The Telecommunications ministers from the European Union (EU) member states, who met here on Thursday, decided to launch the ".eu" top-level domain.

Starting from Dec. 7 to April 7, 2006, or the "sunrise" period, businesses and public bodies based in the EU can choose this pan- European Internet name for their website and e-mail addresses.

Starting from April 7, 2006, the registration will be open for the general public across the 25-member bloc.

The ".eu" top-level domain (TLD) was initiated in 2000. It will not replace the existing national country code TLDs in the EU, but will complement them and give users the option of having a pan- European internet identity for their Internet presence.

Any individual resident in the EU or any organization or company established in the EU will be able to register a name under the ".eu" TLD.