REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL On the implementation, functioning and effectiveness of the .eu Top-Level Domain from April 2017 to April 2019
Date: 2020-02-19
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission
Subjects: European symbol, Internet address, digital single market, information security, non-profit organisation, regulation of telecommunications, service concession

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 19.2.2020  COM(2020) 63 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL On the implementation, functioning and effectiveness of the .eu Top-Level Domain from April 2017 to April 2019  
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 2 

2.  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................... 2 

3.  THE .EU LEGAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................. 3 

3.1.  Current framework ............................................................................................ 3 

3.2.  New framework ................................................................................................. 3 

4.  THE .EU REGISTRY ................................................................................................. 3 

4.1.  Financial and contractual compliance ............................................................... 4 

5.  THE .EU DOMAIN .................................................................................................... 4 

5.1.  General trends .................................................................................................... 4 

5.2.  The .eu brand ..................................................................................................... 5 

5.3.  Marketing and communication .......................................................................... 5 

5.4.  Multilingualism ................................................................................................. 7 

5.5. 

Impact of the United Kingdom’s intended withdrawal from the EU ................ 7 

6.  TRUST AND SECURITY .......................................................................................... 8 

6.1.  Secure domain names ........................................................................................ 8 

6.2.  Mitigation of abusive registrations .................................................................... 9 

6.3.  Cooperation in the fight against cybercrime ..................................................... 9 

6.4.  Alternative Dispute Resolution ....................................................................... 10 

6.5.  Stability, security and business continuity ...................................................... 10 

7. 

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ........................................................................... 10 

8.  ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ................................................................................ 11 

9.  CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 11 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

This report concerns the .eu ccTLD (country code Top-Level Domain), the internet 
domain of the European Union, and its variants in other scripts, as administered and 
managed  by  the  non-profit  organisation  EURid  (European  Registry  for  Internet 
Domains) acting as the registry of this domain (hereafter ‘.eu Registry’) on the basis 
of  a  service  concession  contract  with  the  Commission.  Pursuant  to  Article  8  of 
Regulation  (EC)  No  733/2002  of  22  April  2002  on  the  implementation  of  the  .eu 
Top-Level  Domain  (hereafter  ‘.eu  Regulation’),  the  Commission  is  required  to 
submit  a  report  on  the  implementation,  functioning  and  effectiveness  of  the  .eu 
domain  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  every  two  years.  This  report 
covers  the  period  from  1  April  2017  to  31  March  2019  (hereafter  ‘the  period 
covered’).  

2.  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

With  3.7  million  registered  domain  names,  the  .eu  domain  remained  the  seventh 
largest  ccTLD  worldwide.  The  growth  stagnated  during  the  period  covered  due  to 
the  maturity  of  the  domain  name  market.  The  performance  of  the  .eu  domain 
however  remained  on  par  with  other  ccTLDs  despite  a  significant  decrease  in  .eu 
registrations  caused  by  the  United  Kingdom’s  intended  withdrawal  from  the 
European  Union  and  the  suspension  of  domain  names  due  to  stricter  checks  on 
registration data. 

Confronted  with  growing  competition,  the  .eu  Registry  focused  increasingly  on 
quality  of  service  and  security,  rather  than  on  price.  This  proved  successful:  the 
renewal rate of .eu domain names remained high and grew from 78.6 % to 80 % in 
the period covered in this report.  

Furthermore, the .eu Registry continued to promote DNSSEC1, a security extension 
of  the  DNS  (Domain  Name  System),  implemented  cybersecurity  measures, 
deployed new initiatives to prevent abusive registrations, and collaborated with law 
enforcement and other public authorities at both the national and European levels in 
the  fight  against  illegal  activities  involving  .eu  domain  names.  The  .eu  Registry 
maintained  a  highly  resilient  and  robust  technical  infrastructure  to  ensure  that  the 
.eu namespace remained available for all internet users. 

Supporting European linguistic diversity and expanding multilingualism across the 
.eu  domain  remained  a  priority.  At  the  end  of  the  period  covered,  the  expectation 
was that the .ευ string in Greek script could be launched end of 2019. This milestone 
would mark the successful completion of efforts to support all non-Latin scripts in 
the European Union2. 

