Former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, who at the head of the socialist government between 1996 and 2004 led the country to the euro zone, died this Sunday at the age of 88, according to the country’s public television, ERT, reported this Sunday. The government of conservative Kyriakos Mitsotakis decreed four days of national mourning for the death of pro-European Simitis, who died in his holiday home in the small coastal town of Agioi Theodorou, located in the Peloponnese, 60 kilometers southwest of Athens.
“At 7:31 in the morning he was taken by ambulance to the Corinto hospital,” where attempts were made to revive him in vain, the station said. “Modernization has no expiration date,” was the motto of the deceased politician, according to his website. “It is with sadness and respect that I say goodbye to Kostas Simitis, the worthy and noble political opponent. But also the prime minister who accompanied Greece in its great national steps: integration into the eurozone and the euro and the entry of Cyprus into Europe,” declared Mistotakis, quoted by ERT.
The head of the Greek Government thus alluded to Simitis’ important contribution to the integration of the Republic of Cyprus into the European Union in 2004. He was an “exceptional leader”, who has earned a special place in the history not only of Greece, but also from Cyprus, also highlighted the Cypriot president, Niko Christodoulides, in a written statement. “His calm political voice, far from populism, and his course of political action were based on a philosophy of modernization and reform,” added the head of state.
Born in Piraeus in 1936, Simitis fought in the resistance against the military dictatorship of the ‘Colonels’ Board’ in Greece (1967-1974), from which he managed to avoid arrest by fleeing to Germany with a false passport. After the fall of that regime he co-founded the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and held several ministerial positions before becoming prime minister in 1996, succeeding Andreas Papandreou as party leader and head of government, and leading PASOK to two electoral victories.
His tenure was marked by strengthening the country’s ties with the European Union, as well as privatizations, fiscal stability, and a moderate foreign policy aimed at modernizing Greece’s economy and society. He is considered to have played a key role in the architecture that led to Greece’s successful adoption of the euro in 2001. In addition, Simitis helped secure the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and presided over an infrastructure construction programme, which included a new airport and two metro lines in the capital, to help host the international competition.
The socialist politician studied law in Germany, economics in the United Kingdom and taught law as a professor at German universities. He met his wife, Daphnis Simitis, in England, with whom he had two daughters.