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Costas Simitis
Κώστας Σημίτης
Konstantinos Simitis 2012-01-23.jpg
Simitis in 2012
Prime Minister of Greece
In office
22 January 1996 – 10 March 2004
President Kostis Stephanopoulos
Preceded by Andreas Papandreou
Succeeded by Kostas Karamanlis
President of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement
In office
30 June 1996 – 8 February 2004
Preceded by Andreas Papandreou
Succeeded by George Papandreou
Member of the Hellenic Parliament
In office
2 June 1985 – 7 September 2009
Constituency Piraeus A
Personal details
Born (1936-06-23)23 June 1936
Piraeus, Kingdom of Greece
Died 5 January 2025(2025-01-05) (aged 88)
Corinth, Greece
Political party Panhellenic Socialist Movement
Other political
affiliations		 PASOK – Movement for Change
Spouse
Daphni Arkadiou
​
(m. 1964)​
Relations Spiros Simitis (brother)
Children Fiona
Marilena
Alma mater University of Marburg
London School of Economics

Konstantinos G. Simitis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Σημίτης; 23 June 1936 – 5 January 2025) was a Greek politician. He was the Prime Minister of Greece from 1996 to 2004. He was known for leading a movement called 'Modernization' in Greece.

Simitis became the leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) after Andreas Papandreou, who founded the party. Before becoming Prime Minister, Simitis held several important government jobs. He was the Minister of Agriculture and later the Minister of National Economy. In this role, he worked to make Greece's economy more stable.

During his time as Prime Minister, Greece's economy improved a lot. Inflation went down, and the economy grew quickly. These changes helped Greece join the Euro currency. Simitis also helped Cyprus join the European Union. He oversaw the successful 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Many big projects were completed, like a new airport, a ring road, the Athens Metro, and a large bridge.

Who Was Costas Simitis?

Early Life and Education

Costas Simitis was born in Piraeus, Greece, on June 23, 1936. His father, Georgios Simitis, was a professor. Costas studied law in Germany at the University of Marburg. He also studied economics at the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom.

He married Daphne Arkadiou in 1964. They had two daughters named Fiona and Marilena. His brother, Spiros Simitis, was a well-known expert in data privacy in Germany.

Early Political Activity

In 1965, Simitis returned to Greece. He helped start a political research group. When a military government took over Greece in 1967, this group became Democratic Defense. This organization was against the military rule.

Simitis left Greece to avoid being arrested. He joined the Panhellenic Liberation Movement (PAK), led by Andreas Papandreou. He also taught at a university in Germany. In 1974, he came back to Athens. He helped create the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), which grew from PAK. In 1977, he became a lecturer at Panteion University.

Becoming a Minister

Simitis did not run for Parliament in the 1981 elections. However, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture in the first PASOK government. After the 1985 elections, he was elected to Parliament. He then became the Minister of National Economy.

In this role, he started a program to control inflation and reduce government debt. He resigned in 1987 because he felt his policies were not fully supported. Later, he served as Minister of Commerce and Industry from 1993 to 1995.

Rise to Prime Minister

In January 1996, Andreas Papandreou resigned as Prime Minister due to poor health. Simitis was chosen by PASOK's members of Parliament to take his place. Papandreou remained the party leader until he passed away in June 1996.

After Papandreou's death, Simitis was elected as the new President of PASOK. He won against Akis Tsochatzopoulos. Simitis supported Greece's closer ties with the European Union.

He then led PASOK to victory in the national elections in September 1996. This gave him his own clear mandate to govern. He also won the national election in 2000. Simitis was seen as a skilled manager, though some thought he lacked the public charm of his predecessor.

Leaving Office

By January 2004, PASOK's popularity was falling. Simitis announced he would step down as party president. He also said he would not run for Prime Minister again in the upcoming elections.

He served as Prime Minister for over eight years. This was the longest continuous term in modern Greek history. George Papandreou, the son of Andreas Papandreou, became the new leader of PASOK. However, PASOK lost the March 2004 elections to the New Democracy party. Kostas Karamanlis then became the new Prime Minister.

Life After Being Prime Minister

After 2004, Simitis remained a Member of the Hellenic Parliament. He was part of the committee for National Defence and Foreign Affairs. He was re-elected in 2007.

He sometimes disagreed with George Papandreou, his successor as PASOK leader. In 2008, he was removed from the PASOK parliamentary group. This happened because he opposed a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon. He had helped write parts of this treaty. He did not run for Parliament in the 2009 elections and left his seat.

Policies and Legacy

Modernizing Greece

Simitis is well-known for his political idea called Eksynchronismos, or "Modernization." This idea focused on big public investments and infrastructure projects. It also included changes to the economy and labor laws.

His supporters say he fixed many long-standing problems in the Greek economy. This helped Greece join the Eurozone. During his time, official numbers showed that inflation dropped from 15% to 3%. Government deficits also decreased from over 10% to 3%. The economy grew by an average of 4% each year. Greece became one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe.

Major Projects and Reforms

Many large infrastructure projects were built or started during Simitis's time. These include:

  • The new "Eleftherios Venizelos" Athens International Airport.
  • The Rio-Antirio bridge, a very long cable-stayed bridge.
  • The Athens Metro, the city's subway system.
  • The A2 motorway (Egnatia Odos), a major highway.

New government organizations were also created. These included the Greek Ombudsman, who helps citizens with government issues. Other groups were set up to oversee market changes.

Social Improvements

Simitis's government also made several social reforms.

  • A pension supplement called EKAS was introduced for low-income pensioners.
  • New laws gave public workers the right to negotiate their working conditions.
  • Rules were set for labor relations, including overtime and leave.
  • A system was put in place to ensure more women were included in public sector leadership roles.

Foreign Relations

Simitis's approach to foreign policy was more moderate. He moved away from some traditional views on issues like the Cyprus dispute and the Macedonia naming dispute. His supporters saw this as a positive part of his "modernization" efforts.

From January to June 2003, Simitis served as the President of the European Council. This meant he led meetings of European leaders.

President Bill Clinton and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis
Costas Simitis with President Bill Clinton

Works

Simitis wrote several books and articles. These covered topics like law, economics, and politics.

Political Books

  • "Politics, Government and Law", Athens 1981
  • "Development and modernisation of the Greek Society", Athens 1989
  • "Propositions for another politics", Athens 1992
  • "For a strong society and a strong Greece", Athens 1995
  • "Politics for a Creative Greece 1996–2004", Athens 2005
  • "Democracy in Crisis?", Athens 2007

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Costas Simitis para niños

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