20years

.eu – 20 Years of Connecting Europe Online

On 7 April 2026, the .eu domain name marks its 20th anniversary. For two decades, .eu has connected Europe and supported a strong, trusted and recognisable online identity for people, businesses and organisations across Europe. From its launch in 2006 to today, .eu has reflected Europe’s digital ambitions, values and diversity. This anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate the community behind .eu, reflect on its journey, and look ahead to the future of Europe’s digital presence.

Since its creation, the .eu domain name has been more than a technical resource. It has been a symbol of European identity online, supporting innovation, cross-border activity and trust in the digital space. Over the past 20 years, .eu has grown alongside the internet itself, adapting to new technologies, user needs and policy developments, while remaining rooted in its core mission of serving Europe online.

The 20th anniversary year will be marked by several treats, one of them a special collaboration with EuroDIG conference, together with a fitting celebration on the evening of 26 May, with a Gala event at Train World, the Railway Museum in Brussels.

EuroDig 2025 - European Voices for the Future of the Internet

The next EuroDIG will take place on 26–27 May 2026 at the Charlemagne Building of the European Commission in Brussels. Hosted by EURid and supported by the European Commission, a longstanding institutional partner of EuroDIG, the event will also mark 20 years of .eu. Therefore, the overarching theme for EuroDIG 2026 is “European Voices for the Future of the Internet – Celebrating 20 Years of .eu and the Beginning of a New IG Decade.”

Over the past 18 years, EuroDIG has developed into a European open multi-stakeholder platform for exchanging views on the Internet and its governance. EURid’s hosting of EuroDIG 2026 in Brussels offers a valuable opportunity to bring together leading voices shaping Europe’s digital future and to promote an inclusive multi-stakeholder governance model.

While the programme is still taking shape, save the dates and stay tuned for further updates.

20 Years of .eu - Key Milestones

Over the past two decades, .eu has evolved from a newly launched top-level domain into a cornerstone of Europe’s digital infrastructure. These milestones reflect how .eu has expanded access, embraced diversity, ensured trust and security, and strengthened its role in Europe’s Internet governance ecosystem—looking confidently toward the decade ahead.

Launching Europe’s Digital Identity (2006–2009)

The public launch of .eu on 7 April 2006 marked a milestone in establishing a shared European digital identity. Within the first 24 hours, more than one million domain names were registered, demonstrating immediate trust and demand across Europe.

By 2009, registrations had grown into the millions, and the introduction of internationalised domain names (IDNs) enabled registrations in all official EU languages, ensuring that Europe’s linguistic and cultural diversity was fully represented online.

Expanding a Truly Pan-European Namespace (2013–2019)

.eu continued to broaden its inclusivity by extending eligibility beyond EU borders. In 2013, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway joined the .eu community, reinforcing the domain’s European scope.

This period also saw significant progress in linguistic inclusion with the launch of .eu in Cyrillic (2016) and the addition of the Greek script (2019)—empowering more Europeans to express their digital identity in their own writing systems.

Building Excellence, Sustainability, and Community (2012–2017)

Alongside technical growth, .eu embedded strong European values into its operations. In 2012, EURid became the first European TLD registry registered with the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), highlighting its commitment to sustainability.

The launch of the .eu Web Awards in 2014 celebrated innovation and excellence within the .eu ecosystem. This period was further marked by industry recognition, including Registry of the Year at the CENTR Awards (2017), and the expansion of .eu availability to EU citizens residing outside the EU, strengthening ties with the global European community.

Securing Trust and Preparing for the Next IG Decade (2019–2026)

As the Internet landscape evolved, .eu intensified its focus on trust and resilience. Starting in 2019 with the introduction of the Abuse Prevention and Early Warning System (APEWS), EURid leveraged artificial intelligence to prevent malicious domain registrations before activation.

This security-driven evolution continued with the implementation of Know Your Customer (KYC) processes in 2021, the launch of WebClass in 2023, and the deployment of the EURidity data quality system in 2024. Complemented by the establishment of a Youth Committee in 2020, these initiatives position .eu as a mature, forward-looking registry—ready to support the next decade of Internet governance beyond 2026.