A new set of rules for .eu came into being on 18 April which
will be applicable from 13 October 2022, except for the article 20 that
introduces eligibility to EU citizens residing in third countries, which should
start applying as of six months after entering into force, that is, in October
2019. In the coming weeks EURid will inform all its stakeholders about the
exact date when the new eligibility criteria apply.
The new rules have come about following a political
agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on 5 December 2018
and are designed to support better quality and more innovative services on .eu.
From 13 October 2022 there will be a legal flexibility for
the .eu domain to adapt to rapid market changes and allow modernisation of its
governance structure. A new body, bringing together stakeholders from different
backgrounds, will advise the Commission on the management of the top-level domain.
Article 20, which comes into being on 19 October 2019, will
extend the right to register a .eu domain name to citizens of the European
Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA) residing outside the EU. This was
previously limited to citizens living in countries within the EU and EEA. It
will also offer some comfort to some citizens of the EU/EEA who have registered
.eu domain names and reside in the UK if Brexit, assuming it happens, is drawn
out long enough.
The new Regulation aims to adapt the current rules to the
fast-changing domain name industry in order to strengthen the link with the
growing Digital Single Market which focusses on European values like
multilingualism, privacy protection, and security.
In addition, EURid announced at the end of March the Service
Concession Contract between themselves and the European Commission has been
extended until 12 October 2022 to be in line with the new .eu Regulation
enforcement.
The new Regulation on the implementation and functioning of the .eu TLD name is available here.