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Since mid 2001 the European Union has been developing its plan to see .eu, a new top-level domain name (TLD), rolled out across Europe. Last week the European Parliament adopted a recommendation on the draft regulation to implement the .eu Internet top-level domain, allowing European citizens, organisations and businesses to have .eu Web-site and e-mail addresses.
Similar to country code domain names such as .ie (Ireland), .fr (France) and .de (Germany), the new TLD would be limited to companies and individuals that operate in the EU. But it is thought that .eu will rival the more global domain names, such as .com and .org, in both size and scope.
European information society commissioner Erkki Liikanen says that .eu will provide "a tangible manifestation of the European Union in cyberspace," and that the suffix could be implemented before the end of 2002.
The final move that would see .eu launched is for the EU Council of Ministers to adopt the plan and it is expected that the initiative will be passed in the coming months. When the plan is approved, the European Commission will begin the procedure for the selection of the private sector, non-profit organisation to operate the .eu registry, which will administer and manage the registration of .eu domain names.
Taking advantage of the expected launch, a group of Irish organisations are now in the process of introducing a bid that would see Ireland become the headquarters for the new top level domain name. Deloitte & Touche, one of the companies involved in the consortium says that at least 150 jobs could be created here if the bid is successful.
"We think that the demand for .eu would be quite substantial," Peter Nolan, e-business support centre director at Deloitte & Touche Ireland told ElectricNews.Net. "From the point of view of prestige, this is one of those projects that we would love to have."
Nolan explained that Ireland has a number of strengths that would make it the ideal location for .eu's headquarters, including a highly educated and multi-lingual workforce as well as its image of being a globalised and euro-friendly nation. Nolan also said that the Irish government has shown its commitment to putting Ireland at the forefront of Europe in terms of acceptance of technology.
"They (the government) have done a solid job in opening up the e-business marketplace and the government here has very clear laws for doing e-business in Europe. Also, things like the PKI (public key infrastructure) and digital signature initiatives have shown Ireland's commitment to technology," Nolan said.
Nolan said the consortium will announce the progress and shape of its proposition in the coming weeks and is optimistic about Ireland's changes for winning the bid.
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