European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology

05/26/2026 | News release | Archived content

European Commission marks 20 years of .eu

.eu top level domain name is the symbol of European identity online and a cornerstone of Europe's technological sovereignty.

© European Commission

On 26 and 27 May, the European Commission celebrates the 20th anniversary of the .eu top-level domain at the 2026 European Internet Governance Dialogue (EuroDIG).

Today, standing as the fourth largest country-code top level domain in Europe, with 3.8 million registrations, .eu embodies Europe's commitment to an open, secure, global and interoperable internet. As EuroDIG returns to Brussels for the first time in a decade, over 800 stakeholders, from policy makers to internet governance to technical community members will come together to showcase European voices and engage in dialogue on the future of the internet.

The event marks a call to action for European country code Top Level Domains, Member States, and civil society to strengthen their role in global internet governance dialogues, ensuring Europe's values - human rights, inclusivity, and competition - guide the next decade. All while ensuring that .eu continues to function as a key element of pan-European identity online.

Speaking at the event, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, underscored that Europe stands at a pivotal moment - one where digital autonomy, reduced dependencies, and global leadership in internet governance must go hand in hand.

"Happy birthday, .eu! From a symbol of European unity to a beacon of trust and innovation, .eu has never let us down. It proves that Europe can build sovereign, competitive digital infrastructure while staying true to the multistakeholder model that keeps the internet open and global."

A New Decade for Internet Governance: Europe's Vision

The celebration of 20 years of .eu comes at a critical juncture. Following the United Nations's World Summit on the information Society +20 agreement in December 2025, Europe is poised to be a strong voice shaping the next decade of Internet Governance.

Executive Vice-President emphasised the importance of supporting a decentralised, open internet where opportunity can thrive and users - whether business, government or people - have real alternatives and control over their digital destiny.

The success of .eu underscores the importance of this vision. Since launching on 7 April 2006, it has operated without a single outage, demonstrating the resilience and trustworthiness of European digital infrastructure. Now entering a third decade, .eu will continue to strengthen European digital sovereignty and support the Single Market, making it easier for businesses to operate across borders.
This vision will be further supported by the upcoming Technological Sovereignty Package.

Read more about the .eu top-level domain.

European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology published this content on May 26, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 28, 2026 at 17:48 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]