Dot EU – Europe’s ccTLD marks 20 years with over 3.7 million registrations
European Union’s .EU country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) marks 20 years since the first domain registrations were processed by the registry EURid on April 7, 2006. This year on April 7, 2026 will be the celebration day. 20 years ago .EU domains were very popular and over 1 million domains were registered in 24 hours after the launch of this ccTLD. EU domain names are targeted towards European businesses and users.
What is the .EU Domain?
The .eu domain is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) representing the European Union. It is managed by EURid (European Registry for Internet Domains) and is available to citizens, residents, and businesses located in the European Union and the European Economic Area.
Key facts:
- Launch year: 2005
- Registry operator: EURid
- Target users: EU citizens and businesses
- Script variants: .eu, .ею (Cyrillic), .ευ (Greek)
| Attribute | Information |
|---|---|
| Domain Extension | .eu |
| Introduced | 2005 |
| Public Launch | 2006 |
| Registry | EURid |
| Region | European Union |
| Script Variants | .eu, .ею, .ευ |
| Eligibility | EU citizens, residents, organizations |
Google Favours .EU
Even Google recognises .EU domain as strong competitor of .COM and even ranks it higher in Google local search. If you are accessing Google from Europe then you’ll find many .EU domains ranking on page one in search results. .EU means the business is from Europe and serves European population.
Why the .EU Domain Matters
The .eu domain helps businesses establish a European digital identity and operate across multiple EU countries under a single online brand. It also supports the EU’s broader goals of digital sovereignty and cross-border digital services.
How Much Popular .EU domains Are
As of today total number of .EU domain registrations according to EURid are xxx
Viewed historically, the trajectory of .eu reveals a rapid early rise followed by long-term stabilization. After the initial speculative surge in 2006 and early 2007, a wave of non-renewals reduced the active base before registrations gradually recovered and grew over the following decade. By the early 2010s, the namespace had crossed 3.5 million registrations, and it has hovered around the 3.7 million range throughout much of the early 2020s.
Twenty years after its introduction, .eu continues to operate as the European Union’s digital identifier for businesses, institutions, and individuals across member states.Â
.EU is the second-largest most popular domain extension (ccTLD) after .COM at The-Online.com domain registrar. European businesses, startup, web developers, organisations, and even individuals who want to rank higher in Google.eu or local Google search – register .EU domain name at their favourite domain registrar – the-online.com where .EU domains can be registered for as low as 4 euros per year and even pay in EUR currency.
Need to register .eu domain? Go ahead – create your European identity quickly here.