EU leaders hedge bets on social media, but X dominates, Bluesky and newcomers lag far behind

As the European Commission promotes its presence on W, a fledgling Swedish privacy-focused social network, top EU figures like Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa illustrate a clear pattern: heavy reliance on X for reach, with symbolic forays into alternatives yielding modest audiences at best.

W is a new European social network (from a Swedish startup) that works like Bluesky – same open technology underneath — but with all data hosted in Europe under GDPR, strict on-device ID verification for real humans only (no bots), and a strong focus on privacy and trusted conversations.

Follower counts tell the story

Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen on X): Approximately 1.715 million followers. Her account remains highly active for announcements on Ukraine, trade deals, and EU priorities.

Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu on Bluesky): Around 124,600 followers – roughly 7% of her X audience.

António Costa (@eucopresident on X), President of the European Council: About 1.22 million followers.

António Costa on Bluesky (@eucopresident.consilium.europa.eu): Roughly 18,500 followers – under 2% of his X following.

The official European Commission account (@EU_Commission) maintains strong visibility on X (one of its top reach platforms in Europe), while its Bluesky counterpart (@ec.europa.eu) sits at approximately 97,000 followers.

These gaps persist even as the Commission lists activity across more than 15 platforms and frames diversification as pragmatic audience outreach rather than abandonment of any single network.

Can alternatives actually fly?

Bluesky (built on the same AT Protocol as W) has grown to roughly 40–45 million registered users globally as of mid-2026, but engagement remains niche. Many EU institutional accounts post identical content across platforms, yet Bluesky versions attract minimal visibility and interaction compared to X.

Critics note that while Bluesky appeals to certain professional or left-leaning audiences seeking less contentious discourse, it has not displaced X’s real-time, high-reach environment for political communication. EU committee accounts on Bluesky often languish under 100 followers with near-zero engagement.

W (wsocial.eu) is even earlier stage – a private Swedish startup in public beta, emphasizing on-device human verification, European data hosting under GDPR, and reduced disinformation. The Commission’s quick endorsement signals digital sovereignty priorities amid ongoing DSA tensions with X, but as an invite/waitlist platform backed by Nordic investors (not EU funds), its user base is currently tiny and unproven at scale.

Looking for a new place to debate Europe?
Follow our account on W, a freshly launched independent social media network – based in Europe and aiming for open, safer online conversations.
Join the conversation – @ https://t.co/TCNVFI3ruX
ℹ️ https://t.co/8vhVeAJ3vR pic.twitter.com/NYgHU2HInn
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) June 17, 2026

Broader context and outlook:

X continues to deliver the broadest European reach for official messaging despite regulatory friction, fines, and ad account disputes.
Alternatives provide “safer,” more controlled spaces aligned with EU values on privacy and moderation, but risk becoming echo chambers with limited public impact.

Historical parallels (Mastodon experiments, early Bluesky adoption) suggest symbolic presence is easy; but mass migration is hard. Success for W or sustained Bluesky growth would require not just policy alignment but genuine user migration – something follower disparities suggest has not yet materialised.

Portability of followers remains one of the biggest obstacles to switching platforms, and paradoxically, GDPR itself is one of the key barriers because follower lists contain other people’s personal data that cannot be easily transferred without their consent.”

In an era of digital sovereignty rhetoric, EU leaders are spreading bets. For now, however, concrete influence still flows most powerfully through X. Whether privacy-first European alternatives can scale beyond institutional signalling remains an open question – one that will test if “homegrown” platforms can compete on merit, not just mandate.

(Figures quoted are as of mid-June 2026; social metrics fluctuate daily.)

Caption: Welcoming messages on the W platform which is is still at Beta stage. [Screenshot by EUalive]