SMEs showcase .eu success stories
Brussels, 3 June 2010 - The European Parliament hosted a dinner yesterday evening in Brussels, where five SMEs talked about how the .eu domain has helped them develop their image and create new business opportunities.
Keynote speaker Neelie Kroes commented on the importance of .eu in forging a European online presence, particularly for small businesses. “With more than 3.2 million registrations to date, .eu shows there is a real appetite for a European identity on the web. And that we need to continue developing it - even more so, perhaps, at a time of economic recovery - as a success story of our European project,” she noted.
At the event yesterday evening, Blacknight (Ireland), Dinamo Riga (Latvia), DMC Group (Germany), Kenlube (Slovakia) and Zazou (Netherlands) explained to MEPs and guests, through a series of videos, why having a .eu domain name makes marketing and financial sense.
SMEs are key to Europe’s prosperity and to helping the EU achieve its goals of speeding up economic recovery and increasing competitiveness. In order to position themselves in the market and thrive, European SMEs must have an efficient web strategy, which means choosing a domain name that can be leveraged to promote their goods and services.
EURid, the European Registry of Internet Domain Names, manages the .eu Internet domain under contract with the European Commission. EURid General Manager Marc van Wesemael stated: “The open borders within the European Union and the growth in online commerce have created enormous opportunities, particularly for SMEs. We are proud to manage .eu which has become a trusted and valued top-level domain name for small firms.”
Dinner host, Malcolm Harbour, MEP, Chairman of the Internal Market Committee of the European Parliament, added: “The European Parliament is happy to support the European online identity .eu and has been greatly involved in the project from the very beginning. European businesses and especially SMEs recognise the value of using an established, well-managed and secure top-level domain. Sharing such best practices can only help the Internet grow in terms of both safety and quality for future generations.”
For a copy Mrs. Kroes’ speech, please go to: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-10-283_en.htm?locale=en
Malcolm Harbour and Neelie Kroes
