Call for experts - Internet Governance and Domain Name System (DNS)

The .eu MAG will be chaired by a representative of the Commission’s Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) and will be composed of 22 experts (individuals appointed to represent a common interest, organisations, Member States' authorities and international organisations). This call for experts aims at selecting members of the group other than Member States' authorities and international organisations.

This expert group will be tasked to:

• advise the Commission on the implementation of the Regulation (EU) 2019/5171 on the implementation and functioning of the .eu top-level domain name (.eu Regulation);
• to issue opinions to the Commission on strategic matters relating to the management, organisation and administration of the .eu top-level domain, including issues relating to cybersecurity, data protection and use of surplus for internet governance priorities;
• to advise the Commission on matters relating to the monitoring and supervision of the Registry, in particular with regard to the audit referred to in point (l) of Article 10 of the Regulation (EU) 2019/517;
• to advise the Commission on best practices as regards policies and measures against abusive registrations of domain names, in particular registrations without rights or legitimate interests and registrations used in bad faith.

The Commission is welcoming applications from individuals and organisations with proven competence in the Internet Governance field and in particular areas relevant to the Domain Name System (DNS) industry and ecosystem.

Interested individuals and organisations are invited to read the call for experts and submit their application, together with the supporting documents, to the European Commission (DG CONNECT) by the 7th of January 2025.

Background

The .eu top-level domain gives Europe its own Internet identity, boosting EU visibility, increasing user choice of domain names and promoting e-commerce. It also enhances the Union's identity and promotes Union values online, such as multilingualism, respect for users’ privacy and security, respect for human rights, as well as specific Union priorities in the digital area.

The online environment, the market and the EU political and legislative context have changed considerably in the last 10 years, which led the Commission to modernise the .eu legal framework by adopting in 2019 a new Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2019/517 on the implementation and functioning of the .eu top-level domain name. The new Regulation, among the others, sets new eligibility criteria to enable EU/EEA citizens to register a .eu domain, regardless of where they live. It also creates a new governance structure, involving a separate multi-stakeholder body, with the goal of strengthening and widening input on the performance of the .eu top-level domain.

Read more about the .eu top-level domain and the current .eu Registry service provider.