.eu is the
country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the
European Union (EU). Launched on 7 December 2005, the domain is available for organisations in and residents of
EU member states. The TLD is administered by
EURid, a consortium originally consisting of the national
ccTLD registry operators of Belgium, Sweden, and Italy, joined later by the national registry operator of the Czech Republic. Trademark owners were able to submit registrations through a
sunrise period, in an effort to prevent
cybersquatting. Full registration started on 7 April 2006.