Over 300,000 .eu web domains created in 2007

April 7, 2008; 12:33 AM

What do Milka, Bridgestone and Versace have in common? They all chose the newly created ".eu" as the Top Level Domain (TLD) for their online web presence. During the past two years, businesses, NGOs and EU residents have secured over 2.8 million European internet identities, making .eu, at its second birthday today, the fourth most popular Top Level Domain in Europe and the ninth worldwide. By promoting an online identity that is distinctly European, .eu helps citizens and businesses to reap the full benefits of the single market and the freedoms that this provides.

"The creation of a trustworthy environment with a distinct European identity is at the forefront of my vision for Europe's inclusive Information Society", said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media. "Early adopters of .eu understood its value, and have grasped the opportunity to promote their own pan-European outlook. It should now become the natural choice for everyone in Europe. The stronger Europe's single market for telecommunications grows, the more we ought to ensure that .eu becomes more visible, secure and affordable."

By the second anniversary of its launch, .eu had well consolidated its place among the 10 largest Top Level Domains of the world, competing with long-established identities such as .com, .net or .org. Registrations for .eu domains have been continuously growing following the first boom year. In addition, subscriptions for 80% of domain names have been renewed for their second year, which is a vote of confidence for .eu.

In terms of total number of .eu registrations per country of origin, Germany continues to lead with 31.4%, followed by the Netherlands (13.4%), the United Kingdom (13.3%), France (7.3%) and Italy (5.1%).

In terms of growth, however, a different picture emerges. With overall growth at 11% for 2007, the number of registrations for .eu from Poland increased by 48.6% in 2007, followed by Lithuania (48.4%) and Finland (39.9%).

Actual usage and visibility of .eu also continues to be strong with almost 80% of registered names directing to a functioning website and/or email server. Furthermore, not only large and well known organisations, but also small and medium sized enterprises, non-governmental organisations and private individuals are making increasingly active use of the .eu domain names they have acquired. As illustrated by recent customer testimonials, satisfied .eu users include Bridgestone, Innovision, Touring Cars and the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

Background

.eu first opened on 7 December 2005 to holders of prior rights (see IP/05/1510). Since early April 2006, registration has been open to all EU residents and organisations with a registered seat in the EU (see IP/06/476). Management of the .eu registry (the database holding all .eu registrations) is entrusted to EURid, an independent not-for-profit organisation.

Source: European Commission Press Release