‘Hundreds of thousands of businesses have raced to snap up .eu internet domain names, with sex.eu taking the prize for the most sought-after address.

Two months after the .eu domain name was launched for public institutions and trade mark holders, the tag was opened up to companies other than those seeking a site for a brand, as well as for art works and literature.’

Eurid, a non-profit organisation appointed by the European Commission to manage requests, reported fierce demand for .eu domains.

In the first 15 minutes, it received 27 949 applications and after one hour the number had risen to 71 235.

The ‘.eu’ domain name is not supposed to replace national endings such as ‘.fr’ and ‘.de’ but rather offer the possibility of a pan-European online identity.

Germany - which already has 9.5 million ‘.de’ names - led the way and was by mid afternoon making up 30.5 per cent of the total applications received, followed by the Netherlands with 16 per cent and France with 10.6 per cent.

Applications for .eu domain names open to individuals without prior entitlement later this year.