POLICIES :: .eu
The .eu Top Level Domain
What is .eu?
.eu is Europe’s Top Level Domain (TLD). Available to all companies and organisations established in the European Union and to every resident's citizen, it does not replace the existing national country code TLDs (such as .fr, .de, .pl or .uk), but complements them and gives users the option of having a pan-European internet identity on their websites and e-mail addresses.
For
citizens, the .eu TLD is a place in cyberspace, in which their rights as
consumers and individuals are protected by European rules, standards and courts.
For companies, a .eu website enhances their internet visibility within and beyond the EU single market, advertises their pan-European outlook and provides greater certainty as to the law, which should in turn foster electronic commerce and boost economic competitiveness and growth. Before '.eu', firms wishing to take advantage of the single market were obliged to either base their internet presence in one country or to create websites in each of the EU countries in which they operate.
Since 7 April 2006 anyone established in the European Union has been able to apply for .eu domain name. The right to apply for the registration of '.eu' names had been previously reserved to trademark holders and public bodies (from 7 December 2005 to 6 February 2006) and then had been extended to holders of other 'prior rights', such as company names or business identifiers (from 7 February to 6 April 2006).
- For more information check our factsheet (available in 23 languages).
What is a Top Level Domain (TLD)?
A domain name is used in the internet to identify particular web pages. Every domain name has a suffix that indicates the Top Level Domain (TLD) to which it belongs. The TLD is the part of an internet domain name which can be found to the right of the last point. Generic TLDs include .com, .int, .net, .info, .org, etc. There are also many country code top level domains (ccTLDs) such as .es, .it, .cz and .be. Each TLD is associated with a particular registry which registers the names associated with the TLD.
EURid: the Registry of the .eu TLD
EURid is a private, independent, not-for-profit registry that operates the .eu TLD. It has been created by the three national registries of Belgium, Italy and Sweden with associated members from the Czech Republic and Slovenia. EURid was selected by the Commission in 2003 as the registry for .eu following an open call for expressions of interest. Since September 2004, EURid has been operating the .eu TLD independently of the European Commission.
- Further information about EURid and its work at http://www.eurid.eu.
Registration figures
To date, over 3 million '.eu' names have been registered, making '.eu' Europe's 4th most popular country code TLD, and the 9th most popular TLD worldwide.
The strongest demand for .eu domain names so far has come from Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Sweden. Latest figures with a breakdown per country.
If you want to get to know some of the citizens, companies and public bodies that have chosen a ".eu"-web address, watch these short promotional videos on EURid's website.
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| Last update: 26/08/2009 |
