PuntuEus

PuntuEus is a Basque non-profit organisation that operates the .eus sponsored top-level domain (TLD). The .eus domain is intended for the Basque-language and cultural community, and it is managed by the PuntuEus Foundation (Fundación PuntuEus), a private non-profit entity. The PuntuEus Association was officially constituted on 2 April 2008 and presented, on behalf of the Basque language and culture community, a candidacy to obtain a dedicated Internet domain. The association later created the PuntuEus Foundation, which submitted the application for the .eus domain in May 2012 and signed the contract with ICANN in December 2013. ICANN authorised the creation of .eus on 15 June 2013. The .eus domain is a sponsored TLD, meaning it is backed by a community-based organisation. Registration is open to any individual or organisation, regardless of geographic origin, but the website content must either be in Basque or be about Basque culture in its broadest sense. The domain is not restricted by the applicant's identity but by the purpose and content of the website. The registration process is simple: users check availability on the PuntuEus website, choose an accredited registrar, and complete the purchase on the registrar's site. The final price is set by the registrars, who may bundle additional services such as .eus email, DNS management, or web space. PuntuEus actively promotes the .eus domain through campaigns and partnerships. For example, it has celebrated the European Day of Languages with promotions offering .eus domains for €5 (plus VAT) in conjunction with .CAT, .GAL, and .BARCELONA. It also offers Elia, a free automatic translator plugin for WordPress developed by Elhuyar, available to websites with a .eus domain. The organisation provides support and guidance for domain registration and website translation. As of the evidence, the .eus domain has more than 14,000 registered domains. The first .eus domain, domeinuak.eus, was registered on 15 April 2014, and on 3 December 2014, 1,200 .eus domain names were activated, marking the start of the free registration phase. The PuntuEus Foundation is governed by a board (patronato) that includes representatives from Euskaltzaindia, Kontseilua, Euskaltel Fundazioa, UPV/EHU, Euskal Irrati Telebista, ESLE, Euskal Kultur Erakundea, and Puntueus Elkartea. The foundation's membership includes a wide range of Basque cultural, educational, media, and technological organisations from the Basque Country and the diaspora. PuntuEus remains a key digital infrastructure for the Basque language, providing a dedicated online space that fosters cohesion among Basque speakers and cultural entities worldwide.

The PuntuEus Association was officially constituted on 2 April 2008, with the aim of obtaining a dedicated Internet top-level domain for the Basque language and culture. The association represented a broad coalition of Basque cultural, educational, media, and technological organisations. In May 2012, the PuntuEus Foundation, created by the association, submitted an application to ICANN for the approval of the .eus domain. On 15 June 2013, ICANN authorised the creation of the .eus domain. In December 2013, the PuntuEus Foundation signed the contract with ICANN, becoming the entity responsible for the control, administration, and management of the .eus domain. Before the public launch, a pioneer phase was established. Until 3 December 2014, only pioneer domain names were active. A one-month period was set for receiving pioneer proposals, followed by a month for processing activations. A total of 113 domain names were proposed by 92 entities. Initially, the PuntuEus Foundation planned to select 90 pioneers, but the actual technical limit was 93. It was decided to give all entities that expressed a desire to be pioneers the opportunity, with each entity allowed to request only one domain name. Of the 92 entities, 9 were companies, 23 public institutions, 14 media outlets, and 46 were grouped under Basque culture from various sectors. Twenty-two of them were members of the PuntuEus Foundation. On 3 December 2014, the International Day of the Basque Language, 1,200 .eus domain names were activated and the free registration phase began. On 6 December 2014, a promotion was launched to allow individuals to use a .eus domain name for email, coinciding with the Durango Basque Book and Record Fair. From 19 to 31 March 2015, the price of a .eus domain was reduced to €29.95, joining the 19th edition of the Korrika. On 15 April 2024, ten years had passed since the registration of the first .eus domain (domeinuak.eus). As of the evidence, the .eus domain has more than 14,000 registered domains. The PuntuEus Foundation continues to manage the domain and promote its use through campaigns such as the European Day of Languages promotion, offering domains for €5 plus VAT in collaboration with .CAT, .GAL, and .BARCELONA. It also provides the Elia automatic translator plugin for WordPress, developed by Elhuyar, free to .eus domain holders. The foundation is governed by a board (patronato) that includes Euskaltzaindia, Kontseilua, Euskaltel Fundazioa, UPV/EHU, Euskal Irrati Telebista, ESLE, Euskal Kultur Erakundea, and Puntueus Elkartea. Its membership includes a wide range of Basque organisations from the Basque Country and the diaspora, such as the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, and various Basque centres in Venezuela, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina.

• 2024

  10 years since registration of first .eus domain (domeinuak.eus).

• 2015

  Price of .eus domain reduced to €29.95, joining 19th edition of Korrika.

• 2014

  First .eus domain (domeinuak.eus) registered.

• 2014

  1,200 .eus domain names activated; free registration phase began.

• 2014

  Promotion launched for individuals to use .eus domain for email, coinciding with Durango Basque Book and Record Fair.

• 2013

  ICANN authorised the creation of the .eus domain.

• 2013

  PuntuEus Foundation signed contract with ICANN.

• 2012

  PuntuEus Foundation submitted application to ICANN for .eus domain.

• 2008

  PuntuEus Association officially constituted.

Non-profit community-driven domain registry promoting Basque language and culture online.

• .eus domain registration

  Sponsored top-level domain for the Basque language and cultural community.

• Elia automatic translator plugin

  Free WordPress plugin developed by Elhuyar for automatic translation, available to .eus domain holders.

1. 1Domeinuak .EUS-en | Puntu.euspuntu.eus
2. 2PuntuEus - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3.eus - Wikipedia (Spanish)es.wikipedia.org