Domain registrar DirectI (directi.com) announced on Tuesday that it had been accredited to accept registrations for the forthcoming European Union country code top-level domain .EU. The .EU sunrise period will begin in the fourth quarter of 2005 and is expected to last approximately four months.

"Getting accredited for the .EU ccTLD perfectly falls in line with DirectI's prime objective of continuously empowering our resellers through brand new value adds at the most attractive pricing packages," says Bhavin Turakhia, chairman and CEO of DirectI. "Registering for the .EU domain name will not only offer DirectI's 18,000-plus resellers our low pricing advantage but also enable them to pre-integrate the ccTLD for the benefit of their customers in the early stages of its launch."
 
DirectI says it will offer .EU registration at cost during the sunrise period with a normal processing fee applicable. The .EU ccTLD will be available at the applicable registry price of 35 Euros for public bodies, 45 Euros for registered trademarks and 85 Euros for other rights bodies.
 
DirectI says it is pursuing accreditation for .travel, .jobs, .coop and others.