If you’re an organisation in the UK and you have a domain name (a web address) that ends in .eu, you need to take action if you want to continue to use it.
As it stands, Brexit will cancel any .eu domain names registered in the UK. (This does not include .eu.com domain names).
Taking a hard line
The EU has taken an unprecedentedly hard line on this. In the past, when a domain name is no longer in use or the eligibility goalposts are changed, people could keep their existing domain names. This happened with the .su domain name for the Soviet Union.
Research projects based or run from the UK may still want to use a .eu domain name for their website… There is a workaround to enable this to happen.
Horizon Europe funding
It’s great news that the UK has joined the Horizon Europe funding programme, which means that UK institutions will be able to access research funding after months of being in limbo.
Research projects based or run from the UK may still want to use a .eu domain name for their website, if the project is of a pan-European nature. There is a workaround to enable this to happen.
.eu domain names post-Brexit: your options
To be able to use a .eu domain name, if you have an EU-based subsidiary or partner, you need to have a discussion with them. The postal address on a .eu domain name needs to be based in the EU not the UK, so maybe you can transfer the domain name to them. Remember, they will then have control over how people access your website. A domain name can point anywhere, not necessarily towards your website. You need to really trust whoever you ask. You also need to retain the ability to log in and access the domain name’s settings.
You could be tempted to register it with a third-party service, whose sole purpose is to provide you with an EU address. However, this contravenes the .eu domain name rules, and you could lose the domain name anyway.
Failing that, it might be time to consider an alternative web address. You can set up redirects now, so that people have time to get used to your new address. .eu.com addresses are available for a reasonable price. You could go for the traditional .com or .co.uk, or try one of the newer domain names like .researcher or .university.
We can point you in the right direction about domain names
We have experience of dealing with .eu domain names and all the other issues that can come up. Contact us if you need to discuss your domain name options.
