The position that should be validated by the Member States' representatives to the EU (COREPER) on Wednesday 24 October is fairly close to the draft presented by the Commission on 27 April, which aims to make the '.eu' top level domain more accessible.
This domain name guarantees users that their rights under European legislation will be respected on the site they visit. The name '.eu' also promises businesses greater visibility in the single market and easier access to e-commerce.
Since 2017, the number of sites using the domain name has stagnated at around four million, which is why the Commission has launched a reform aimed in particular at broadening the possibility of using the '.eu' domain (see EUROPE 12011).
From this point of view, the Council's likely position is fully in line with that of the Commission. The domain could thus be granted to an EU citizen regardless of his or her country of residence, to a non-EU citizen residing in the EU or to a legal person, provided that they are ‘established’ - and no longer principally located - in the EU.
However, there is a point of disagreement about the designation of the ‘Registry' - the entity responsible for organising and managing the domain name.
The draft position paper therefore asks the Commission to ensure that the designation of the ‘Registry' is governed by the principles of competition, transparency and non-discrimination, in the form of a call for expression of interest. The ‘Registry' should be a non-profit organisation bound to the Commission by a time-limited contract renewable only once, under the terms of the document to be voted on by COREPER.
The Council's draft also calls for a better definition of the supervisory power of the stakeholder group and the weight of Member States within this group. In addition, Member States should be represented by one of the three Member States of the rotating Presidency of the Council for each corresponding 18-month period.
Finally, the project requires that the regulation of the WHOIS database, relating to the domain name, be brought into conformity with the RGPD.
The European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE) will adopt its position on the subject on 21 November. (Original version in French by Mathieu Solal)