DNS is not a "vanity project", it's a massive issue in terms of internet governance. We've known this since the '90s, which is why the EU is starting its own service (that is not this one). I doubt this project got any EU funding, or is likely to ever get any EU money at all; in fact, it looks like a last-gasp attempt from a private DNS company to remain relevant.
DNS4EU is yet another EU vanity / pork barrel project. DNS resolvers are commercial failures as you point out and DNS4EU is going to do nothing to change that.
There is an EU fund for silly projects like Gaia-X which are mostly about vanity rather than actually producing anything useful. I am suggesting they've formed a non-profit to try and benefit from this fund.
Yeah I don't see what's silly about providing a resolver with the features being offered, no matter the "EU" branding or official project funding. Right off the bat I'm willing to bet these guys are more genuine and honest about privacy/integrity than e.g. Google.
> It's the way the EU is funding technology projects.
I personally think that's a good thing, to provide funding and opportunity for gratis service projects with less risk of deviating in the way things often do in commercial context where revenue is the top priority.
Gaia-X isn't EU funded, it was just endorsed by EU parliament members. It's actually funded by different entities in the manufacturing industries (like car manufacturers). EU funded projects have distinctive markers on their pages.