Interesting question, but personally I'd disagree as I think they'll be of huge importance - both for marketing and SEO. I contract and advise for a number of large corporates in the U.K and I know they are already getting itchy feet about registering these, particulary those with other European interests.
The problem for them with dotcom's is that they are far too generic if they are U.K or European based. .co.uk's can be perceived as a bit of a devalued extension - especially if a company has offices across say Western Europe. More than anything else I think brands will clamber to register their .eu's during the sunrise period to protect their online images as by the time many of them obtained their original online prescence, many had already been cyber squatted - once bitten, twice shy etc.
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