Prof. dr George J. Kassimatis

Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Low of the University of Athens, Greece.

He was born at Livadi of Kythira  island on the in 1932.

He graduated from the Faculty of Low of the University of Athens, and finished his postgraduate studies at the Faculties of  Law of the Universities of Munich (Germany) and Bern (Switzerland), from 1959 till 1965. He is a Lawyer in Athens since 1960.

Dr Kassimatis earned his PH.D. degree at the Faculty of Law of the University of Munich in 1965; authorized lecturer of the Constitutional Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Athens during the years 1973-1978;  extraordinary Professor during the years 1978-1981; full Professor of the  Constitutional Law at the same Faculty from 1982 till 1999;  from 1993 till 1997 president of the Department of Law at the Faculty of Law, Political and Economic Studies of the University  of Athens; emeritus Professor of the University of Athens since 1999.

Prof. Kassimatis was a President of the Ionian University during the years 1985-1990, in which the University was organized and started running. Founder and Director of the Institute  of Hellenic  Constitutional History and Constitutional Science (today: Institute of Constitutional  Research) since its foundation in 1990; member of the Administrative Board of the European Public Law Centre since its foundation.

  He was also Director of the Legal Bureau of the Prime Minister and Legal Advisor to the Prime Minister during the years 1981-1988; President of the National Council for Radio and Television from 1997 till 1998; member of the Nationality Council of the Ministry of the Interior during the years 1978-1980; member of the Executive Committee  of the Greek National Board of UNESCO during the years 1982-1985; since 1992 member of the Union for Juridical Research and during the years 1997-2000 member of its Administrative Board; during four years member of the special tribunal for the trial of mistrial suits.

In the field of  public law practice, besides practicing the law and administrating state services and legal entities, he took an active part in the preparatory stage of the setting up and revision of the Constitution in 1975 and 1986 respectively.  He was president or member  of numerous standing parliamentary committees; since 1982 he hes been member of numerous standing parliamentary committees; since 1982 he has been member of the Legal Council of the Bank of Greece; since 1999 legal Advisor in “National Cadastre S.A.”, and, finally, at times he has been legal advisor of private enterprises.

Prof. Kassimatis was a Founding member, member of the  Administrative Board for many years, and  President of the Association of Greek Constitutionalists during the years 1992-1997; founding member of the International Association of Constitutional Law, 1981-1985, President of the Auditing Committee, since 1985 member of  the Executive Committee and since 1995 Vice-president of the same Association.

In addition he has been: member of the Administrative  Board and Vice-President of  the Greek Union Human Rights;  Vice-president of the Democratic Lawyers Union; member of the Committee for the Repatriation of the Political Refugees;  Vice-president  of the Movement for the National Independence and the International Peace and Disarmament; member and  Vice-president  of the Administrative Board of  “Alexandros Svolos” Scholarship Foundation since 1999 and its President since 2000; Secretary General of the European Foundation for the Promotion of Humanistic Education since 2001; President of the  Trifyllion Foundation during the years 1975-1995 and since 1995 Honorary President of the Foundation; member of Administrative Board or President of many other scientific, public welfare and benevolent societies.

Major works of Prof. Kassimatis are:

“Der Bereich der Regierung”, Berlin 1968, “The Constitutional limits of property”, Athens  1972, “The principle of the subsidiarity of the state”, Athens 1974,  “Constitutional Law – The functions of the state”, Athens 1980,  “Constitutional Review”, Athens 1999, four (4) volumes of scientific publications (“Studies I, 1975-1995, Democracy, 1996”, “Studies II, 1980-1998, State and Political System 2000”, “Studies III, 1974-1999, Basic Rights and Social State, 2000” and  “Studies IV, Specific Issues of Judicial Power, 2000”),  under issue four volumes of scientific of publications and opinions (“Studies V-VIII”), as well as numerous other publications.

Since 1999 co-publisher of the work “Kassimatis / Mavrias, Commentary of the Constitution”. The titles of his scientific works are more then a hundred and the number of scientific lectures and reports in congresses exceeds sixty.

He has organized many scientific, international and  national congresses, conferences and lectures, mainly in Athens, and has participated in numerous  congresses in many foreign countries.