European Commission marks .eu anniversary with internet governance focus
Brussels highlights .eu as a pillar of European digital identity.
The European Commission has marked the 20th anniversary of the .eu top-level domain, presenting it as a symbol of European identity online and an element of Europe’s technological sovereignty agenda.
The milestone was celebrated during the 2026 European Internet Governance Dialogue in Brussels, where policymakers, technical experts, businesses, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders discussed the future of global internet governance.
According to the Commission, .eu has grown into the fourth-largest country-code top-level domain in Europe, with 3.8 million registrations since its launch in April 2006. The EU officials described the domain as a symbol of European identity online and an example of resilient European digital infrastructure, noting that it has operated without a single outage for two decades.
The discussions also focused on Europe’s broader approach to internet governance, digital autonomy, and the reduction of strategic technological dependencies. Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said Europe is at a pivotal moment where digital autonomy, reduced dependencies, and global leadership in internet governance must go hand in hand.
The Commission linked the anniversary to future EU initiatives, including the upcoming Technological Sovereignty Package, which it said would further support Europe’s vision for a decentralised and open internet where users, businesses, and governments have real alternatives and control over their digital future.
Officials also stressed the importance of ensuring that European values, including human rights, inclusivity, and competition, continue to shape the next decade of global internet governance.
Why does it matter?
The anniversary shows how domain governance and internet infrastructure are increasingly being linked to digital sovereignty and technological dependence. By framing .eu as part of Europe’s identity, resilience, and internet governance agenda, the Commission is connecting a long-standing country-code top-level domain to broader debates on autonomy, infrastructure, trust, and Europe’s role in shaping the future of the open internet.
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