Roberto Viola will stay on the helm of the European Fee’s tech division till September 2026, regardless of reaching retirement age this yr.
Viola, who has led the European Fee’s Directorate for Communications, Networks, Content material and Expertise (DG CNECT) since 2015, has obtained an extension past the same old age restrict, two Fee officers confirmed to Euractiv.
The Italian turned 65 this yr – the usual retirement age for officers who joined the European establishments earlier than 2013. These employed later retire at 66.
Restricted extensions of as much as one yr are doable, a Fee official stated, which means Viola has most likely obtained two choices for extensions permitting him to remain on till September 2026. Extensions are solely doable underneath distinctive circumstances and as much as age 70.
As head of DG CNECT, Viola oversees among the EU’s most important tech legal guidelines, together with the Digital Providers Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the AI Act. His function has taken on rising geopolitical significance since these legal guidelines have come underneath fireplace from Donald Trump and his administration, amid ongoing talks that the EU hopes will free it from some US tariffs.
(de/om)
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