Costas Simitis, former Greek Prime Minister and socialist leader, dies at 88

Former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, key in Greece's adoption of the euro, dies at 88, leaving a complex legacy.

Costas Simitis, former Prime Minister of Greece and the architect of the country’s joining the common European currency, the euro, has died at age 88, state TV ERT reported.

Mr. Simitis was taken to a hospital in the city of Corinth early Sunday (January 5, 2025) morning from his holiday home west of Athens, unconscious and without a pulse, the hospital’s director was quoted as saying by Greek media. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

The government decreed a four-day period of official mourning. Mr. Simitis will receive a state funeral.

Warm tributes appeared, and not just from political allies.

“I bid farewell to Costas Simitis with sadness and respect. A worthy and noble political opponent,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a Facebook post, also saluting the “good professor and moderate parliamentarian.”

Another conservative politician, former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, recalled how he, as mayor of Athens, had cooperated “seamlessly and warmly” with Mr. Simitis in organising the Olympic Games.

“He served the country with devotion and a sense of duty...He was steadfast in facing difficult challenges and promoted policies that changed the lives of (many) citizens,” Mr. Avramopoulos added.