The date for the launch of open registration of .eu is 7 April. The Sunrise Period, which has now been running for nearly four months, will end on 6 April. The Sunrise Period has allowed holders of 'prior rights' (e.g. trademarks, company names, public bodies) to register their brands in .eu. Over 300,000 applications have been made and over 22,000 .eu domain names are active now.

Open registration will allow any individual or company resident in the European Union to register available .eu domains, without the need for a trademark or other right to a name. There will be huge competition for valuable generic terms, but it will also be an opportunity for businesses to secure words or phrases that might be important to their marketing plans.