The funny story Stournara about Simitis and Greece’s accession to the euro: “We don’t even tell our wives”

He mourns from today (05.01.2025) the entire country after the death of the former Prime Minister, who died at the age of 88. Friends of the party and colleagues of the former PASOK president, among them, expressed their condolences for the loss of the great politician. One of the most important political moments of Kostas Simitis, was the entry of Greece into the euro area in 2002, during his own Prime Minister’s term. At that time, Greece was experiencing economic boom while a close associate was Giannis Stournaras, who in 2023 told a funny story since efforts were made to get the country into the euro. CORVERSE Costas Simitis, as everyone has recognized, with his personal struggle managed to convince European partners of the country’s integration into the single currency. One of the funny stories had since been described by Giannis Stournaras, in November 2023, in a special event in honor of the former Prime Minister. “When the last mile of membership was to enter the exchange rate mechanism. It was the hardest thing to do, as one word got out, if there was to be a devaluation, we would lose all the reserves and everything would blow up. It is difficult, however, because we had to make a tour of European capitals, to convince our partners that Greece can enter at this rate. We only knew seven people. Two from Maximos Palace, one being the prime minister, the other his financial advisor, two from the Ministry of National Economy and three from the Bank of Greece. The Prime Minister then said “that’s who we are. Seven. No one else, eight if it is we can lose it for one mistake, we cannot risk it.” Someone from the meeting told the Prime Minister “well, will we be gone so long, to our wives we will not say anything?” and then Mr. Simitis replied: “When we say seven we mean seven. And if someone talks at night about going to sleep in another room.” TRANSPARENCY “Solve once and for all the problem of monetary stability” His sincere condolences for the “unaccepted loss” of former Prime Minister Costas Simitis expressed today Sunday the Governor of the Bank of Greece, Giannis Stournaras. In his statement he said: “As Prime Minister of Greece from 1996 to 2004, he left a heavy imprint on the modernization of the country, on the quality of democracy and institutions, on foreign policy, but mainly on the economy. Its major achievement, the accession of the country to Economic and Monetary Union, which once and for all solved the problem of Greece’s monetary and exchange stability, which has often distressed the country from its national independence to its integration into the euro. Undoubtedly Kostas Simitis belongs to the choir of those leaders who laid the foundations for Greece’s current position in Europe and the world,” Giannis Stournaras stressed.