A single trilogue negotiating session was necessary to allow representatives of the European Parliament and the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU to reach an interinstitutional political agreement on the reform of the .eu domain name on Wednesday evening, 5 December.
In particular, this reform will allow all citizens of the European Union and the countries of the European Economic Area to register a .eu domain name wherever they live in the world.
As requested by the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 12124), the entity responsible for the organisation and management of the domain name - the Registry, a function currently performed by the EURid organisation - will remain a non-profit organisation. The Commission will evaluate this restriction within two years of the application of the future Regulation.
As requested by the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12142), the criteria and procedures for designating the Registry will be established by means of delegated acts, these acts conferring an additional right of scrutiny on the European Parliament and the Council.
Composed of representatives of industry, civil society and academia, a multistakeholder group will advise the Commission on the application of future European rules. The EU Council has agreed that this group should include a member from a country outside the EU.
Thanks to the reform, it will be easier to change the day-to-day operation and management of the .eu domain name. These developments may in future be introduced only through a change in the contractual relationship between the Commission and the Registry. The Commission may also extend the services of the Register, for example by asking it to focus its communication more on under-represented categories, such as young people, small and medium-sized enterprises and NGOs.
Currently, nearly 4 million websites - including that of the Agence Europe - have a .eu extension. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)