In  general,  the  .eu  domain  continues  to  function  in  an  effective  way,  facilitating 
access  to  the  Digital  Single  Market  in  a  secure  and  trustworthy  way  and  allowing 
Europeans to display their European identity online. 

1  Domain Name System Security Extension. 
2   The actual launch of the .ευ string in Greek script took place on 14 November 2019, outside the scope 

of this report. 

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3.  THE .EU LEGAL FRAMEWORK 

3.1.  Current framework  

The  .eu  domain  was  implemented  by  the  .eu  Regulation  (as  amended3),  and 
Regulation  (EC)  No  874/2004  laying  down  the  public  policy  rules  concerning  the 
implementation  and  functions  of  the  .eu  top-level  domain  and  the  principles 
governing registration (as amended4). 

3.2.  New framework 

In  2017,  the  Commission  evaluated  the  .eu  regulatory  framework  under  the 
Regulatory  Fitness  and  Performance  Programme  (REFIT)  review  process  and 
subsequently  undertook  a  revision.  Following  a  public  consultation  and  an  Impact 
Assessment5,  and  having  received  positive  feedback  from  the  Regulatory  Scrutiny 
Board,  the  Commission  made  a  legislative  proposal  to  replace  the  existing  .eu 
Regulation(s).  This  proposal  was  ultimately  adopted  into  law  as  Regulation  (EU) 
2019/517 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the implementation and 
functioning  of  the  .eu  top  level  domain  and  amending  and  repealing  Regulation 
(EC)  No  733/2002  and  repealing  Commission  Regulation  (EC)  No  874/2004 
(‘revised .eu Regulation’). 

The revised .eu Regulation provides the legal flexibility for the .eu domain to adapt 
to market changes, modernises its governance structure6, and expands the eligibility 
criteria  for  .eu  domain  names  to  enable  EU  citizens  to  register  a  domain  name, 
regardless of their place of residence. The revised .eu Regulation entered into force 
on 18 April 2019. It  will apply  from  13 October 2022, on which date Regulations 
733/2002  and  874/2004  will  be  repealed,  except  for  the  provisions  expanding  the 
eligibility criteria, which apply from 19 October 2019. 

4.  THE .EU REGISTRY 

Following  a  tendering  process,  the  non-profit  organisation  European  Registry  for 
Internet Domains (EURid) was selected and awarded a service concession contract 
in  2004  to  become  the  .eu  Registry  operator,  responsible  for  the  organisation, 
administration and management of the .eu domain and its variants in other scripts. 
After a new tendering process, EURid was awarded a second contract in 2014. This 
contract was extended from 1 April 2019 until 12 October 2022.  

EURid  is  an  association  without  lucrative  purpose,  established  under  Belgian  law 
with its head office in Brussels. Three companies, owned by EURid, act as regional 
offices, established in Italy, the Czech Republic and Sweden. EURid’s mission is to 
"create a trusted .eu space for the end-user in a sustainable way through operational 
excellence, while offering outstanding quality of service to its accredited registrars".  

3  Regulation (EC) No 1137/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2008. 
4  Regulations  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council;  No  1654/2005  of  10  October  2005;  No 
1255/2007 of 25 October 2007, No 560/2009 of 26 June 2009, and No 516/2015 of 26 March 2015. 

5 
6 

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/initiatives/ares-2017-2402460_en. 

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/new-rules-will-boost-eu-governance-and-extend-its-
reach. 

3 

 
 
                                                 
The association EURid has two founding members, DNS Belgium (the .be registry) 
and  the  Istituto  di  Informatica  e  Telematica  (the  .it  registry),  nine  other  members 
and  a  Strategic  Board  comprised  of  13  representatives.  A  general  manager  and  a 
management team  of eight  persons lead the organisation. At the  end of the period 
covered, EURid had 56 full-time employees, working across seven departments and 
located in its four regional offices. The majority of employees work in the external 
relations team and the technical department.  

4.1. 

