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Euractiv
16-07-2025
- Business
- Euractiv
A huge new EU competitiveness fund?
It's B-Day! The European Commission will today unveil its seven-year spending plan, the so-called MFF. No, it doesn't stand for 'mutha-fuckin farmers' – though farm lobbies will be protesting in the streets of Brussels this afternoon. We got a glimpse of some numbers circulating late last night, suggesting that the total budget could be €1.7 trillion. A watershed moment, if it becomes reality! Today we are covering every centime on our live blog here. Welcome to the Capitals by Eddy Wax, with Nicoletta Ionta. Sign up here. Feedback is welcomed by email and do forward us to a friend or colleague. Also in today's issue: Scoop: Macron's MEPs change leader after infighting Spain and Ireland's drive to slap Israel with sanctions hits a wall Four Irish MEPs secured a meeting on Gaza with VDL Keffiyeh chaos in Parliament In the capital Now it all comes down to the cold, hard numbers. After interminable debates about the structure of the new EU budget and meetings late into the night in the Berlaymont, all eyes are on its final proposed size. When Ursula von der Leyen rings her little bell at the start of the commissioners' meeting this morning, many of them will be looking around the room with either schadenfreude or envy. Has his or her budget been cut more than mine? Are my funds ringfenced, or reduced with a sleight of hand? Piotr Serafin, the EU's budget chief (von der Leyen is the real budget chief, of course) will brief MEPs at 12:30pm, before the grand unveiling to the media and the world this afternoon. Is French Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné about to emerge as the big winner from the politicking over recent months? Peut-être. A document floating around last night purported to show that the budget would include a massive €522 billion for a new fund focused on boosting economic competitiveness. A huge competitiveness vault would suggest a major win for Séjourné, the industrial strategy chief. Read more. The €522 billion would be split between a research programme, currently at €96 billion, but expecting a boost, and various smaller programmes not likely surpassing €50 billion. That leaves room for a possible European Competitiveness Fund of over €300 billion, unheard of on the EU level, my colleague Jacob Wulff Wold tells me. The total size of the budget, according to the document – which may well have changed overnight – would increase to €1.717 trillion, but don't forget that the EU will also have to pay around €30 billion a year just to service its debt on the pandemic recovery fund loans. Let's see if these numbers survive contact with reality today. Von der Leyen's budget is a revolution in terms of its structure. Spare a prayer for regional authorities who are set to lose any direct role in shaping how billions of euros of cohesion funds are spent on improving struggling parts of the EU, writes my colleague Nikolaus J. Kurmayer in this must-read. What are they smoking? The European Commission is also planning to raise new funds by taxing e-cigarettes, Sarantis Michalopoulos exclusively reports. EU ponders Israel EU foreign ministers will go through their options about how to rework their relationship with Israel to pressure it to end the war in Gaza today. Some diplomats thought the Gaza aid deal struck by the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas last week would diffuse today's talks. But the humanitarian situation in Gaza suggests otherwise. "We do not see enough improvement on the ground. We need to really see that this, all this – what we have agreed – is also happening,' Kallas told reporters, including our own Alexandra Brzozowski last night. An EU diplomat said that while 'aid access has gotten better since the deal last week, distribution still remains difficult and of course the aid deal falls short of any full ceasefire." Yet, ministers will remain deeply divided on whether to take measures against Israel, which means no substantive action is expected. The bitter, if familiar reality for Europe, is that trajectory of Israel's war on Hamas will be decided in Jerusalem and Washington. Nonetheless, EU officials took solace in the fact that Israeli and Palestinian ministers came to Brussels for the EU-Southern neighbourhood ministerial dinner last night, the first time since the war in Gaza started. French reshuffle in Parliament Scooplet: French MEP Marie-Pierre Vedrenne is stepping down as the leader of the delegation of Macron MEPs, after a bust-up with her Renew Europe group leader Valérie Hayer. French journalist Emmanuel