Costas Simitis: The man who wanted to modernize Greece and left his footprint intact

He was Prime Minister for two four years, successor to Andreas Papandreou and one of his founding officials. His loss, envisioned by a modern Greece, plunged the political world, relatives and friends into grief. Former President of PASOK, Costas Simitis died at the age of 88, in his cottage in Saints Theodori on Sunday morning (5.12025). His funeral will be public expenditure and with honors in active Prime Minister, Thursday at 12 noon in the Athens Metropolis, while four days of mourning will be declared. CORVERSE Kostas Simitis was born in 1936 in Piraeus and was destined to become one of the people who would change the course of Greece. He was one of the founding officials of PASOK, who was on Andrew Papandreou’s side from the first moment. Resistance Kostas Simitis studied law and economics in Germany and England, where he met his wife Daphne Simitis, the genus Arcadia, with whom he had two daughters, Fiona and Marilena. He participated actively in the anti-dictatorical struggle (1967–1974). As a lawyer he pioneered in 1965 the establishment of the Political Research Group “Alexandros Papanastasiou”, of which he served as secretary. In 1967 the group evolved into the anti-dictatorical organization “Democratic Defence”, which seven years later participated in the establishment of the PA. S.C. ADVERSE In the years of the PAK he distributed with his car proclamations, until he realized that this resistance action makes no sense, so he started putting improvised bombs, “terrorizing” the junta regime. During the dictatorship he fled abroad and was referred in absentia to the Military Court for attempted arson and violation of the explosives law. In fact, at the same time his wife, Daphne, was arrested and held for two months in solitary confinement. In 1970 in Germany he became a member of the PAK (Panhellenic Liberation Movement) and in 1974 a founding member of PASOK, contributing decisively to the formulation of the “Declaration of 3 September”. Since 1981 he has played an active role in PASOK governments. He was Minister for Agriculture, National Economy, Education, Industry and Trade. He was elected Member of the First constituency of Piraeus continuously from 1985 to 2007. He was Prime Minister of Greece from January 1996 until March 2004. Kostas Simitis’ mark in Greece Among the most important successes of his tenure is the accession of Greece to EMU, while his eight-year Prime Minister’s term was linked to the major infrastructure projects for the preparation of the Olympic Games and Cyprus’ accession to the European Union. On the official website of the former Prime Minister, “as Prime Minister, he sought the modernization of Greek society, particularly for the stabilisation and development of the Greek economy as well as the strengthening of Greece’s position in Europe and in its international context.” On his personal website Costas Simitis himself had listed the works he left in the country: Entry into EMU (2001) Introduction to the euro (2002) Integration of Cyprus into the European Union (2004) Presidency of the European Union (2003) Economic policy for growth and stability (1996-2004) Olympic works. Preparation of Olympic Games (1996-2004) Attiki Metro (2000) Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”( 2001) Riou-Antirion Bridge(2004) Egnatia Street(2001) Attiki Street(2001) Establishment of new Citizens’ Counsel Hospitals Privacy Authority Citizens Service Centres (CEP) Help at Home Unification of Archaeological Sites