Financial and contractual compliance 

As an external organisation, EURid manages the .eu domain in an autonomous way. 
Nevertheless,  the  Commission  closely  scrutinises  EURid’s  financial  situation  and 
contractual compliance in line with the provisions of the .eu regulatory framework 
and  the  Service  Concession  Contract.  The  Commission  exercises  its  supervisory 
role by reviewing the  yearly  audited accounts, the half-yearly  and  yearly  financial 
reports,  the  budget  proposals,  and  the  strategy  and  operational  plans  of  the  .eu 
Registry.  Financial  matters  are  discussed  at  half-yearly  meetings  and  in  ad  hoc 
meetings. 

In the period covered by this report, EURid’s financial situation was comparable to 
the previous two years, with around € 13 million revenues and € 11 million costs per 
year. Following approval of the accounts and reserves, the surplus transferred to the 
European  Union  under  the  terms  of  the  Service  Concession  Contract  was 
€ 2,863,036 and € 1,347,883 for the accounting years 2017 and 2018 respectively. 

At  the  end  of  2018,  EURid  maintained  financial  reserves  for  depreciation  (€ 0.5 
million), investments (€ 0.6 million), social liabilities (€ 2.4 million), legal liabilities 
(€ 1.2 million), and working capital (€ 0.2 million), and added a new reserve for the 
ends of contracts (€ 0.9 million). 

the 

.eu  Registry  management.  The  audit 

In 2018, the Commission performed an audit on various administrative and financial 
to  a  series  of 
aspects  of 
recommendations  that  are  being  implemented  in  2019  according  to  an  action  plan 
agreed between the Commission and EURid. In particular, they cover the review of 
EURid's  procurement  policy;  the  review  of  EURid's  conflict  of  interest  policy;  a 
clarification  of  the  rules  and  approach  on  building  reserves;  the  development  of  a 
consistent  approach  in  contracting  external  consultants;  a  review  of  the  efficiency 
and  effectiveness  of  the  regional  offices;  an  evaluation  of  the  marketing  and 
awareness raising activities, and the organisation of a yearly contractual compliance 
audit. 

led 

5.  THE .EU DOMAIN 

5.1.  General trends 

With 3.7 million registered .eu domain names by the end of the first quarter 2019, 
the .eu domain is the eleventh largest TLD and remains the seventh largest ccTLD 
worldwide7.  The  volume  of  registrations  accounts  for  approximately  1%  of  the 

7  CENTRstats Global TLD report Q1 2019, edition 27,  https://www.centr.org/statistics-centr/quarterly-

reports.html.. 

4 

 
 
                                                 
global  domain  name  market,  comprising  more  than  350  million  domain  names 
distributed among 1,486 TLDs.  

Whilst 2017 ended with an annual growth of 1.5 %, 2018 saw a negative growth of 
3.4 %. Two atypical developments – in comparison to other ccTLDs – account for 
the negative growth: the United Kingdom’s intended withdrawal from the European 
Union (explained in section ‘Impact of the United Kingdom’s intended withdrawal 
from  the  EU’),  and  the  suspension  of  approximately  58,000  domain  names  during 
2018 as a result of stricter eligibility checks.  

In  general,  the  .eu  domain  performance  aligns  with  the  performance  of  other 
ccTLDs,  challenged collectively by low  growth  rates in  the domain names market 
during the two-year timeframe of this report. A number of reasons account for these 
low  growth  rates.  The  trends  described  in  the  previous  report  persist,  such  as  the 
maturity  of  key  national  markets  and  increased  competition  due  to  the  advent  of 
new gTLDs (generic TLDs). Over the period covered in this report, substitutes have 
also  gained  market  share,  such  as  social  media  accounts  for  individuals  and 
businesses, and applications (apps) for the mobile market, particularly in emerging 
markets8,9.  

By country of registration, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Poland and Italy were 
the  main  .eu  domain  markets  at  the  end  of  the  first  quarter  of  2019.  In  the  period 
covered  in  this  report  the  United  Kingdom  declined  from  fourth  to  sixth  position, 
while  Portugal’s  share  of  .eu  registrations  almost  doubled,  demonstrating  that 
domain names can still enjoy double-digit growth. 

