Roberto Viola (civil servant)

Roberto Viola (born 1958) is a European civil servant from Italy.

Career

After leaving university in Rome, Viola worked in telecommunications in the city for a year. After joining the European Space Agency from 1985 to 1993, where he led telecommunications and satellite broadcasting services, he moved to Italy’s telecoms and media regulator, AGCOM, serving as Technical Director and then Secretary-General from 1999 to 2012.

Throughout his career, Viola has been instrumental in shaping EU digital and telecommunications policy. In 2025, he upset colleagues by dictating a set of office rules, including a requirement for juniors to wear a suit, not use laptops and speak only when spoken to at meetings.

Awards

In 1983, Viola was awarded the Marconi prize for the best Italian doctoral thesis in telecommunications. In 1999, Viola was awarded the European Space Agency's inventor medal.