iff's New Year Letter 2005

iff's New Year Letter 2005 deals with Law and Justice within a neo-liberal environment of the present money system. While the money business is entering the private sphere, a storm of deregulation from Brussels hits the national cultures and European citizens become more and more politically apathetic toward the EU the question arises how the law can play a significant role in the present globalized economy. Will financial conglomerates without cultural roots and without knowledge of different languages and habits whose products are presently given free access to all consumers and craftsmen determine what can be called a "European Culture" or will it be possible to put financial services back to where it came from, a tool to manage the econmic foundations of cultural heritage and social cohesion? As usual the letter describes iff's work in 2004 and tells about its prospects for 2005.