The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) awarded an Honorary Fellowship to Professor Konstantinos Simitis, former Prime Minister of Greece, on Friday 8 December in Athens. The award recognises the former PM’s exemplary contributions to society.
With the award of Honorary Fellow, Professor Simitis joins the ranks of those celebrated by LSE for their outstanding contributions to the School and its global community by going above and beyond reasonable expectations over a sustained period of time. The Rt Hon Lord Beveridge, Professor Sir Karl Popper, Sir Arthur Lewis, Professor Amartya Sen and Professor Friedrich Hayek are among those recognised by LSE with this distinguished award.
Professor Simitis became Prime Minister of Greece in 1996 and held office until 2004, during which time he was the leader of PASOK, the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement.
While in office, Professor Simitis’s most notable achievements included a wide-ranging modernisation project and his oversight of Greece’s adoption of the euro. His leadership was widely admired throughout the EU for its seriousness, reformism, and personal integrity.
Before becoming Prime Minister, Professor Simitis served as Minister of Agriculture, Minister of National Economy, Minister of Education & Religious Affairs, and Minister of Energy, Industry, Technology and Trade.
As an LSE alumnus, he has been a long-term supporter of the School and of the Alumni Association in Greece. It was under his aegis that the endowment for the Eleftherios Venizelos Chair in Contemporary Greek Studies at LSE was created.
The Chair is based within the LSE European Institute and the Hellenic Observatory, an internationally recognised research centre on contemporary Greece and Cyprus, which develops academic and policy-related research; organises conferences, seminars and workshops; and supports academic exchange through visiting fellowships and internships.
Remarking on his time studying at LSE, Professor Simitis said: “The London School of Economics contributed to my wish to become involved in political developments and to work for a fairer organisation and functioning of the society.”
The award was conferred by Professor Kevin Featherstone, Director of the Hellenic Observatory and honorary Greek citizen. The ceremony was held at Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens, hosted by Hellenic Observatory Advisory Board member Mr. Athanasios Laskaridis, and attended by close friends, family, and colleagues of Dr. Simitis.
Commenting on the award, Professor Simitis said: “My studies at LSE influenced my political thought and vision. To be awarded the Honorary Fellowship by LSE is the culmination of a long-standing relation to the institution. On top of that, I am honoured to be awarded by one of the leading academic institutions in the world.”
Professor Kevin Featherstone added: “LSE has long had a very special relationship with Greece, reflected in its student recruitment, the eminence in public life and business of its graduates, and the development of the Hellenic Observatory.
“It is very fitting, then, that the School honours one of its most high-profile Greek alumni. Costas Simitis is widely respected for his achievements, both in Greece and internationally, and LSE is rightly proud that he is part of our wider community. It is also a great personal honour for me to be asked to confer this award on such a statesman.”