5.2.  The .eu brand 

In  recent  years,  the  domain  name  marketplace  and,  in  particular,  well-established 
TLDs  have  been  confronted  with  a  significant  rise  in  competition,  due  to  the 
introduction of new gTLDs such as .hotel or .shop. Competition has become fierce 
and many new registries are offering very low prices, adopting aggressive marketing 
towards registrars and re-sellers.  

EURid’s response has been to focus on quality and security rather than on price, and 
to  continue  to  promote  .eu  as  a  trustworthy  brand  with  European  coverage.  This 
strategy  proved  successful:  the  renewal  rate  of  .eu  domain  names  (generally  an 
indicator for customer trust and loyalty) remained high and grew from 78.6 % to 80 
% in the period of this report. 

5.3.  Marketing and communication 

In  line  with  its  strategic  aim  to  focus  on  quality  and  security  rather  than  on  price, 
EURid undertook the following marketing and communication activities: 

–  Publication  of  trust.eurid.eu,  a  new  landing  page  on  EURid's  website,  to 
highlight  the  .eu  domain  name  as  a  brand  that  connotes  trust  and  security, 

8  EURid  et  al,  Middle  East  and  Adjoining  Countries  DNS  Marketplace  Study,  ICANN  2016 

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-02-26-en. 

9  Oxford  Information  Labs  et  al,  Latin  American  and  Caribbean  DNS  Marketplace  Study,  2017 

https://www.icann.org/public-comments/lac-dns-marketplace-2016-09-22-en. 

5 

 
 
                                                 
achieved through measures that ensure a high level of cybersecurity and actively 
reduce the risks of domain name abuse. 

–  Organisation  of  two  successful  online  awareness  campaigns  in  2018.  The 
countries where the campaigns  took  place (Poland, Germany, France and Spain 
amongst  others),  were  selected  on  the  basis  of  their  .eu  growth  rate  and  the 
support of registrars running .eu promotion campaigns. 

–  Partnership  with  .eu-accredited  registrars  was  strengthened  via  EURid’s  Co-
receive 
funded  Marketing  Programme, 
reimbursements of up to 100 % of the eligible cost of promotional actions for .eu 
domain  names.  In  2017  and  2018,  the  Programme  co-financed  more  than  120 
campaigns.  

through  which 

registrars  can 

–  Registrars  continued  to  use  EURid's  Reduction  Scheme,  by  which  they  enjoy  a 
reduction  on  new  registration  fees.  Registrars  appreciate  the  stability  of  the 
Scheme,  which  enables  them  to  promote  the  .eu  domain  on  a  regular  basis 
throughout  the  year.  327  registrars  subscribed  to  this  scheme,  accounting  for 
93.3 % of the total .eu portfolio and 97 % of all new domain names in 2019. 

–  To  acknowledge  innovation  and  excellence  amongst  registrants  of  .eu  domain 
names, EURid organises Web Awards on a yearly basis. The winners of the Web 
Awards receive a prize package that includes a three-month billboard campaign 
at  Brussels  airport.  Participation  in  the  Awards  peaked  in  2018  with  more  than 
200 nominations and close to 10,000 votes.  

–  EURid continued to streamline its social media presence, in particular through its 

twitter account and YouTube channel. 

Key partners for .eu marketing activities are the registrars, who make the .eu domain 
names  available  and  interact  with  the  registrants.  In  the  period  between  2017  and 
2019,  EURid  continued  its  efforts  to  improve  the  quality  of  service  provided  to 
accredited registrars and to simplify the registration process. 

At the end of the first quarter of 2019, the .eu domain had 715 accredited registrars. 
The  number  of  registrars  remained  relatively  stable  over  the  past  years,  despite 
increased concentration in the market.  

According to  the last  biennial  registrar satisfaction survey in  late 2017, ratings for 
the quality of the relationship with EURid was 93% overall, consistent with the high 
score  in  the  previous  survey.  Registrars  generally  gave  high  ratings  for  reliability 
and found .eu domain names easy to sell and representing a good investment10. 

