Nikos Christodoulakis


Nikos Christodoulakis is a Greek politician, economics professor and electronics engineer. He was the Minister for Economy and Finance of Greece from 2001 to 2004.

Early life and education

Born in Chania, Crete he graduated in electronics engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in 1975, and he completed his postgraduate studies in Economics at Darwin College, Cambridge in 1981, where he also received a PhD three years later, in 1984.

Academic career

Over the following years he worked as a consultant engineer in some companies he became a teaching professor at the Technological Educational Institutes in Greece, a Senior Research Officer at the University of Cambridge, an Assistant Professor at the Athens University of Economics, a Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, a Visiting Professor at the University of Cyprus, a Visiting Professor at the Charles University in Prague and the Vice-Rector of the Athens University of Economics and Business, where he's also a teacher since 1990 up to present, currently teaching at the Department of International & European Economic Studies of the university. He was also a researcher in the Tinbergen Institute, the London School of Economics and the Centre for Economic Policy Research, and has also published lots of economic related academic books and articles over the last three decades.

Political career

His political career began in 1993, when he became a Secretary General for Research and Technology for three years until 1996, when he was appointed as an Economic advisor to the Prime Minister. From 1999 to 2007 he was elected as a member of the Greek Parliament with the Socialist Party of Greece. He was the Deputy Minister of Finance for four years, the Minister for Development for one year and, in 2001, he became the Minister for Economy and Finance of Greece for three years, up to 2004. Furthermore, he was the Chairman of the Eurogroup from June 2002 to July 2003, participating in international meetings with G7, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council in the European Union, during the Greek presidency.