COMMENT BY Ilir Dhima A good piece of news and a bad one for the opposition It has often been said that citizens of a free society are obliged to keep a critical stance toward everything around them. But experience has shown that this is not enough. Therefore, if they think about what is wrong, then they must act, relying on this knowledge. “Philosophers,” says a well-known thinker, “do nothing other than interpret the world in different ways.” In contemporary conditions, politicians also take on this role. In any case, what matters is that changes do not become permanent because of what are sometimes called historical processes. But in our life there has been more than just something that is not right. If nearly 25 years ago the citizens of Tirana rose up with the cries: “Freedom – Democracy” and “Let’s make Albania like the rest of Europe,” unfortunately these cries remained like visions. They remained so because narrow self-interest was placed on a pedestal, the nightmare of getting rich quickly sprang to its feet, organized crime and rampant corruption swarmed on the stage of public life, an ever-deepening gap immediately opened between the rich and the poor, a bitter submission of the verdict to the free market and its ambiguities took hold, their prices were well known, but values were sidestepped with intolerable consistency. ► continues on page 18

EU–Albania meeting The EU’s 13 conclusions: The opposition must cooperate Rama pledges: In September we will complete the priorities ► PAGES 6-7

LIST 4,000 companies fined by the Berisha Government revealed ► PAGES 16-17

MANDATE Doshi gets out of bed: Shocking facts in the Council Gjinushi comes to his defense: No one is imprisoned for false accusation ► PAGES 2-3

Jihadists demand trial under sharia law ► PAGE 13

INTERVIEW Frederik Stamati: Restoration in the hands of charlatans ► PAGE 20

DOSSIER Markagjoni’s nephew, the investigation into the napoleon coins he stole from his father ► PAGE 19