.eu extends to EEA countries from 8 January 2014

Brussels, 3 December 2013 – Residents, companies and organisations based in the European Economic Area (EEA) countries of Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway will also be eligible to register domain names under the .eu top-level domain from 8 January 2014.

This decision by the European Commission follows up on the provision contained in the original .eu regulation (EC 733/2002), which foresaw the extension of .eu to the European Economic Area.

“We welcome this positive development which has been in the air for some time,” commented the .eu registry’s General Manager Marc Van Wesemael. “The more countries and businesses that benefit from .eu’s unique identity, the stronger its brand becomes.”

“Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway have had close economic ties with the European Union since the Community’s early years. Granting them access to the .eu top-level domain is a natural step forward in that relationship.”

“Our annual research shows that .eu is seen as a reliable and valuable online label. We are confident that the companies and residents of these countries will soon appreciate the advantages of the .eu TLD, including the strong security procedures for its management and databases.”