Berretta reported in a recent article in Le Point that Vedrenne had challenged Hayer's leadership of Renew, saying the group should stop whining about its diminished size after last year's election. In the same article Hayer pushed back, saying Vedrenne should also take some responsibility as delegation leader. Vedrenne confirmed she's now stepped down. Laurence Farreng will take over the role, we hear. It was a 'very personal conflict based on differences in political strategy,' a French source in Parliament told us. Gaza, Brussels EU foreign ministers gathered on Tuesday for their first meeting since the bloc's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, presented a list last week of ten potential measures championed by Spain, Ireland and Slovenia against Israel over its continued offensive in Gaza. But in the wake of Israel's recent agreement to ramp up humanitarian aid deliveries into region, a majority of countries abandoned the idea. Countries like the Netherlands that pushed Kallas to go further and review the EU-Israel association agreement gave up pushing further. More Irish-Israeli action Irish Fianna Fáil MEPs held a forty-minute meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, her chief of staff Björn Seibert and other cabinet members on the top floor of the Berlaymont yesterday, seeking to pressure her to end the EU-Israel Association Agreement or, failing that, restrict trade with Israel. Irish-Israeli relations have deteriorated severely since the beginning of the war, with Israel shuttering its embassy in Dublin last year citing the country's 'extreme anti‑Israel policies". The Renew Europe four said they had nothing personally against von der Leyen, but abhorred the Commission's position on Gaza, where they claim Israel has breached international law following the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Von der Leyen listened as they told her that her public statements should make more references to international law and the so-called two-state solution. The MEPs secured the meeting ahead of the motion of censure against the Commission last week, where they were threatening not to vote it down. In the end three of the MEPs Billy Kelleher, Barry Cowen, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú voted against the motion, while Barry Andrews abstained. At a Tony Blair Institute event in Brussels last night, Ireland's EU Commissioner Michael McGrath also weighed in on the subject. "Gaza needs to be flooded with aid as quickly as possible,' he told the crowd. 'The situation is just existential for two million people.' Keffiyeh kerfuffle A meeting of the Parliament's foreign affairs committee on Israel-Palestine turned into a political flashpoint when two EPP MEPs took aim at a parliament official who was wearing a keffiyeh , the Palestinian headscarf popularised in the 1970s by Yasser Arafat, the deceased leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. Spanish EPP lawmaker Antonio López-Istúriz White fumed: 'Civil servants are not here to make ideology,' his EPP colleague Andrey Kovatchev, from Bulgaria, concurred. That lit a fire under far-left lawmaker Marc Botenga, who shot back: 'I do not see the issue at all [...] I think that person is dressed completely normally.' He argued that the EPP never complained about Ukrainian symbols. Sebastian Tynkkynen, a hard-right Finnish MEP, jumped in accusing a translator present of wearing similar 'gear'. Tynkkynen was reportedly seen photographing the staffers, prompting outrage. Spanish Socialist Hana Jalloul, chairing the meeting, attempted to calm things down: 'We don't have authority on that.' One of the two parliamentary staffers in question was seen escorted out of the meeting room, whilst MEPs and their assistants went to don their keffiyehs for the rest of the hearing. EU-US 'Technical teams' of EU trade negotiators travelled to Washington on Tuesday for talks, per a Commission spokesman. The last time that was announced, EU trade boss Maroš Šefčovič duly announced a trip to the US. There's no word on that yet, but it begs the question: Why are American negotiators never coming over here? Šefčovič (pronounced Sheftchovitch, according to Slovaks) spoke to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Monday and Trade Rep Jamieson Greer on Tuesday. Amid rising pressure from France to respond to Trump's threats with countermeasures of our own, Germany's Friedrich Merz reiterated the need for caution. 