The .EU domain refers to the European Union. In 2000, at the Lisbon summit, the creation of this domain extension was approved to provide citizens and companies of the Union with the possibility of expanding on the Internet with a common identity under the protection of European legislation. But it was not until 2006 that the process really began, since in April of that year the free registration of .EU domains was opened. The extension is managed by EURid, a consortium created by the official Belgian, Swedish, Italian and Czech registries. Since April 7, 2011, it is possible to register and renew .EU domains for a maximum of 10 years. The strengthening of the European entity, the improvement of internal trade and the protection of European companies and citizens from the rest of the world were the main reasons that led the European Union to provide itself with a proprietary domain. An important motivation for having your company's website hosted under a .EU domain is the possibility of opening up to the European market, as well as taking advantage of the image that the European Union has throughout the world.