Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available for small businesses using .eu domain names after the UK leaves the EU.

The Prime Minister’s deal which was put forward to Parliament would have allowed UK users of .eu domain names to retain their registration of these domain names throughout the duration of the implementation period.We remain are focused on ensuring our smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU with a deal.

As part of our exit negotiations we will be seeking the best possible deal which takes into account the interests of UK citizens and businesses who currently hold .eu domain names, including SMEs.

In the scenario of a no deal, where registrants may no longer fulfil the eligibility criteria for a .eu domain name, registrants may incur costs to transfer to a new domain, as well as associated costs such as updating marketing materials. DCMS has published guidance on this issue on gov.uk

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-eu-top-level-domain-name-registrations-in-the-event-of-a-no-deal-eu-exit )

Registrars who sell .eu domain names are responsible for ensuring that their UK registrants of .eu are supported in considering future changes to their .eu domain. DCMS has also sought to raise awareness through UK wide business organisations in 2018/2019, including those that represent small businesses.

Businesses may use search optimisation techniques to improve their visibility on search rankings, through the use of domain name level keywords or social media metrics. We understand that Google has extensive site move documentation in their Help Center to assist moving domain names. UK Government has no role in this process, which relates to commercial decisions taken by the company or organisation.