As  a  clear  sign  of  appreciation,  EURid  won  the  CENTR11  ‘Registry  of  the  Year 
Award’  in  2017  and  2018,  on  the  basis  of  a  survey  in  which  more  than  100 
registrars voted. 

10  https://eurid.eu/en/news/2017-registrar-satisfaction-survey-findings/. 
11  Council of European National Top-Level Domain Registries, www.centr.org. 

6 

 
 
                                                 
5.4.  Multilingualism  

EURid  continued  its  efforts  to  support  European  linguistic  diversity  and  expand 
multilingualism across the .eu domain. At the end of the first quarter of 2019, there 
were nearly 39.000 IDN (Internationalised Domain Names) registered12, placing the 
.eu domain among the twenty largest IDN spaces in the world. 

After  the  introduction  in  June  2016  of  the  .ею  extension  (the  equivalent  of  .eu  in 
Cyrillic  script),  a  three-year  transition  period  was  initiated,  with  the  aim  of 
enforcing  a  ‘no  mixing  of  script’  policy  for  all  domain  names.  This  policy, 
mandated  by  ICANN13  (Internet  Corporation  of  Assigned  Names  and  Numbers), 
requires that both the domain name and its extension should be written in the same 
script.  At  the  end  of  the  first  quarter  of  2019,  there  were  approximately  1900 
domain names registered under the .ею extension. 

Before and during the period covered by this report, EURid  worked intensively to 
have the .ευ extension (the equivalent of .eu in Greek script) approved by ICANN. 
The .ευ application encountered difficulties in the evaluation stage due to a finding 
that  the  string  was  potentially  confusingly  similar  to  .eu  and  to  upper  case 
presentations  of  other  two-letter  strings.  At  the  end  of  the  period  covered,  the 
expectation was that the .ευ string in Greek script would be launched end of 2019. 
This milestone would mark the successful completion of efforts to support all non-
Latin scripts in the European Union. 

5.5. 

Impact of the United Kingdom’s intended withdrawal from the EU  

According to the .eu Regulation, as amended, holders of a .eu domain name need to 
be  residents  in  or  citizens  of  an  EU  Member  State,  Iceland,  Liechtenstein  or 
Norway, or undertakings or organisations established in these countries.  

Following the notification by the United Kingdom on 29 March 2017 of its intention 
to  withdraw  from  the  Union,  the  Union  negotiated  and  concluded  with  the  United 
Kingdom  an  agreement  setting  out  the  arrangements  for  its  withdrawal  (hereafter 
‘the  Withdrawal  Agreement’)  in  accordance  with  Article  50  of  the  Treaty  on 
European  Union  (TEU)14.  The  Withdrawal  Agreement  provides  for  a  transition 
period  during  which  Union  law  applies  to  and  in  the  United  Kingdom.  Therefore, 
during  this  transition  period,  United  Kingdom  residents  and  citizens  as  well  as 
undertakings and organisations established in the United Kingdom will continue to 
be  eligible  to  hold  a  .eu  domain  name.  This  transition  period  will  start  on  the 
withdrawal date15 and end on 31 December 2020, unless the Union and the United 
Kingdom agree by 1 July 2020 to a one-time extension of that transition period for 
up to one or two years.  

IDNs are domain names with non-Latin characters. 

12 
13   https://www.icann.org 
14   OJ C 384 I, 12.11.2019, p.1. 
15   The withdrawal date will be either the date of entry into force of the Withdrawal Agreement or, failing 
that, 1st February 2020 – unless the period provided for in Article 50(3) TEU is further extended. See 
European  Council  Decision  (EU)  2019/1810  taken  in  agreement  with  the  United  Kingdom  of  29 
October 2019 extending the period under Article 50(3) TEU, OJ L 278, 30.10.2019, p.1. 

