Costas Simitis: The major public works delivered over his days and changed Greece

On 19 June 2000 at the European Council in Santa Maria da Feira, it was decided to adopt the European currency by Greece. It is the key moment for the “take off” of the national economy and the “spring” brought for public works by the then Prime Minister, Kostas Simitis, during the second period of his prime ministership (2000 – 2003), four years that coincided with the first years of Greece in the Euro. CORVERSE On 1 January 2002 euro banknotes and coins were released at the same time as the remaining 11 countries. The benefits of Greece’s accession to the euro area were felt in these early years. Investments in the preparation of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens also played an important role. Entry into the euro brought with the new currency increased credibility and significant restrictions on the country’s macroeconomic policy. Monetary policy is now the sole responsibility of the ECB. The fiscal policy had to comply with the Stability Pact commitments for low government deficits and reduced government debt. ADVERSE A new Greece enters the 21st century At a time when Greece was preparing for the 2004 Olympic Games, huge projects, such as the Athens Metro, Tram, the new airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”, Attica Street, Rio-Antirion Bridge, Egnatia Street and the Olympic center of Agios Kosmas, were delivered during the days of Kostas Simitis’ Prime Minister. Despite the strong criticism he had received for the observance of timetables (especially in the case of Egnatia Street), the projects were completed and changed the country’s image, especially in transport, radically. Attiki especially changed its appearance over the days of Kostas Simitis. On 29 January 2000 the first lines of the Metro (Sepolia – Constitution on line 2 and Constitution – National Defence on line 3).In March 2001, he inaugurated the Spata airport, replacing that of the Greek after 60 years. (BALAR TATIANA / EUROKINISSI) At the same time the first section of the Attica Road was opened, a project that radically changed traffic throughout the Basin. (Bonis//EUROKINISSI) In 2004, just before the Olympic Games, the Rio-Antirion Bridge, the world’s largest cable bridge at the time, came into operation!