Simitis: “There is resistance to change. You often go against the flow”

The event in honor of the former prime minister and former president of PASOK, Kostas Simitis, was held yesterday in the packed hall of the “Greek World Culture Center”, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the president of PASOK, Nikos Androulakis .

The event, open to the public, organized by the NETWORK for Reform in Greece and Europe, the Jacques Delors Institute and Reform magazine with the support of the Delphi Economic Forum, was attended by prominent figures from the political, economic and academic scene, journalists and representatives of the youth.

Kostas Simitis in his speech pointed out his attempt to contribute to the evolution of society, although this was not always easy “because there is resistance to change”, as he said.

The former prime minister referred to two key words: the plan and the situation. “You don’t move forward without a plan – without a goal and an implementation plan. You move with the broadest possible consents, but often against the current. It is the price that must be paid, in order for the benefit to be obtained to be much greater. That’s why, despite the obstacles, we should not hesitate”, emphasized Mr. Simitis.

The first greeting was addressed by the President of the Network, Anna Diamantopouloucharacteristically pointing out that “the event to honor Kostas Simitis may be an occasion to remind in all directions that the battle for the Modernization of Greece never ends – for long periods of time it stands still and is left each time to pull towards glory again”.

The former EU commissioner called Costas Simitis “the president of our heart”a brave, great and modest man, a multifaceted personality and a revolutionary with a cause who fought the junta, stressing that he was a consistent and insightful social democrat who caught the messages of the times and chose political solitude over compromise.

After a short video about the life and work of the former prime minister, which was edited by Sotiris Goritsas, Angeliki Birbilis and Kostas Alexandris, a discussion followed, moderated by the journalist Pavlos Tsimas, who noted that the event is more ours need to reconnect with that era of high expectations.

The governor of the Bank of Greece, Giannis Stournaras, referred to the contribution of Kostas Simitis to the modernization of the Greek economy, characterizing as the greatest achievement in the country’s modern economic history the integration of Greece into the euro zone, as it sealed its European orientation. He focused particularly on the emblematic public projects of that time, the creation of the ODDIX, the consolidation of Public Enterprises, the increase in social spending and the reforms for the modernization of the state.

At the same time, he also mentioned one funny story shortly before our entry into the EMU. At the most critical moment, only seven people knew the exchange rate at which Greece would enter the eurozone. Kostas Simitis then said “we are them.” Seven. Nobody else. Eight if it is, we might lose it for one mistake.’ Someone from the meeting said to the prime minister “we will be away for so long, we will not say anything to our wives?” and then Mr. Simitis replied “when we say seven, we mean seven.” And if someone talks at night, let them go to sleep in the next room”.

The emeritus professor of the Department of Political Science & History of Pantheon University, Giannis Voulgarischaracterized Kostas Simitis as “a politician of European scope and pioneer of reformist modern Greece“, noting that he responded methodically and decisively, not only to European issues but also to the conflict with the Church, with realism oriented to change and not to inaction, while he did not hesitate to compare Kostas Simitis with Charilaos Trikoupis, noting that he was a link of a historical chain.

On his part, Mr Honorary Ambassador, Mr. Aristides Agathoklisreferred to the three objectives of the foreign policy served by Kostas Simitis, the resolution of the Cyprus issue and the accession of Cyprus to the EU which met with resistance from our European partners, the normalization of Greek-Turkish relations through exploratory talks whose sole topic was the delimitation of seas zones and the vigorous promotion of the accession process of the Balkan countries.

Video greetings were delivered by international personalities

Former US President Bill Clintonnoted the contribution of Kostas Simitis to the questions raised about what the world would be like after the cold war.

In a message read by Pascal Lamythe former President of the Commission, Jacques Delorshe spoke about the common moral policy and the same view on social democracy that he shares with Costas Simitis.

He was described by the former head of the European Commission as a courageous politician who abhorred compromises and had his eye on the future. Jean-Claude Junckerwhile the former president of the Commission, Romano Prodi, he referred to how the two worked together quietly without glaring visions for the good of their countries.

Finally, the former president of PASOK, George Papandreoumade special mention of his relentless effort to put Greece at the center of EU decision-making.

At the beginning of the event, a video of young people from generation X and Z was shown.

THE Aris Mereditis (43 years old) noted that what motivated the former prime minister was his passion for a better Greece. Reference to the major infrastructure projects of his administration, such as the airport in Spata and the metro, was made by Maria Maniati (37 years old), while the Anna Papadopoulou (34 years old) characterized his stance on the issue of the reform to list religion on identity cards as unwavering.

THE Yannis Tsoumas (31 years old) characterized Kostas Simitis as an unwavering Europeanist who formed a victorious majority ideological current within a social democracy, the Vasiliki Karabouli (26 years old) said that her childhood is identified with a period of growth and prosperity, while her Mara Zafiropoulou (20 years old) noted that a large portion of the youth today are informed about the political events and achievements of the past.