Greece: After the Junta Page 3

After the death of Papandreou in PASOK had turned quite a bit right from its original extreme leftish orientation. Simitis ruled for eight years, and, strongly in favor of deeper integration with Europe, saw to the Greek adoption of the Euro, which was accomplished in 2002.

Another switch back to the Right followed, with the New Democracy’s Konstandinos Karamanlis elected as prime minister. Responsibity for the upcoming Olympic Games of 2004 in Athens fell to the ND in 1997.

However, during Simitis’ first term, in December of 1996, there was a blockade of several weeks by irate farmers of Greece’s main road and railways. The protest had to do with ongoing austerity measures.

In 1997, both teachers and students were striking over proposed reforms in education, mostly about the need for dealing with the laxity of school regimens. Simitis was faced with the task of shaping up the Greek economy, by coming down hard on massive problem of tax evasion. He succeeded in curbing inflation. Improved relations with neighbors in the Balkans were seen during his first term, as well as a very impressive easing of old tensions with Turkey.

in large part due to the Athens earthquake of September 7th, 1999, which hit less than one month after the far more devastasting earthquake in Turkey, during which Greek rescue teams arrived in Turkey before any other foreign ones, and sent enormous aid, in forms of food and blood to the victims.

Turkey, in turn, sent the first disaster relief teams to Athens during the quake there. Not long after, Giorgos Papandreou, the Foreign Minister, announced that Greece would end its long term insistence that EU financial aid to Turkey be given only on condition that a solution first be found for the Cyprus and Aegean disputes (the latter exacerbated in 1996 when shooting between the two powers broke out over territorial possession over two islets inhabited only by goats).

Papandreou also announced that Greece would not oppose was the Turkey’s candidacy for EU accession.

The early elections of April , 2000, saw not only Simitis reelected, but PASOK in a third consecutive term, an unpredented event. In June of the same year, at an EU summit, Greece entered into the euro currency zone, which would put an end to the old drachma by 2002 (though many Greeks still name sums in the large figures of the old currency).

The adoption of the euro was seen as a positive move in terms of Greece’s international reputation, which was suffering from the assassination, early in the same month, of the UK military attaché, Stephen Saunders, while he was driving in Athens, by the terrorist group known as ‘November 17’, which had aroused fears abroad that the upcoming Olympics in Athens would not be safe to attend.

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