For more than a decade, Roberto Viola, director-general of the Commission’s 1,000-strong digital department, DG CNECT, has been the man behind the EU’s tech policy.

Viola, who was born in Rome, is considered one of the most powerful and influential civil servants working on European policy today. Most recently, he was dispatched to Washington to affix the EU’s signature to a US-led chip-resilience strategy.

Still, his reign may come to an end due to the European Commission’s rules around working age. There are ways he could extend his stay, yet again. But with a potential retirement date fast approaching this September, the veteran could finally be on the cusp of handing over the baton.

If so, it will be the end of an era after years of tech direction-setting by the 66-year-old Italian.

Viola is the longest-serving chief of the same Commission department, having held the post at DG CNECT since September 2015. He’s also the longest-serving EU official to have held both deputy DG and DG roles within a single department (since September 2012).

His tenure has coincided with major changes in tech, including the shift to cloud computing and the emergence of advanced AI, along with the boom in consumer wearables, and rising concern about the impact of social media.

To assess the record of the man who has done more than anybody else to define the EU’s tech policy, Euractiv spoke to more than 30 people who’ve worked with Viola, and held an almost hour-long interview with the DG himself.

‘The Prince’

Viola is exceptionally well-connected. Observers portray him as fiercely loyal to his superiors, meticulous to a fault and true to his word.

More than one source called him the “ultimate diplomat”, saying he draws on “Italian charm” to make everyone in the room feel heard, respected and valued.

These traits, combined with working with a close circle of trusted senior advisers, have led some to suggest he has taken Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince as a guide to retaining power.

But criticism from outside the Commission is that this smooth operator can be deliberately opaque.

Meetings can end without a clear sense of direction, sources suggested, sometimes leading to misunderstandings and disappointment when final Commission decisions emerge.

The debate over the Digital Networks Act (DNA) is a case in point.

Major telecom operators had expected the DNA to advance a sweeping deregulatory agenda, with lobbyists in the other camp disparagingly referring to Viola as “a telco friend”.

Due to a shift in political priorities, the Commission’s DNA proposal did not follow the expected path, as Viola calmly explained at a Brussels event in January. Nevertheless, telco lobbyists felt betrayed.

Some observers outside the Commission also described a “cult of Roberto”, referring to the close-knit group of aides surrounding Viola.

The dynamic within this inner circle was seen as a classic divide-and-rule scenario in which loyalty is rewarded, and dissent is marginalised.

Some observers also noted the relatively high number of Italian nationals occupying managerial roles within DG CNECT.

Work-life imbalance

Viola is often described as having a “Lutheran” side to his personality: discreet, restrained and content with simple pleasures such as a good Italian meal or watching a football match. Some sources credit this as the source of his adaptability vis-à-vis bosses, including an actual Lutheran: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Despite being a staunch AC Roma supporter, he confirmed to Euractiv that he has never attended the regular Brussels supporters’ gathering at the Public House bar on Place de Londres.

“I never managed to go – although I would have loved to be there,” he said.

Viola’s dedication to his work comes with more personal trade-offs, too. People who know him well told Euractiv that he sleeps very little and relies on long piano sessions to unwind.

Viola also acknowledged that time spent away from family is one of his “biggest regrets”.

At the same time, he told Euractiv that he would be willing to serve the institution beyond the end of his current contract. In September, he turns 67 – the upper end of the EU’s standard retirement bracket.

Asked whether there had been any discussions about extending Viola’s contract, a Commission spokesperson declined to comment. Under EU rules, however, Viola can stay until age 70 via annual contract extensions. He could also stay on after that, as a special adviser, like former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

Negotiator and controller

Widely respected as a negotiator – an ability some attribute to his Roman heritage and proximity to the Vatican’s long tradition of diplomacy – Viola is renowned for his ability to persuade others to compromise.

During the last trilogue for the EU’s flagship Artificial Intelligence Act, in December 2023, former Council lead negotiator Carlos Romero Duplá recounted to Euractiv how Viola unlocked “two key critical blocking situations”.

Similarly, Viola was “instrumental” in securing the February 2024 passage of the Gigabit Infrastructure Act, former Romanian Renew MEP and lead rapporteur Alin Mituța told Euractiv.

Without Viola, Mituța suggested there wouldn’t have been a deal. Both he and Duplá highlighted the DG CNECT chief’s patience in explaining technical topics and sophisticated understanding of negotiation dynamics as key to securing agreements.

But the flip side of Viola’s ability to land compromises is a tendency to be controlling. Sources described a recurring criticism that he micromanages to the point that legislative proposals fail to land on time as he continues sifting through the data.

Power politics

Amid the growing politicisation of EU tech policy, some observers pointed out that the decision-making authority of Viola’s boss – Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen – has been increasingly centralised under von der Leyen.

Viola, meanwhile, is seen as close to the president, with von der Leyen even using his first name. As a result, he’s seen by some as having amassed more influence than his superior, though the Commission denies this is the case.

Illustrating the high-level political trust he enjoys, Viola travelled to the US in June to sign the Pax Silica declaration in lieu of Virkkunen.

Afterwards, he remained in the US for several days to lead EU-US talks on establishing a tech dialogue – a Commission push to engage Washington on its digital rulebook amid historic hostility from the once staunch ally. Critics worry the EU’s executive could give the Trump administration a say on how the bloc’s rules are applied to US tech giants.

It’s a delicate geopolitical balancing act that Viola is right at the centre of.

Engineer at heart

The DG CNECT chief’s engineering background and extensive managerial experience at a national regulator appear pivotal to explaining his grasp of tech policy and longevity within the EU’s hierarchical machinery.

Viola spent 13 years as a communications satellite engineer at the European Space Agency, even filing several patents in the 1990s. That was followed by a further 13 years in managerial roles at Italy’s telecoms regulator, Agcom, under two governments led by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

At the time, Berlusconi – who controlled private broadcaster Mediaset while exerting significant influence over public broadcaster RAI – dominated Italy’s media and political landscape.

Some sources recalled that Viola was described as “Berlusconi’s man”, though others noted that he subsequently took on Mediaset in 2007, during Berlusconi’s period out of office.

The chronology points to Viola’s adaptability, with observers describing him as a “chameleon”, adept at navigating shifting political environments.

Yet his engineering background offers an anchor, grounding his interest in the policy brief he leads.

Some Commission officials even dub Viola a “geek” or “nerd”, saying he remains passionate about technical and research literature and often returns from weekends with new ideas.

For example, observers recall Viola advocating for “Industry 4.0”: an initiative to transform manufacturing through interconnected systems. That failed to fully pan out.

On the plus side, Viola’s early push for EU supercomputers later evolved into flagship EU policy pushes to roll out AI Factories and AI Gigafactories.

Fit for the future?

One issue that risks casting a shadow over Viola’s long legacy is whether his seemingly never-ending tenure is itself a democratic concern. And a broader question is whether Viola is best placed to “simplify” a digital rulebook that he himself spent so many years helping to build.

Still, some observers believe the task will be easy for this ‘yes man’, arguing Viola’s professional track record suggests he’s never meaningfully opposed his superiors.

Some say he could accept a chair at a leading Italian or European university. Others envision him launching his own tech venture. And with Italy expected to hold its next general election by 2027, some even speculate that he could join a future national government as digital minister.

(nl, cm, vc)