Contract to run .eu domain-name registry is up for grabs

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Applicants must be based in the EU and be not-for-profit entities

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The European Union is now accepting applications to determine the next registry for the .eu Top-Level Domain (TLD) and the winner will oversee its 3.6m domain names beginning in October 2022.

As reported by The Register, Directorate General for Communication Networks, Content and Technologies at the European Commission (EC) announced the rebid at the beginning of October. At the same time though, the commission's director of future networks Pearse O'Donohue has been personally contacting registry operators in an effort to encourage them to apply to take over control of Europe's TLD.

The .eu TLD is one of the largest country code TLDs with 3.6m registrations and it also used by European Union institutions, agencies and bodies. The TLD aims to provide a clearly identifiable link with the European Union and the European Single Market while also allowing EU residents to register a domain name under the .eu TLD regardless of their place of residence.

Applying to take over the .eu TLD

In an effort to prevent corruption, the EC is requiring that all applicants to take over the .eu TLD be based in Europe and be non-profit companies. This move will prevent US-based registries including Afilias and Neustar from applying.

While the EC is requiring all applicants to be not-for-profit entities, commercial entities including those that are for-profit can still apply by forming a consortium of firms or a group of contractors so long as this new organization is not-for-profit.

Additionally, a key component of the .eu contract will be multilingualism to better represent the countries of the EU. However, this will put English-speaking registries such as the UK-based Nominet, Centralnic and Minds+Machines from applying.

Interested registries will have until December 30th of this year to apply to take over the .eu TLD and you can find out more information here.

Via The Register

Anthony Spadafora
Anthony Spadafora

After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.