Three million dot-eu domain names registered

More than three million dot-eu domain names have been registered since the establishment of the Internet domain less than three years ago.

According to EURid, the European registry for dot-eu, the three millionth domain name was registered on January 11th by a German resident.

In 2008, more than 274,000 dot-eu domain names were registered, with Poland seeing the healthiest growth at 69,000.

Supporters are hailing the milestone as an endorsement of the domain.

"The three million dot-eu domains reflect the confidence of European Internet users in sot-eu," said Viviane Reding, EU commissioner for Information Society and Media.

"This achievement, just a few months before its third anniversary, indicates how dot-eu has clearly won
public favour: a growing number of Internet users are embracing the opportunity to express their European character online."

Marc Van Wesemael, general manager of EURid, said using the domain was a "sound business investment".

"The free flow of trade within the European Union and the growth of online commerce have created enormous opportunities in this market," he said.