Who runs the Internet in Europe?

Who's in charge of the Internet? It's a fair question, and the honest answer is: no single organisation does, and that is by design.

Instead, the Internet Governance is shaped by many groups at once: EU institutions, global bodies, technical experts, domain registries, businesses, researchers, civil society and users. This approach is called multistakeholder governance. Here's a quick guide to who does what in Europe.

Internet governance in one minute

Internet governance is how different groups work together on how the Internet develops and is used. It covers technical questions like the Domain Name System (DNS), the system that turns web addresses into websites. It also covers wider issues like cybersecurity, privacy, digital rights, emerging technologies and online safety.

The idea is simple: because the Internet affects everyone, no single government, company or organisation should decide its future alone.

Who's who in Europe

• European Commission and EU institutions: Develop policy and legislation for Europe's digital environment, from cybersecurity and data to AI and digital services
• ICANN: Coordinates the global system of unique Internet identifiers, including the DNS. It isn't European, but European governments, businesses and experts take part in its processes
• RIPE NCC: The regional Internet registry for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia. It coordinates Internet number resources such as IP addresses
• Internet Governance Forum (IGF): A UN platform where governments, business, civil society and the technical community discuss Internet issues. It makes no binding decisions
• EuroDIG The European version of that conversation: a yearly space for stakeholders across Europe to discuss the Internet's future
• CENTR: and country-code registries Registries running national domains such as .be, .de, .fr and .se share knowledge on technical, operational and policy challenges through CENTR

Where .eu fits in

EURid manages .eu and its Greek and Cyrillic-script versions, .ευ and .ею. The European Commission appointed it to run .eu in 2003, and for more than 20 years it has taken part in Internet governance discussions through ICANN, the IGF, EuroDIG, CENTR and the wider technical community.

Its contributions focus on topics close to a registry's daily work: DNS security and resilience, internationalised domain names, multilingualism and digital trust.

Why it matters if you register a .eu

When you register a .eu domain, the organisation behind it takes part in the discussions that shape the environment your domain depends on. It contributes its experience as a registry. It does not decide the outcomes, since forums such as the IGF and EuroDIG bring many voices together and do not make binding decisions.

That still has practical value for you:

1. A registry that follows developments closely. Discussions on DNS security, resilience and internationalised domain names affect how your domain works day to day. EURid holds ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 certification and supports DNSSEC.
2. A European perspective in the conversation. The .eu policy framework has a European dimension, and taking part in European and international forums helps make that perspective heard.
3. Multilingual and cross-border by design. Through .ευ and .ею, and its work on multilingualism, EURid supports online identities that are not limited to one language or script.

These discussions can sound remote, but their outcomes reach everyday life. Whether your website and email keep working, whether online services stay secure, how your digital rights are protected and how new technologies are built all depend on these communities cooperating.

A shared responsibility The Internet's future in Europe won't be decided by one organisation. It will be shaped through ongoing conversation between people with different expertise, and the more voices in that conversation, the better.