Costas Simitis’s Followers (2)

Costas Simitis

Born

in Piraeus, Kingdom of Greece

June 23, 1936

Died

January 05, 2025

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Konstantinos G. Simitis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Σημίτης) was a Greek politician who led the 'Modernization' movement of Greece. He succeeded in leadership Andreas Papandreou, the founder of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), and served as Prime Minister of Greece from 1996 to 2004.
Simitis was a founding member of PASOK, and he was appointed Minister of Agriculture in Papandreou's first government. He stayed there until 1985. He was moved to be Minister of National Economy in 1985 when PASOK's profligacy needed a new financial 'stability' to be imposed in the form of an economic adjustment programme and this marked Simitis' subsequent reputation. With stability achieved and the party's popularity waning, Andreas distanced himself f Konstantinos G. Simitis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Σημίτης) was a Greek politician who led the 'Modernization' movement of Greece. He succeeded in leadership Andreas Papandreou, the founder of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), and served as Prime Minister of Greece from 1996 to 2004.
Simitis was a founding member of PASOK, and he was appointed Minister of Agriculture in Papandreou's first government. He stayed there until 1985. He was moved to be Minister of National Economy in 1985 when PASOK's profligacy needed a new financial 'stability' to be imposed in the form of an economic adjustment programme and this marked Simitis' subsequent reputation. With stability achieved and the party's popularity waning, Andreas distanced himself from Simitis' policies and Simitis resigned. Simitis gained additional ministerial experience in 1989–90 as Education Minister in the Zolotas all-party government (and again later as Industry, Energy, Technology, and Commerce Minister from 1993 to 1995).
In 1996, Simitis won the leadership of PASOK after Papandreou's failing health. However, the leadership transition from Papandreou to Simitis was confrontational by loyalists of the former Prime Minister, who wanted to prevent such a transition from being realized. Simitis lacked his predecessor's charisma, and the fractured party's support limited many of his actions in government. However, by the end of his tenure in 2004, Simitis had several significant achievements and reforms in the wider society and economy to proclaim. The Greek economy, after two decades of the exuberant rhetoric of his predecessors and financial stagnation, was put in order by reducing inflation from an annual average of 15% to 3%, and budget deficits from more than 10% to 3%. The economy grew with an average annual increase of 4.1% of GDP. Greece, under Simitis, was one of the fastest growing economies in Europe. The performance of the Greek economy under Simitis sealed the Greek entry into the Euro currency and closing the journey of aligning Greece with the West that started with Eleftherios Venizelos and continued with Constantine Karamanlis. Simitis also succeeded in the Cypriot accession into the EU, a diplomatic priority for Greece. The successful completion of the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics also boosted Greece's positive image as a modern state capable of undertaking sophisticated tasks. Moreover, a variety of large-scale infrastructure projects were completed, like the new Eleftherios Venizelos airport, the Athens ring road, Athens Metro, and Rio–Antirrio Bridge. New institutions were also introduced, such as the Greek Ombudsman and a number of regulatory bodies to supervise market liberalization.
After the debt crisis erupted in Greece in 2009, the legacy of Simitis would be re-interpreted by critics as not being enough or misleading. However, government institutions under Simitis were developed and strengthened in their capacity to reform, appearing both more 'modern' and 'European.' ...more

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The European debt crisis: The Greek case

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Costas Simitis’s Followers (2)

Costas Simitis

Combine EditionsCostas Simitis’s books

Combine Editions
Costas Simitis’s books