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| Costas Simitis wearing a black suit and a pink collar (archive) |
As of this morning, former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis is no longer among us. However, he will be remembered by Albanians in Greece and in the history of their mass migration to the neighboring country. The career of the former Greek Prime Minister coincided with the peak of Albanian immigration when Albanians began referring to the neighboring country as their second homeland.
It was during this period, when Albanians were struggling to assert their identity in Greece, that they faced severe humiliation in the early stages of mass migration due to the notorious "Broom Operation" initiated by the Konstantinos Mitsotakis government. However, the arrival of Kostas Simitis marked a turning point by opening the door to recognizing the rights of Albanian immigrants. Immediately after assuming leadership of PASOK and becoming Prime Minister, succeeding their spiritual leader Andreas Papandreou, Simitis not only initiated internal reforms for economic and educational development but also introduced immigration policy reforms. In 1998, his government legalized Albanian immigrants for the first time, providing them with work permits and enabling them to secure regular employment. This also allowed them to make their first legal trips back to Albania to visit their families.
What will be remembered for generations, perhaps never to be forgotten, is that during Simitis’ tenure, significant employment opportunities were created for Albanians. They became the backbone of Greece’s construction workforce on major projects in modern Greek history, such as the construction of the "Athens 2004" Olympic venues, Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, the Rio-Antirrio Bridge facilitating trade and travel with northern neighbors, the Athens Metro, the Attiki Odos highway, and many others. Through their remittances, Albanian workers supported their families back home, providing a lifeline to Albania’s struggling economy, which had been devastated by poor governance and political mismanagement.
Simitis’ government is remembered as one of the most harmonious in its relations with Albanian administrations. He established bridges between Albania and the European Union, beginning with a landmark 1996 agreement of friendship and good neighborliness, signed with Albania’s post-communist government under Sali Berisha. Later, his relations with Albania peaked during the socialist government, as Greece became a key investor in Albania's economic development following the 1997 unrest. It was Simitis’ initiative to construct a hospital for Albania free of charge, train specialists in various fields, and send the first Albanian military students to Greek academies. His government ignored the nationalist rhetoric emanating from both sides, which had destabilizing effects, particularly from the nationalist enclave of some Himara Albanians. Despite this, Albanian immigrants in Greece bore the brunt of these tensions.
Under Simitis’ leadership, Greece was the only EU presidency to invite Kosovo government delegations to key meetings, enabling the first-ever direct dialogue between Serbian and Kosovar representatives during the 2003 regional summit.
Kostas Simitis was a technocratic and moderate Prime Minister who integrated Greece into the Eurozone, unified its currency, and spurred economic growth to balance the budget deficit inherited from previous administrations. Despite internal party factions tied to Andreas Papandreou, who had mismanaged resources and deepened corruption, Simitis maintained his integrity. Although his government faced scandals involving members of his cabinet, no accusations of personal involvement in corruption were ever raised against him.
Notably, his political rival, the late Akis Tsochatzopoulos, who had fierce battles with him, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for corruption. Tsochatzopoulos, akin to Albania's Ilir Meta, was the highest-ranking Greek politician convicted for corruption during his tenure as Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister over military submarine procurement deals. Simitis’ government is also remembered for dismantling the powerful terrorist group "November 17," which had terrorized Greece with political assassinations and attacks for over two decades.