eu-domain names celebrate 10 years with 4 million internet domain names
On April 7, 2016, the EU’s internet address turns ten years old. Since April 7, 2006 .eu has provided a unique European domain for people and organisations in the EU
At the end of 2015 .eu was the eleventh largest top-level domain in the world, with almost 4 million domain names, with the most registrants in Germany (1 million), the Netherlands (497000), France (343,000), Poland (308000) and the United Kingdom (307000). Vice-President Ansip, in charge of the Digital Single Market, said in his blog: “I am pleased to see that more and more users are choosing the .eu domain, which connects more than 500 million people to one internet identity, across the 28 countries of the European Union as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. A .eu website gives confidence and security to whoever is using it.” From its origins, .eu has been administered by EURid, a non-profit organisation that operates on behalf of the Commission. Organisations such as Fairtrade International and companies like Orangina have adopted it in Europe, while various .eu success stories have emerged, such as generous.eu, a Brussels’ bakery offering a range of handmade, organic and gluten free biscuits and for which online presence is essential to sell its products in shops around Europe.