Stavros Dimas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stavros Dimas
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Σταύρος Δήμας
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Dimas in 2008
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| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 11 November 2011 – 17 May 2012 |
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| Prime Minister | Lucas Papademos |
| Preceded by | Stavros Lambrinidis |
| Succeeded by | Petros Molyviatis |
| Deputy Leader of New Democracy | |
| In office 2 July 2010 – 24 November 2015 |
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| Leader | Antonis Samaras Vangelis Meimarakis |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| European Commissioner for the Environment | |
| In office 22 November 2004 – 9 February 2010 |
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| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Margot Wallström |
| Succeeded by | Janez Potočnik |
| European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs | |
| In office 18 February 2004 – 22 November 2004 |
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| President | Romano Prodi |
| Preceded by | Anna Diamantopoulou |
| Succeeded by | Vladimír Špidla (Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 April 1941 Klenia, Greece |
| Political party | New Democracy |
| Children | 3, including Christos |
| Alma mater | University of Athens New York University |
Stavros Dimas (Greek: Σταύρος Δήμας, born 30 April 1941) is a Greek politician. He is known for his work as the European Commissioner for the Environment from 2004 to 2009. He also served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Greece from November 2011 to May 2012. In 2014, he was put forward to become the President of Greece, but he did not get enough votes.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Stavros Dimas was born in 1941 in a village called Klenia in Corinthia, Greece. He studied law at the University of Athens. After that, he went to New York University to earn a special law degree called a Master of Laws.
Career in Law and Banking
In 1968, Dimas started his career as a lawyer for a company on Wall Street in New York. The next year, he joined the World Bank. At the World Bank, he worked on projects that invested money in countries in Africa and the Middle East.
In 1975, he returned to Greece. There, he became the deputy governor of the Hellenic Industrial Development Bank (ETVA). At the same time, he was part of a group that helped prepare Greece to join the EEC, which is now known as the European Union.
Starting in Politics
From 1977, Stavros Dimas became active in Greek politics. He joined the conservative political party called New Democracy. He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for ten times in a row. An MP is someone who represents people in the country's parliament, which is like a big meeting place where laws are made.
He held many important jobs in the government, including:
- Deputy Minister of Economic Coordination (1977–1980)
- Minister of Trade (1980)
- Minister without Portfolio (1980–1981)
- Parliamentary spokesperson for New Democracy (1985–1989)
- Minister of Agriculture (1989 and 1989–1990)
- Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology (1990–1991)
- Secretary-General of New Democracy (1995–2000)
- Senior Member of the Political Analysis Steering Committee of New Democracy (2000–2003)
- Head of the New Democracy group to the Council of Europe (2000–2004)
Working for Europe
Dimas worked for the European Commission, which is like the government of the European Union.
He was appointed European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs in March 2004. This job meant he looked after rules about jobs and how people are treated in society across Europe. One important thing he worked on was making it harder for countries to ignore the Working Time Directive. This directive sets rules for how many hours people can work.
Later, the Greek government suggested Dimas for a new role in the European Commission. On 22 November 2004, he became the European Commissioner for the Environment.
In this role, he talked about four main goals:
- Climate Change: Dealing with the changes happening to Earth's climate.
- Biodiversity: Protecting all the different kinds of plants and animals.
- Public Health: Making sure people stay healthy.
- Sustainability: Using resources wisely so they last for future generations.
He also highlighted the importance of the Kyoto Protocol (an agreement to reduce greenhouse gases), the Natura 2000 project (protecting natural areas), and the REACH directive (rules for chemicals). He also wanted to make sure existing environmental laws were followed better.
Becoming a Commissioner
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Before Dimas became the Environment Commissioner, some people were worried. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) thought that appointing someone who used to be a lawyer for big companies might mean the EU cared less about the environment and more about making money.
However, after a few months, environmental groups actually supported his work. They said he was very successful in supporting environmental ideas within the Commission. Dimas's role was very important because the President of the Commission, Mr. Barroso, was focused on improving the economy.
When MEPs asked him questions, Dimas said that protecting the environment and making the economy strong go together. He believed that environmental policies could help create new technologies. He also said that GM (genetically modified) parts in seeds should be as low as possible.
After his hearing, many MEPs were not sure about him. They thought he didn't have enough experience. But they also said he needed time to learn the job. Some groups, like the Greens, were against his appointment at first. However, they later changed their minds and worked well with him on environmental issues.
His Views on Climate Change
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Dimas took a strong stand on climate change for the EU. At UN talks in Buenos Aires in December 2004, he tried to create a new system for countries to reduce their pollution. This was meant to follow the first Kyoto Protocol targets after 2012. But countries like the United States did not agree to discuss this.
Dimas said in 2007 that "the fight against climate change is much more than a battle. It is a world war that will last for many years."
He also helped start the EU's emissions trading scheme on 1 January 2005. This scheme allows companies to buy and sell permits to pollute, encouraging them to reduce their emissions. He also wanted to include airplanes in this system.
In February 2007, Dimas suggested plans to make cars use less fuel. He wanted car emissions to be no more than 130 grams of CO2 per kilometer, down from 162 grams in 2005. This made European car makers upset. It also caused a stir when Dimas asked for a Japanese car, a Toyota Prius, for himself because it was more environmentally friendly than European cars.
Returning to Greece
In July 2010, the leader of the New Democracy party, Antonis Samaras, made Stavros Dimas the vice-president of the party. His job was to look after economic and social issues.
From November 2011 to May 2012, he served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs in a temporary government led by Lucas Papademos.
In December 2014, Prime Minister Samaras announced that Dimas was a candidate for the President of Greece. Both New Democracy and another party, PASOK, supported him. However, he did not get enough votes to become president, which led to the parliament being dissolved.
See also
In Spanish: Stavros Dimas para niños
