Former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis was laid to rest on Thursday, January 9 at Athens’ First Cemetery, following a funeral service at the Athens Metropolis Cathedral.
The ceremony was conducted with the honours accorded to a sitting prime minister. Simitis was laid to rest next to the co-founder of PASOK Andreas Papandreou.
Simitis’ wife, Daphne, their daughters Fiona and Marilena, and their families placed white roses and received the folded Greek flag that draped his casket.
The funeral procession paused at the Greek Parliament and the Monument of the Unknown Soldier before reaching the cemetery, where an honour guard fired three ceremonial shots.
Prominent attendees included Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, current and former PASOK party members, and political figures such as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who gave a eulogy and called Simitis “a fighter against dictatorship and a noble servant of democracy.”
Known as the architect of Greece’s entry into the eurozone, Simitis’ tenure as prime minister (1996–2004) was marked by significant achievements, including securing Cyprus’ EU membership, preparing Athens for the 2004 Olympics, and implementing major infrastructure projects.
In her eulogy, President Sakellaropoulou praised him for “setting the bar high for a strong, equal Greece in Europe.”
Mourners lined the streets to pay their respects, recalling Simitis’ pragmatism and reformative policies.
Born in 1936, Simitis studied law and economics in Germany and the UK before entering politics. He passed away on Sunday at the age of 88, after a life dedicated to modernising Greece and strengthening its ties with Europe.