'Over the weekend, I campaigned for us not to implement reciprocal tariffs for now,' the chancellor said at a press conference Tuesday. So far, von der Leyen has no meetings scheduled with the U.S. president before August 1, EU officials say. ECR keeps hold of migration files A last-ditch bid to overturn a controversial power grab by the EPP group, cheered on by the far-right, crashed and burned yesterday, leaving two key asylum files firmly in ECR and EPP hands. Liberals, Greens, Socialists and The Left lost out. The dossiers will form part of a highly-political asylum overhaul by the Commission. 'The left's furious and virulent reaction to today's vote shows that the political balance on decisive files has shifted,' ECR chief Nicola Procaccini said. Around the bloc FRANCE | PM François Bayrou unveiled sweeping austerity measures for 2026, including a full freeze on public spending, cuts to healthcare, and the elimination of two public holidays. The move sets the stage for a tense autumn clash in parliament, where using the Constitution's Article 49.3 to force through the budget bill could spark a no-confidence vote and end his premiership. Read more. SLOVAKIA | PM Robert Fico has again called for a delay to the EU's latest sanctions on Russia, arguing that the Commission's energy guarantees are insufficient. Still heavily reliant on Russian gas, Slovakia is seeking an exemption until 2034 – a request Brussels continues to reject. Read more. ITALY | Italy is debating a planned 27 July concert by star Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, a close ally of Putin, at the Royal Palace of Caserta, in southern Italy. While critics warn that it will legitimise Kremlin propaganda, others defend cultural dialogue. Read more. SPAIN | Spain's Amnesty Law stems from a political pact tied to Sánchez's re-election, raising concerns over its legitimacy and EU financial implications, the European Commission's legal representative told the EU's top court on Tuesday. A ruling is expected by year's end. Read more. POLAND | Lublin Triangle turns five. The foreign ministers of Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine are meeting in Lublin today to mark the fifth anniversary of the Lublin Triangle, which was launched in 2020. The alliance, forged to strengthen ties and back Ukraine amid Russian aggression, will be marked with a wreath-laying ceremony and a joint press conference. SWEDEN | Sweden's Green Party is calling the head of the Swedish Security Service, Charlotte von Essen, to appear before the justice committee after recent failures. Over the last weeks, reports revealed that the son of Migration Minister Johan Forssell was active in far-right circles and another investigation showed Security Service bodyguards used the Strava app, potentially exposing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's movements. IRELAND | Former European Commissioner and long-serving MEP Mairead McGuinness will be her Fine Gael party's candidate to become president of Ireland, Irish media reported. Europe's 2040 climate target isn't just for environmentalists A 90% emissions reduction positions the EU as a global frontrunner in clean energy, writes William Todts, Executive Director of The European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), highlighting Europe's responsibility to lead by example. The strategy prioritizes innovation and international cooperation but faces resistance from right-wing critics, who also oppose the Commission's anti-disinformation efforts. Meeting of college of commissioners; von der Leyen unveils proposal for the new multi-year financial framework, and commissioners discuss white paper on fighting fraud. Denmark hosts a meeting of research and industry ministers in Copenhagen. Commissioner Serafin presents the new Multiannual Financial Framework to the European Parliament's Budget Committee at 12:30 pm. presents the new Multiannual Financial Framework to the European Parliament's Budget Committee at 12:30 pm. Commissioner Hansen outlines the Commission's priorities for the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the AGRI Committee. outlines the Commission's priorities for the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the AGRI Committee. Commissioner Tzitzikostas presents priorities related to transport and tourism to the TRAN Committee. presents priorities related to transport and tourism to the TRAN Committee. Commissioner Mînzatu addresses the EMPL Committee on employment and social affairs priorities Contributors: Jacob Wulff Wold, Magnus Lund Nielsen, Nikolaus J. Kurmayer, Thomas Møller Nielsen, Martina Monti, Elisa Braun, Charles Szumski, Alessia Peretti, Natália Silenská, Sarantis Michalopoulos, Inés Fernándes-Pontes, Angelo Di Mambro, Nick Alipour, Laurent Geslin. Editors: Matthew Karnitschnig, Sofia Mandilara and Charles Szumski.
