The '.eu' top-level domain

Briefing 26-09-2017

The .eu top-level domain ('.eu TLD') is based on Regulation (EC) No 733/2002 and was launched in December 2005. EURid, a Belgian not-for-profit organisation, manages the .eu TLD registry; .eu domain names can be registered through a network of 712 'accredited registrars'. According to the latest Commission report on the .eu TLD, at the beginning of 2015, with almost 4 million registrations, the .eu TLD ranked eleventh among the biggest top-level domains in the world (with '.com' heading the list) and sixth among country code top-level domains (ccTLD). The inception impact assessment on the review of the .eu TLD regulation, published by the Commission, pointed to problems which should be tackled, e.g. market development. The reviewed regulation should also simplify the management of the .eu TLD. Between May and August 2017, the Commission ran public consultations with the aim of reviewing the existing .eu TLD legislation. The results of the consultations are not yet available.