.eu turns three

Brussels, 8 April 2009 –.eu celebrates its third birthday this week as a respected and established top-level domain. Bridgestone, Daikin, Century 21, Gucci, Hyundai, the MAN Group, Pioneer and Versace are among the many users of .eu domain names.

Since its official launch in April 2006, .eu has become the ninth-largest top-level domain in the world. In 2008, .eu registrations grew by 10% and increased in nearly all EU countries.

"Quality attracts quality," notes Marc van Wesemael, General Manager of EURid, the European registry for the .eu domain. "The use of .eu by major corporations reflects both its maturity and attractiveness."

The UniCredit Group, the third-largest banking group in Europe, chose to use Unicreditgroup.eu for its corporate website.

Marc Beckers, a UniCredit Group executive, comments: "To me, the .eu domain name carries a very strong subconscious connotation of the best in Europe."

There are many advantages to using a .eu domain name:

• It puts you on the map. It shows customers that you or your organisation is European.
• It’s practical. Many companies use .eu for a corporate umbrella website. That lets them use a single Internet address on all packaging and in all communications.
• It’s trustworthy. The .eu registry is operated according to established European Community regulations.

For additional information on .eu’s third birthday, see the press release from the European Commission. To find out more about the advantages of .eu, visit www.8reasons.eu.