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Judith Hope Blau, who turned bagels into art, dies at 87
In the early 1970s, every Thursday was B-Day for the Blaus, a family of four living in Westchester County. That was the day Ms. Blau and a friend with a station wagon picked up 1,000 or so bagels from a bakery in nearby New Rochelle. Back home, the haul was tipped into a bathtub to dry out. Bagels, described by The New York Times in 1960 as 'an unsweetened doughnut with rigor mortis,' turn stale after a single day -- and they made a fine, firm canvas for Ms. Blau. She helped the process along by stirring them with her hand, so the ones on the bottom of the tub wouldn't get moldy. 'Fluffing,' she called it. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Once they were dried, Ms. Blau painted the bagels with smiling faces -- she never painted a cranky bagel, the Times noted -- helped by her daughter, who brushed in the whites of the eyes. Ricky, her son, pitched in by fishing out the rejects -- the mangled or lumpy ones -- and eating them. Her husband, Lawrence Blau, who was a nuclear physicist, kept the books. Advertisement Once painted, the bagels were shellacked, tagged -- 'Don't Eat Me' -- and spread throughout the house to dry again. Lawrence Blau once caught a bagel drying on the bathroom floor with his big toe and fell into an empty shower. Advertisement 'There we were, living in a bagel factory in Eastchester,' Judith Hope Blau told a reporter in 1979. 'My children, Laurie and Ricky, my physicist husband and I, once a serious painter, were totally preoccupied with preserving, painting, packing and selling hundreds of smiling bagel products.' Running a bagel factory had not been among Ms. Blau's career plans. When her children were small, however, she had made them bagel puppets and bagel necklaces. She was inspired by her grandfather, Isidore Korodsky, a Russian-born Bronx bagel baker known as Grandpa Izzy, who liked to entertain children by talking to his bagels and painting faces on them with chalk. After Ms. Blau's daughter brought one of her bagel necklaces to school, where it was a hit, Ms. Blau's husband dared his wife to show a bag of them to a Bloomingdale's buyer. To her dismay, the store ordered 100. Thousands of bagel necklaces were sold in the first few months. They were so popular that knockoffs appeared. Newspapers called Ms. Blau the Bagel Lady. NBC came to film the Blaus' bathtub. Eventually, the family business overwhelmed the family -- and the house -- and Ms. Blau outsourced her bagel work to several companies. The McGraw Hill publishing company learned of her doings and asked her to write a children's book. 'The Bagel Baker of Mulliner Lane,' featuring Grandpa Izzy, was published in 1976. Ms. Blau designed socks printed with bagel characters, as well as bagel bedding for Fieldcrest. She made plush bagel toys called Elephantagel and Pigagel. Advertisement A local newspaper declared that 'Bagelmania was contagious and incurable.' Judith Hope Ravinett was born in the Bronx on April 5, 1938, the oldest of four children of Evalynne (Korodsky) Ravinett, who operated a string of laundromats, and Samuel Ravinett, a dentist. She had been born with clubfoot, and when she was 7, she had surgery to correct the condition, after which she was confined to bed for a year. Then she contracted rheumatic fever and spent another year in bed. To entertain herself, she used crayons to draw on her bedroom walls. She filled shoe-box lids with soil, landscaping them with tiny plants and toothpick buildings. She made up plays and created puppets to act them out. She made yarn dolls and paper-doll clothes. Her mother brought her bed into their side yard, and Judith drew pictures of the oak trees above her. In the afternoons, when the weather was warm, her mother moved her bed to the sidewalk in front of the house, and Judith sold her creations for a nickel each. 'Just because you can't leave your bed does not mean your bed can't leave the house,' she recalled her mother telling her. She went on to study fine art at Cornell University, Hunter College, the University of Rochester and Columbia University. By then, she was dating Lawrence Blau, and they married in 1959. Her first job, pre-bagelmania, was as an animator at Terrytoons, the venerable cartoon studio in New Rochelle best known for Mighty Mouse. She had begun to paint, exhibiting her work in local galleries; in the early 1970s, she also began making hand-painted jeans and caftans that she sold in boutiques. In addition to her daughter, Ms. Blau is survived by her son, Richard; three siblings, Barbara Weingarten, Lawrence Ravinett and Ted Ravinett; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Lawrence Blau died in 2015. Advertisement Ms. Blau's bagel empire was so successful that toymakers came calling, asking her to branch out. She designed Sweetie Pops, which were dolls that preschoolers could dress themselves, with arms and legs that snapped on and off. Hasbro sold 1 million of them in 1985. Hasbro also produced Blau's Baby All Gone (she came with plastic food and utensils to feed her) and Baby Check-Up (she came with a stethoscope and other medical accouterments); more than 10 million of both dolls combined were sold worldwide. Among Ms. Blau's many other creations were playthings that mimicked her childhood creations: Bedside Buddies were knapsacks shaped like animals that could be tucked between a mattress and box spring to hold other toys to play with in bed. She also designed sheets printed with prosceniums and various characters drawn from three storylines -- 'twin bears,' 'ballerinas' and 'icky sticky monsters' -- that also had hand puppets stitched into the hems. An ardent environmentalist, Ms. Blau created an educational program to teach children about nature; it involved characters she called Treetures, who dispensed knowledge about trees. And she was the author of a number of books for young children, including 'Hello! Good-Bye!,' in which a puppy learns an existential truth: Hellos, good-byes Good-byes, hellos. Everybody comes, Everybody goes. This article originally appeared in
