% of French searches and 33% of German searches by the end of the year. Qwant is already using the index to enhance features such as AI-generated summaries for search results, while Ecosia plans to roll out similar AI-powered tools in the near future. The index is also being positioned as a scalable solution for third-party applications, particularly AI chatbots that rely on web search for knowledge grounding. Christian Kroll, CEO of Ecosia, emphasized the cost advantage of Staan. “If you’re using ChatGPT or any other AI chatbot, they all do knowledge grounding with web search. Our index can power deep research and AI summary features at a tenth of the cost compared to Google and Bing,” he said, highlighting the economic and strategic benefits of a European alternative. Beyond cost, the project is driven by concerns over digital sovereignty. EUSP aims to reduce Europe’s reliance on foreign tech stacks, especially in critical areas like search, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. The companies argue that current infrastructure leaves European industries—from journalism to climate technology—vulnerable to political or commercial decisions made outside the continent. “The timing could not be more urgent. The outcome of the 2024 U.S. election has reminded European policymakers and innovators just how exposed Europe remains when it comes to core digital infrastructure. Much of Europe’s search, cloud, and AI layers are built on American Big Tech stacks, putting entire sectors at the mercy of external agendas,” the companies stated. By combining Staan with strict European privacy regulations, EUSP positions itself as a more secure and transparent option for users concerned about data collection and surveillance. The initiative reflects a broader movement to build a resilient, independent European tech ecosystem—one that prioritizes privacy, affordability, and sovereignty in the age of AI.