Web goes dotty for Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- A new Internet domain name for use across Europe has been approved by the European Parliament.

The domain .eu could be used by any individual, business or organisation within the 15-nation European Union.

The European Parliament passed the legislation on Thursday, clearing the way for the member states to vote on it.

"The .eu domain will increase choice for European businesses and citizens, accelerate the uptake of Internet use and reinforce e-commerce across the European market," said European Commissioner Erkki Liikanen.

"It will allow, for example, a company with branches in several or all EU countries to reflect their Europe-wide presence on the Internet."

The European Commission hopes .eu can help foster the use of the Internet in Europe, as well as leading to a higher visibility of the European "brand" on the Internet.

The creation of a new domain will also relieve pressure for more Web address space as the Internet continues to grow and will help companies to identify themselves as "European" in cyberspace.

Once the domain has been approved by EU member states, the European Commission will begin selecting a private sector, non-profit organisation to operate a registry to administer and manage the .eu addresses.