EURid which has been operating the .EU domain name extension since it was launched,  has been confirmed as the registry manager of the .EU top-level domain for the next five years.

“We feel honored to have been chosen again to serve all the .eu registrars and registrants,” stated Marc Van Wesemael, CEO of EURid.

“The decision comes nine months after we responded to the European Commission call for expression of interest and after ten years of management of this unique top-level domain. At this particular moment, I would like to thank EURid’s staff and all those who have supported us throughout the past decade. Together, we have reached significant milestones and made .eu a label of online trust. We will continue to serve all our stakeholders at the highest possible standards and look forward to making the .eu the domain of all Europeans.”

EURid recently announced that 81% of .eu domain names were renewed in 2013.

EURid is the not-for-profit organisation appointed by the European Commission to operate the .eu top-level domain.

The first initiative to establish .eu as a European top-level domain (TLD) was taken in 1999 by the European Council.

Subsequently, EURid was appointed in May 2003 as the operator of the .eu registry. The actual service contract was signed in October 2004. The .eu TLD was added to the root zone of the Internet Domain Name System in May 2005. Technically speaking, .eu has been in existence since then.