7 

 
 
                                                 
As from  the end of that transition  period,  Union law ceases to  apply to  and in  the 
United Kingdom.  Therefore,  United Kingdom  residents  who are not  citizens of an 
EU  Member  State,  Iceland,  Liechtenstein  or  Norway  and  undertakings  and 
organisations that are established in the United Kingdom but not in an EU Member 
State, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway will no longer be eligible under EU law to 
hold  a  .eu  domain  name,  in  the  same  way  as  residents,  undertakings  and 
organisations  of  other  third  countries.  This  consequence  would  apply  from  the 
withdrawal date in the event that the Withdrawal Agreement did not enter into force. 

With  the  notice  on  the  ‘Withdrawal  of  the  United  Kingdom  and  EU  Rules  on  .eu 
Names’ of 28 March 2018, updated on 18 July 201916, the Commission warned the 
.eu  domain  name  holders  residing  or  established  in  the  United  Kingdom  of  the 
consequences  of  the  United  Kingdom’s  withdrawal  from  the  EU,  subject  to  the 
provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement coming into force as regards the transition 
period. In addition, the Commission and EURid agreed on an action plan to mitigate 
the  effects  of  the  possible  scenario  of  a  Withdrawal  Agreement  not  entering  into 
force,  and  to  manage  the  transition  to  the  United  Kingdom’s  status  as  a  third 
country,  comprising  of  communication  to  registrars  and  registrants  and  transition 
measures for registered domain names belonging to United Kingdom residents17. 

The impact  of the United Kingdom’s intended withdrawal  from  the EU on the .eu 
domain began to be felt in 2018. For United Kingdom’s residents, the possibility of 
losing  eligibility  for  the  registration  of  .eu  domain  names  triggered  cancelations, 
non-renewals  and  a  decrease  in  new  registrations.  In  addition,  some  United 
Kingdom-based registrars ceased to offer the .eu domain. As a result, the number of 
.eu registrations in United Kingdom fell from around 240,000 to around 190,000 by 
the end of the first quarter of 2019; a decrease of 24 %. 

6.  TRUST AND SECURITY 

6.1. 

Secure domain names 

DNSSEC18, a security extension of the DNS has been deployed and promoted in the 
.eu domain since 2013.  DNSSEC  ensures that users communicate  with  the correct 
website, preventing ‘man in the middle’ type attacks by fake websites. 

For DNSSEC to function properly, both the domain at the top level and individual 
domain names need to have a digital signature (‘be signed’). Following the signing 
of  the  .eu  top  level  itself  in  2010,  EURid  has  been  promoting  DNSSEC  signing 
among  .eu  domain  names.  Since  2015,  EURid  has  offered  a  fee  discount  per 
correctly  signed  domain  name.  At  the  end  of  the  first  quarter  of  2019,  around 
540,000 domain names (15% of the .eu domain names) were correctly signed with 
DNSSEC. Regular increase in the number of DNSSEC-signed domain names over 
the period covered demonstrated that these discount  measures motivated  registrars 
to  deploy  DNSSEC  and  to  offer  it  to  their  registrants.  While  .eu  ranks  among  the 
best ccTLD registries in terms of DNSSEC adoption, it is clear that further effort is 
needed to increase the enrolment of .eu domain names.  

16  https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/file_import/eu_domain_names_en_0.pdf 
17  https://eurid.eu/en/register-a-eu-domain/brexit-notice/. 
18  Domain Name System Security Extension. 

8 

 
 
                                                 
In  general,  EURid  supports  its  registrar  community  in  adopting  cybersecurity 
standards through webinars and meetings and regular briefings about DNSSEC and 
other security measures. 

6.2.  Mitigation of abusive registrations 

The  prevention  of  abusive  domain  name  registrations,  used  for  copyright 
infringements,  the  selling  of  counterfeit  goods,  phishing,  cyberattacks,  and  the 
distribution  of  malware,  continues  to  be  a  key  priority  for  the  .eu  domain.  This  is 
implemented  by  verifying  the  validity  of  registration  data  against  .eu  eligibility 
criteria19 and the screening of new registrations for suspicious patterns or anomalies.  

