Yiannos Papantoniou

Yiannos Papantoniou (Greek: Γιάννος Παπαντωνίου; born 27 July 1949) was a member of the National Parliament in Greece (MP) from 1988 to 2007, Minister of National Defense (2001–03), Minister of Economy and Finance (1994–2001). During his time as Economy and Finance Minister, he worked closely with his Economic and Financial Affairs Council partners to prepare for the launch of the Euro in Greece. For his achievements he was ‘highly commended’ by Euromoney magazine in September 1998 as Finance Minister of the Year. Prior to this, Papantoniou worked at the OECD (1978–81), served as an MEP (1981–84) and Advisor to the Greek Prime Minister on EEC Affairs and Integration. He was elected as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in 1999. From 2009–10, he was Visiting Senior Fellow in the Hellenic Observatory within the European Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Papantoniou has published numerous articles and books on topics related to economic and political developments in Greece, Europe and the wider world scene.