Brussels, 12/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission proposed to create a register for the use of the top level Internet domain ".eu". The first high level domain is the last part of the address of a web site, such as ".int" or ".com", which enables to located it on the world network. This stage is qualified by the Commission as "crucial" to the extent that the register will be the body that, in practice, will operate the ".eu" domain. The proposal, prepared with the private sector, creates a legal framework for the new register and for the preparation of government policies necessary for its functioning. In particular, it entrusts the Commission with drafting measures in terms of speculative and abusive registering of names, as well as the dispute settlement procedures. These measures will be adopted after consultation on the register itself and the Member States within the Advisory Committee.
The legal basis of the proposal is Article 1556 of the Treaty, covering the Trans-European network. In a press release, the Commission justified this choice by underlining that "in Europe, the Internet is considered as a network that forms a necessary platform for electronic communication within the Member States and between them, as well as with and throughout the entire world".
The creation of the ".eu" domain is a project born from the e-Europe initiative, aimed at encouraging the transition of European companies towards the new economy and stimulating the use of electronic commerce. For Erkki Liikanen, Commissioner responsible for Information Society, ".eu" will enable, on the one hand, companies to identify themselves as European or pan-European companies on the Internet and, on the other hand, record a greater number of names on the Internet.
Other aspects linked to the domain name and the registering procedure must still be drafted. It concerns, among others, the use of second level domain names, such as ".press.eu" or ".ngo.eu". Thus the Commission insisted for the Council and Parliament to rapidly statute on its proposal. In the meantime, it maintains contacts with the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to ensure that the creation of the ".eu" code applies as soon as the register is in place.