As  a  preventive  measure,  EURid  performs  daily  checks  on  new  registrations.  If 
dubious  data  are  detected,  registrants  are  invited  to  update  or  correct  their 
information – with the risk of suspension of their domain name if they fail to do so. 
In 2017 and 2018 respectively 20,126 and 58,966 domain names were suspended. 

In  2017,  the  University  of  Leuven  developed  a  system  for  EURid  that  predicts 
which .eu domain names might be used for abusive purpose, based on historical data 
and  self-learning  algorithms.  This  system,  still  in  development,  is  aimed  at 
preventing malicious domain names from becoming active in the first instance. 

6.3.  Cooperation in the fight against cybercrime 

EURid  continued  to  provide  regular  assistance  to  law  enforcement  and  other 
relevant authorities both at the national and European level, aiding them in the fight 
against illegal activities associated with .eu domain names. 

At the national level, EURid collaborated actively with the Belgian Federal Ministry 
of  Economic  Affairs,  the  Belgian  Customs  (Cybersquad),  and  the  Belgian  Public 
Prosecutor’s Office.  

At  the  European  level,  EURid  continued  engaging  in  regular  dialogue  with  the 
Computer Emergency Response Team for the EU (CERT-EU) and further expanded 
cooperation with EUROPOL by exchanging statistical data and trends, running joint 
projects  aimed  at  combatting  cybercrime20  and  holding  joint  workshops21.  In  June 
2018,  EURid  and  the  International  Anti-Counterfeiting  Coalition  signed  a 
Memorandum of Understanding to engage in joint efforts to fight cybercrime in the 
.eu  domain.  EURid  also  continued  its  cooperation  with  EUIPO  (European  Union 
Intellectual Property Office) to notify trademark holders when a .eu domain name is 
registered that is identical to a registered EU trademark. 

19  According  to  .eu  Regulation,  EURid  has  the  right  to  verify  the  validity  of  a  registration,  and  the 
registration policy requires the registrant to keep personal data complete and accurate, and the email 
address functioning for communication with EURid. 

20  https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/europol-enhances-cybercrime-and-internet-security-

cooperation-signing-mou-eurid. 

21  https://www.europol.europa.eu/events/eurid-europol-cross-border-collaboration-in-fighting-

cybercrime-workshop. 

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6.4.  Alternative Dispute Resolution 

In  June  2017,  EURid  expanded  the  options  for  initiating  an  Alternative  Dispute 
Resolution  (ADR),  by  signing  an  agreement  with  the  World  Intellectual  Property 
Organisation (WIPO) to  become a new provider of the .eu ADR in addition to the 
existing provider, the Prague-based Arbitration Court (Czech Arbitration Court). A 
characteristic of the .eu ADR is the possibility to submit a complaint online in any 
of the official languages of the EU. In the period of this report, 127 complaints were 
filed and 130 disputes were resolved. 

6.5. 

Stability, security and business continuity 

EURid has maintained a highly resilient and robust technical infrastructure to ensure 
that,  at  all  times,  the  .eu  namespace  is  visible  and  performing  well  for  all  internet 
users.  This  has  resulted  uninterrupted  access  to  .eu  domain  names  for  users 
connecting to these domain names during the period covered by this report (uptime 
of  100 %).  Two  domain  name  servers22  in  Amsterdam  and  Luxembourg  form  the 
core of EURid’s  technical  infrastructure, complemented by  a mix of self-managed 
servers  (Amsterdam,  Ljubljana,  London,  and  Prague)  and  external  “anycast” 
providers such as DENIC, NetNod and Dyn/Oracle, providing name servers across 
the world in order to support the .eu zone file. 

Establishing  and  maintaining  a  high  standard  for  its  information  and  network 
security  remained  an  important  element  of  EURid’s  policy  to  continue  providing 
secure and high-quality  services to  .eu-accredited registrars and the public. EURid 
obtained  an  ISO23  22301  certification  in  2017  for  its  business  continuity 
management  and  was  recertified  for  the  information  security  standard  ISO/IEC 
27001  in  2019.  In  addition,  EURid  evaluated  and  adapted  its  Responsible 
Disclosure Policy in 2018 and continued its collaboration with an external company 
to assess and improve cyber security and reduce threats. 

