Following the revocation of their .eu domain names by the agency in charge of registrations, around 48,000 internet domain names belonging to UK citizens and organizations, including pro-Brexit site Leave.eu-have, have been taken offline indefinitely as of Monday.
The move completed a lengthy process starting from when the United Kingdom withdrew from the EU on January 31, 2020.
Following the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31, 2020, more than 80,000 websites were given a “suspended” designation. Those who failed to show eligibility by July of last year were placed in a “withdrawn” status until Monday when their .eu domains were canceled indefinitely.
Now, the .eu domains are for sale to EU residents and nationals alone. In other words, individuals must be EU citizens or residents, and businesses must be based in the EU to register a .eu domain.
On the other hand, owners of .eu names in the UK were advised that they needed to confirm their eligibility for an EU domain or face having their domains suspended, rendering them unable to host websites or send emails.
The news never sleeps for Brexit: Today, more than 48,000 .eu domains previously in UK hands were indefinitely revoked and made available to EU citizens & residents, including…Leave.EU (any Eurosceptics in need of a catchy domain?)
More ($): https://t.co/zjtwkBDLeo
— Samuel Stolton (@SamuelStolton) January 3, 2022
A EURid Spokesman had the following to say:
Over the past 12 months, our staff has been working tirelessly to support the holders of these domain names and follow up on the numerous requests to reinstate a domain name into the registered status as soon as the eligibility criteria were met.
Those with European Union residency or citizenship will be eligible to re-register the .eu domains that have been canceled as of Monday.
The EURid Spokesman further elaborated:
The 48,000 domain names would become available for general registration on a first-come, first serve[d] basis in batches throughout Monday.
The domain Leave.eu, registered to the same name and spearheaded by former Brexiteer MEP Nigel Farage, and backed by former UKIP backer Arron Banks, made headlines last year.
To verify eligibility for a .eu name, the business relocated its registrant address to a location in Waterford, Ireland, ahead of the Brexit withdrawal deadline. The name was given a “withdrawn” status after an examination by EURid because the domain holder failed to reply to data verification inquiries, EURid stated on Monday.
The domain name Leave.eu will be accessible for re-registration by EU citizens and residents starting Monday.
