EU internet domain opened to all citizens

Anyone residing in any member state of the European Union can now apply to register a name under the ".eu" top-level domain on the internet.

The registration is open on a first-come, first-served basis and nationality of an EU member state is not a prerequisite.

The initiative, intended to give European citizens and industry a safer place in cyberspace, was launched at a news conference by Information Society and Media Commissioner Vivienne Reading.

Ms Reading said that through this project, Europe and its citizens can now develop their own web identity, protected by EU rules.

"I expect thousands of applications to be filed in the first few hours making .eu a powerful domain name on equal footing with .com," commented Ms Reading. The new .eu domain will not replace the existing national country code, known technically as TLDs, but will complement them and give users the option of having a pan-European internet identity for their internet presence, generally web sites and e-mail addresses.

Malta's domain is .mt and will remain so despite the new addition of a European domain.

The Commission said that any individual resident in the EU or any organization or company established in the EU will be able to register a name under the .eu TLD. European law and the jurisdiction of European courts will apply.

Originally, the creation of .eu was decided at the Lisbon European Council in 2000 to stress the importance that Europe gives to the Information Society and to electronic commerce to enhance Europe's competitiveness.

Those wishing to register a .eu domain name should pick an accredited .eu registrar from the following web address: http://list.eurid.eu/registrars/ListRegistrars.htm?lang=en. The Commission said that their .eu domain name should be activated within a few hours.

Registration costs vary across the EU, and the total fees charged may be as low as €12 (Lm5.20) in some cases.

There are hundreds of registrars competing to register names. The Commission is advising customers to shop around for the best deal on price, quality and services offered before affecting their registration.

In order to stimulate its growth, the EU institutions are leading by example and announced that from May 9, Europe Day, all its web sites will start ending with the .eu domain.