Finally the EURID consortium has been designed to become Registry

Finally. This is the word with more movement in the diffusion lists this morning. It is true that had rumors of giving the lie to (see our previous editions), true/false documents in web sites that weren’t actualized (a week ago the European Commission still announced the final election of the Registry on April, 25!), anybody believes this. And however, the commission published this morning the information waited for the means of information and the remainder six aspirants to the title were afraid of: The Belgium-Italian-Sweden consortium EURID is who will be in charge of assigning the future domain names .EU.

However, you can say the hardest is so far to be done, as the commission as the happy chosen. The registry election was a first and necessary stage but not enough, and taking into account the way for going over, you can be astonish about the time used by the Brussels institutions to go beyond! As a matter of fact, like the official site announces, « another efforts will be able to be hired before .EU domain names could be used».

The first for the Registry is to say yes and sign the concession contract with the European Commission. This contract allows formally the domain management. If you consider that the EURID consortium works from some months ago in getting this concession, shouldn’t the contract be a simple formality? However, the project of contract that was in the called Interest expression put again by Brussels on last September seemed to imply, according with the experts, some sensitive points inclined to debate. Who knows how much time the Belgium, Italian and Sweden jurists will invest today? On the other hand, this consortium is which should raise its hand high in the negotiations because the .SE «owner» is an expert lawyer in these matters- and needs to agree with the Commission ones.

It is only needed, always according to the Commission «to retake the convenient contacts with ICANN in order that the .EU TLD be included in the root server» This condition is essential, of course, even if the .EU isn’t recognize by the Root server, the addresses .EU won’t be available. In theory, to add an TLD to the root server was entailed to add a line in the lower part of a document, this is so easy. But it is without taking into account the politic dimension of the project. Do you know the ICANN «reform» (see our previous editions), is based on a generous budget that goes through the signature of a contract between the Californian organization and each one of the ccTLDs, as much as the ICANN wouldn’t have hesitated previously in doing pressure against any ccTLDs to take them to sign the contract, like for example, to deny the data modification of a TLD in the Root server? Nothing says the ICANN will get the .EU without a contrary action. The organization official site doesn’t appear mixed, nor mention the Commission decision. However, it mentions an ICANN letter dated August 10, 2000! A mail signed three years ago- an eternity in the «Internet time» - for the President in that moment who has had two successors!

At least, you can ask yourself if .EU isn’t a little late. Internet evolved a lot from 1999, year in which they began talking about the European Extension. The domain names are more and more used but they are a less trivial: A name is more registered «exactly like that», and it is part from this moment of a real global strategy. The .EU objective about the promotion of an European identity is a non disdained advantage. On the other hand, the Commission announces the registry «will be opened to all people who lives in the European Community, all company that has its social headquarter or the main activity sector in the Community or all organization established into the Community». But, unfortunately, the «functioning policy», it means, the norms will rule the necessary criterion for the registering of an .EU are not always established and they are going to be the object of a new negotiation between the Commission and the EURID.

However, it is necessary to you that you congratulated yourself for this decision that will allow the biggest project that is .EU becomes a reality. After all, the file protagonists were burnt by the terms of the first stage and they will decide, maybe, the acceleration of the process. In any case, we wish, remembering again and at the same time that the pre-registries aren’t available, yet.

JCV & SB