News

The latest CENTRstats TLD Market Report has been published. It covers the global status and registration trends in all top-level domains (legacy gTLDs, new gTLDs and ccTLDs), with a specific focus on the European ccTLD market, and includes analysis and predictions on the wider technological and societal forces that could influence domain name registrations throughout 2024 and beyond.

The landscape of Internet governance has long been shaped by the ongoing discourse surrounding the "multistakeholder approach". Amid complex discussions of what even constitutes the multistakeholder approach, the concept has evolved into a dynamic force, influencing decisions about the Internet's use, operation, and policies. As we stand at a crossroads in the global debate, with widespread concern about the general commitment to multistakeholder Internet governance and its adequacy, it is crucial to provide a comprehensive exploration of the intricacies surrounding this approach, emphasising its historical significance, and addressing current concerns.

With unprecedented regulatory attention being given to DNS abuse, collaboration between the domain industry and policymakers is crucial. This is why CENTR brought together key industry leaders to reflect on collaborative strategies to balance cybersecurity and growth, ensuring a secure and reliable online experience for users across Europe and beyond.

Brussels, 7 February 2024 – CENTR, the association of European country code top-level domain registries (ccTLDs), yesterday hosted an event on access and cybersecurity, where speakers discussed the role of the internet infrastructure actors such as ccTLDs registries in online security, stability, and resilience.

CENTR has developed a dataset of Registrar organisational details and legal structures. To query the data, we have created a tool where you can lookup a registrar by name to view its details and links, if any, to other organisations.

In a nutshell: Belgium took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the remainer of the current legislative term. The European Commission is looking into limiting cookie banners, has launched a package of measures to support AI innovation, and is gathering public feedback on application of the GDPR. The European Parliament moves on the Financial Data Access initiative. Geographical indications protection regulations enter the road to implementation. The co-legislators are expected to officially adopt the new EUID Regulation and the AI Act. EU is preparing for elections in June 2024.

The CENTR Jamboree 2024 is all set to take place in the beautiful city of Copenhagen from May 29th to 31st, and you are invited to be a part of it!

In a nutshell: The European Parliament urged the European Commission to reform EU administrative law and digitalisation. The Council of the EU adopted a set of recommendations on enabling factors for digital education, endorsed the agreement on the proposal for a Regulation on geographical indication protection for agricultural products, and agreed on a common position on targeted amendments to the Cybersecurity Act. The European Commission published an implementing regulation for transparency reporting under the Digital Services Act. The NIS Cooperation Group published guidelines on coordinated vulnerability disclosure. The co-legislators reached an agreement on a number of legislative proposals, including the European digital identity regulation and Cyber Resilience Act. The Data Act was adopted.

As we approach the end of another eventful year, it's time to reflect on the journey we've undertaken as part of the CENTR community. In this Chair's Report, I'll dive into the highlights and key takeaways from our 2023 activities and discussions. Despite facing challenges, we've made significant progress towards shaping the future of CENTR and strengthening our partnerships.

The 118th IETF meeting took place in Prague between 4 and 10 November 2023, with more than 176 sessions, a 2-day hackathon and various side events. Marco Davids from SIDN Labs attended the meeting and has written a summary of the main points of relevance for CENTR members.