mm1220 - 8:40 pm on Dec 7, 2005 (gmt 0)

Is it really that important to pick up these domain names?

Maybe you're a European company that wants to give the impression that you operate on a Europe-wide basis, or you're a German company that's selling in Poland. You might not use your .de website to appeal to the Polish market for whatever reason.

Up until now companies in Northern Ireland were forced to choose between having a .co.uk or a .ie website to stick on their business cards. This is a sensitive issue and could result in loss you business if someone infers your political affiliations from your website's url!

Europe has a colourful political history and the .EU domain is another (albeit virtual) border that's been broken down.