The Foundation

The Constantinos Simitis Foundation was established in 2007 with the principal aim of preserving and promoting the political Archive of the former Prime Minister, while at the same time fostering the study of the country’s national, economic, political, and cultural challenges. It also seeks to formulate proposals for the consolidation of a society founded on responsibility, solidarity, and creativity. Its action plan includes contributing to the development of civil society, its organizations and initiatives, as well as supporting the country’s European orientation.

The Foundation aims to promote European integration and to develop relations with foundations and organizations abroad that support initiatives for peace, the protection of human rights, and international cooperation.

In the long term, the Foundation’s activities are designed to ensure three priorities: participation in political reflection and dialogue at the European and international level; scientific credibility and innovative scholarly interpretation; and the sustained cultivation of critical political thought within Greek public opinion.

The Archive is open to public access, including researchers, students, and anyone interested in the work of Kostas Simitis. It comprises thousands of manuscripts, as well as printed, electronic, and audiovisual material. The Archive begins in the 1960s with the Papanastasiou Group and continues through the resistance to the Colonels’ dictatorship, parliamentary and ministerial terms of office, OPEC, the premiership, and extends to the present day—the years of the crisis—including the former Prime Minister’s notes in his well-known notebooks, as well as current articles and books that he writes and publishes.

A key objective of the Foundation is the completion of a fully digitized electronic archive with free access for young scholars and students, which will progressively provide a range of data for the study of the political trends of the period and their socio-economic dimensions. This constitutes the educational orientation of the Foundation, alongside cooperation with similar foundations and institutions in Europe and internationally, participation in academic events in Greece and abroad, and the promotion of research and scholarly studies.