About CENTR
CENTR is an association of Internet Country Code Top-Level Domain Registries such as .uk in the United Kingdom and .es in Spain. Full Membership is open to organisations managing an ISO 3166-1 country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registry.The project that became CENTR was formed in March 1998 and was informally funded by participant registries. In 1999, it was legally established as a not-for-profit company in the UK, limited by guarantee. CENTR activities are funded by membership fees and a small secretariat is co-located with the UK national registry, Nominet UK.
The organisation has a European focus, but there are no geographical restrictions to membership. CENTR currently has several non-European members.
CENTR provides a forum to discuss matters of policy affecting ccTLD registries and acts as a channel of communication to Internet governing bodies and other organisations involved with the Internet. It promotes the interests of not-for-profit ccTLDs and lobbies on their behalf.
The rules and registration procedures of ccTLD registries vary considerably and CENTR aims to collect information on, and document the practices of ccTLD registries. It provides a focal point for enquiries on such matters and encourages amongst ccTLDs the provision of better service for users.
CENTR also facilitates collaborative projects on technical managerial and legal issues affecting ccTLDs.