Introductory text

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/517 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 March 2019 on the implementation and functioning of the .eu top-level domain name and amending and repealing Regulation (EC) No 733/2002 and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 874/2004^f1, and in particular Article 8(2) thereof,

Whereas:

The purpose of this Regulation is to set out the principles to be included in the contract between the Commission and the Registry for the organisation, administration and management of the .eu top-level domain (‘TLD’).

The Registry should manage the .eu TLD in a manner that enhances the Union identity, promotes Union values online and promotes the use of the .eu domain name.

To increase the accessibility and the usage of the .eu TLD by all who are eligible to register a .eu TLD under Regulation (EU) 2019/517, the Registry, upon request by the Commission, should offer registrar services to specific underserved geographical areas in the Union or specific categories of users identified by the Commission.

To fulfil the obligations set by Regulation (EU) 2019/517, it is essential that the Registry ensures good governance of the .eu TLD, in cooperation with the Commission and taking into account the opinions of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group set up by Regulation (EU) 2019/517 when requested by the Commission.

To ensure the competitiveness and widespread use of the .eu TLD, the Registry should pursue operational excellence and ensure a high quality of service at competitive prices. It should ensure trust, security and consumer protection by deploying state-of-the-art methodologies and technologies and cooperate with competent authorities.

The Registry should manage its budget in accordance with the principle of sound financial management, namely in accordance with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Any annual surplus beyond costs and investments should be transferred to the Union budget.

The Registry should ensure the continuity of its services and the functioning of the .eu TLD. To this end, the Registry should have in place and regularly update a business recovery plan.

The Registry should promote the Union objectives in internet governance as developed in the Council Conclusions of 27 November 2014 entitled ‘Internet Governance’ and in the Communication of the Commission on internet Policy and Governance Europe’s role in shaping the future of internet Governance^f2. Upon request by the Commission, it may set aside part of the annual surplus to fund internet governance objectives.

To increase public trust in the online space and protect legitimate rights as defined by Union law, the Registry should take all the necessary measures to prevent and tackle speculative and abusive registrations. In doing so, the Registry should cooperate with the European Union Intellectual Property Office and other Union agencies.

With a view to increasing end-users’ trust in the .eu TLD and ensuring a high level of consumer protection, in the provision of their services, the Registry should take measures to ensure the cybersecurity of the systems.

The Registry should provide simple and efficient procedures to solve contractual disputes concerning .eu domain names.

Maintaining accurate databases of domain names and registration data and providing lawful access to such data, in line with Union data protection rules, is essential to ensure the security, stability and resilience of the domain name system. For this purpose, the Registry should collect and guarantee the integrity and availability of WHOIS data for the .eu TLD and enable lawful access to those data in line with Union data protection rules through appropriate means. The Registry should put in place adequate measures to prevent and correct inaccurate registration data.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Communications Committee (COCOM) established by Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council^f3,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: