DNS4EU: a step change in the EU’s strategic autonomy?

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Domain Name System (DNS) is vital to the internet, enabling everyday uses such as browsing, emailing and chatting. One function in particular – the DNS resolution, performed by resolver operators – allows us to reach what we are looking for online. The market of recursive resolution is highly dynamic and is currently shifting towards open or public resolvers, which tend to belong to large tech companies. In 2022, the European Commission launched the DNS4EU initiative, which established a European resolver as part of the new EU cybersecurity strategy, in order to respond to the resilience, security and privacy needs of the union. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the DNS4EU project, which provided seed funding to a European competitor in a market increasingly dominated by non-EU players. As a critical infrastructure service, the DNS4EU represents one of the first concrete steps towards enhancing the strategic autonomy of the union. But it also constitutes an unprecedented public intervention in a largely private market relying on voluntary adoption. This article contextualises the DNS4EU initiative, outlining both advantages and limitations of the European strategy and related tender process and implementation plan, concluding with a discussion on the future of DNS resolution.