EURid, registry operator for .eu for the European Union, has been told to prepare to delete over 300,000 .eu domains owned by registrants based in the UK when the UK leaves the European Union on 30 March 2019. Clare Grimley and Nick Wood provide more information.

On 28 March 2018 the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology for the Commission issued a Notice to Stakeholders (including EURid) which stated:

As of the withdrawal date, undertakings and organisations that are established in the United Kingdom but not in the EU and natural persons who reside in the United Kingdom will no longer be eligible to register .eu domain names or, if they are .eu registrants, to renew .eu domain names registered before the withdrawal date.

Whilst it is possible that an arrangement may be reached in the final months of Brexit negotiations, the letter is a warning shot to all .eu domain name owners based in the United Kingdom.

At present, Article 4(2)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 733/2002 provides that the following persons are eligible to register .eu domain names: (i) undertakings having their registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the EU; (ii) organisations established within the EU (without prejudice to the application of national law); and (iii) natural persons resident within the EU. 

However as of the withdrawal date, undertakings and organisations that are established in the United Kingdom but not in the EU and natural persons who reside in the United Kingdom will no longer be eligible to register .eu domain names. Equally, undertakings or organisations established in the UK or natural persons who reside in the UK who are .eu registrants, will no longer be entitled to renew .eu domain names registered before the withdrawal date.

Accredited .eu Registrars will not be entitled to process any request for the registration of or for renewing registrations of .eu domain names by those undertakings, organisations and persons either.

The full Notice to Stakeholders issued can be found on this page.

We are reaching out directly to EURid to discuss this in more detail.

This guest post was written by Clare Grimley, Client Research Manager, and Nick Wood, Director, of Com Laude. Nick is a member of the Cyberspace Team and the MARQUES Council