EURid  has  been  a  pioneer  of  business  continuity  among  ccTLD  registries.  EURid 
has kept its risk assessment up to date on a yearly basis and regularly re-evaluated 
its  continuity  scenarios.  In  2018,  EURid  conducted  two  Business  Continuity 
exercises  simulating  major  disasters,  assessed  and  evaluated  positively  by  an 
independent  evaluator.  In  addition,  seven  Disaster  and  Recovery  and  Redundancy 
Tests  were  conducted,  and  demonstrated  the  robustness  of  EURid’s  technical 
infrastructure. 

7. 

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS  

During  the  reporting  period,  EURid  continued  to  engage  with  the  internet 
ecosystem, in particular through the following actions and activities: 

–  Participation  in  ICANN  meetings  through  various  committees  and  working 
groups including contributing to efforts to build capacity among smaller ccTLD 
registries in business continuity planning and disaster recovery; 

22  Name  servers  are  fundamental  elements  of  the  DNS,  enabling  the  look-up  of  domains  names  by 

providing their IP addresses and location. 

23 

International Organisation for Standards 

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–  Cooperation with UNESCO, Verisign and the regional registry organisations for 
the yearly IDN World Report24, and supporting the UNESCO International Year 
of Indigenous Languages 2019;  

–  Continuation  of  the  .eu  Academy25  through  which  representatives  of  other 

registries have received training on various registry matters;  

–  Support  to  EuroDIG  (European  Dialogue  on  Internet  Governance)  sessions  and 

to the Balkan School on IG (Internet Governance); 

–  Participation in the 2017 Internet Governance Forum (IGF)26 with a workshop on 

the environmental impact of ICT. 

8.  ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 

In order to reduce the environmental impact of its activities, EURid became the first 
EMAS-certified27 registry in Europe in 2012, completing recertification in 2018 for 
its headquarters in Belgium and its branches in Italy and the Czech Republic. EURid 
  credits  for 
continued  validating  its  CO2  emissions,  purchasing  certified  CO2
compensation,  and  supported  the  Uganda  Borehole  Project28.  In  2019,  EURid 
sponsored  reforestation  efforts  in  Monchique  Portugal29,  an  area  affected  by 
devastating wildfires in the summer of 2018. 

9.  CONCLUSION 

The .eu domain continues to function in an effective manner, facilitating access to 
the  Digital  Single  Market,  allowing  Europeans  to  display  their  European  identity 
online, and supporting multilingualism. 

The  increased  focus  on  quality  of  service  and  security  helped  the  .eu  domain  to 
maintain  its  market  position  during  the  period  considered  in  the  report.  It  also 
directly  contributed  to  the  EU  objectives  of  increasing  trust  and  security  on  the 
internet and in the Digital Single Market. 

The .eu can become a model for other domain names in terms of building a trusted 
and secure domain name space. It will require sustained efforts to ensure the broad 
adoption of security measures such as DNSSEC, to tackle abusive registrations, and 
to  ensure  that  illegal  behaviours  and  abuse  that  are  evident  elsewhere  in  the  DNS 
ecosystem  do  not  gain  a  foothold  in  relation  to  .eu  domain  names.  The  solid 
financial situation of the .eu will allow these efforts to be sustained. 

24  www.idnworldreport.eu. 
25  https://eurid.eu/en/about-us/initiatives/. 
26  www.intgovforum.org. 
27  EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, registration number BE-VL-000016, 

https://eurid.eu/en/about-us/going-green/. 

28  https://www.carbonfootprint.com/gs_ver_uganda_borehole.html 

https://eurid.eu/en/news/eurid-supports-uganda-borehole-rehabilitation-project/ 

29  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh-rJQL1HYE. 

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Based  on  its  solid  customer  base,  its  strong  relations  with  registrars  and  targeted 
actions towards under-served geographic markets and EU citizens living abroad, the 
.eu  domain  has  the  potential  to  strengthen  further  its  position  as  the  domain  of 
choice of EU citizens and businesses. 

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