Costas Simitis, former prime minister of Greece and the architect of the country’s joining the common European currency, the euro, has died at 88, state TV ERT reports

Former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, who ushered the country into the European Union's single currency in 2001, died on Sunday aged 88 at his summer house in the Peloponnese. “With sadness and respect,

Mr. Simitis imposed financial measures to prepare for Greece’s entry into the eurozone and laid the groundwork for the Olympic Games’ return to Athens.

Former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, known for leading Greece into the eurozone, has passed away at the age of 88. Greek media reported that Simitis was found unconscious at his holiday home near Corinth and transported to a hospital where he was declared dead.