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GP
George Papandreou
Greece
General Rapporteur on Democracy, Council of Europe, f. PM, MP
Description
George A. Papandreou is former Prime Minister of Greece (2009-2011) and currently Member of Parliament with the Panhellenic Socialist Movement/Movement of Change. As an MP, he represents Hellenic Parliament in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and has lead over the years the work of several Committees in producing recommendations for the deepening of democracy, human rights and the rule of law across its 47 member-states. He currently serves as the Council’s General Rapporteur on Democracy.
First elected as MP in 1981, he served in many governmental posts. As Minister of Education (1994-1996), he founded the Greek Open University and promoted multicultural programs. As Minister of Foreign Affairs (1999-2004), he promoted peace building and European integration in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans and managed a breakthrough in Greek-Turkish relations. In 2004, Papandreou was elected leader of PASOK in the party and country’s first open primary – a move highly symbolic of his commitment to participatory governance. Throughout his political career, he has actively sought to maximize citizen participation in governance through information technologies.
From 2006 to 2022, he was the President of the Socialist International, the largest global political family. Around the world, Papandreou has deployed ‘Green Diplomacy,’ calling for the protection of the environment by placing sustainable development at the epicenter of policy-making and multilateral cooperation.
During his premiership, he applied a series of structural reforms in his attempt to modernize his country whilst avoiding bankruptcy during Greece’s 2010 debt crisis. For his achievements related to government Transparency, he received the Quadriga Award in the category “Power of Veracity”. In 2010, he was named one of the Foreign Policy magazine’s TOP 100 Global Thinkers. In 2017, he was honored with the International Leadership Association (ILA) Distinguished Leadership Award.
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