FrancophonIA/DGT-Translation_Memory huggingface dataset:
English: The Commission therefore concluded that the measure in question could constitute incompatible State aid. This being the case, recovery should take place according to Article 14 of Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of 22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 93 of the EC Treaty.
French: Par conséquent, la Commission a conclu que la mesure litigieuse pouvait constituer une aide d’État incompatible, auquel cas la récupération devrait se faire conformément aux dispositions de l’article 14 du règlement (CE) no 659/1999 du Conseil du 22 mars 1999 portant modalités d’application de l’article 93 du traité CE.
English: Second, since the measure at issue is open to any Spanish company with no restrictions, it cannot distort competition. Indeed, any company in the same situation as a beneficiary of the measure at issue can benefit from the measure, thus reducing its tax burden, which would cancel any competitive advantage that might derive from it.
Hungarian: Másodszor, a vitatott intézkedés nem torzíthatja a versenyt, mivel korlátozás nélkül bármely spanyol társaság rendelkezésére áll. Bármely társaság, amely ugyanolyan helyzetben van, mint a vitatott intézkedés valamely kedvezményezettje, részesülhet a vitatott intézkedés adóterheket csökkentő rendelkezéséből, ami kizárja, hogy belőle bármilyen versenyelőny származna.
English: On this basis, the scope of the contested scheme would be limited to the acquisition of significant shareholdings in a company non-resident in Spain because some obstacles would make it more difficult to perform a cross-border business combination than a local one [83]. As a result of these barriers, Spanish taxpayers investing abroad would be placed, legally and factually, in a different situation from those investing in Spain.
Hungarian: Ennek megfelelően a vitatott intézkedés hatásköre a nem spanyolországi székhelyű társaságokban történt jelentős részesedésszerzésekre korlátozódna, mivel bizonyos akadályok miatt nehezebb egy határokon átnyúló, mint egy helyi üzleti kombinációt létrehozni [83].
English: Moreover, under settled case-law of the Court [88], for a measure to distort competition it is sufficient that the recipient of the aid competes with other undertakings on markets open to competition. The Commission considers that the conditions set out in the case-law are fulfilled for the following reasons:
Hungarian: Továbbá az állandó ítélkezési gyakorlat szerint [88] annak megállapítására, hogy az intézkedés torzítja a versenyt, elegendő, ha egy intézkedés kedvezményezettje a versenyre nyitott piacokon más társaságokkal versenyben áll. A Bizottság véleménye szerint az ítélkezési gyakorlatban figyelembe vett körülmények a következő okok miatt teljesültnek tekinthetők.
English: The measure at issue has been implemented without having been notified in advance to the Commission in accordance with Article 88(3) of the Treaty. Therefore, the measure, to the extent that it applies to intra-Community acquisitions, constitutes unlawful aid.
Hungarian: A vitatott intézkedést a Bizottságnak az EK-Szerződés 88. cikkének (3) bekezdésében előírt előzetes értesítése nélkül hajtották végre, következésképpen az intézkedés a Közösségen belüli részesedésszerzéseket illetően jogellenes támogatást valósít meg.
English: Article 22 TRLIS, entitled ‘Exemption of certain income obtained abroad via a permanent establishment’, is contained in Chapter IV TRLIS. Article 22 TRLIS lays down the conditions under which income generated abroad by a permanent establishment not situated in Spain is tax exempt.
Italian: l’articolo 22 del capo IV del TRLIS, «Esenzione di determinati redditi prodotti all’estero mediante un’entità ivi avente sede», stabilisce le condizioni per esentare dal pagamento dell’imposta i redditi prodotti all’estero mediante un’entità avente sede stabile fuori del territorio spagnolo.
English: In this context, the Commission also considered that the selective advantage did not appear to be justified by the inherent nature of the tax system. In particular, it considered that the differentiation created by the measure at issue, which departed from the general rules of the Spanish accounting and tax systems could not be justified by reasons linked to technicalities of the tax system.
Italian: In tale contesto la Commissione ha ritenuto inoltre che il vantaggio selettivo non sembrasse giustificato dalla natura del sistema fiscale e, in particolare, che la differenziazione creata dalla misura controversa, che si discostava dalle norme generali del sistema contabile e fiscale spagnolo, non potesse essere giustificata da motivi attinenti ad aspetti tecnici del sistema fiscale.
English: In the light of Commission practice and the relevant case-law, the Spanish authorities conclude that the contested measures cannot be considered State aid within the meaning of Article 87 of the Treaty. In addition, the Spanish authorities consider that a different conclusion would be contrary to the principle of legal certainty.
Italian: Tenuto conto della prassi della Commissione e della giurisprudenza in materia, le autorità spagnole concludono che le misure controverse non possono essere considerate aiuti di Stato ai sensi dell’articolo 87 del trattato e ritengono che una diversa conclusione violerebbe il principio della certezza del diritto.
English: As an opening comment, the Spanish authorities stress that direct taxation falls within the competence of the Member States. Therefore, the Commission’s action in this field should comply with the subsidiarity principle in Article 5 of the Treaty.
Italian: Come osservazione preliminare, le autorità spagnole sottolineano che le imposte dirette sono di competenza degli Stati membri e, di conseguenza, l’azione della Commissione in quest’ambito deve attenersi al principio di sussidiarietà sancito dall’articolo 5 del trattato.
English: Moreover, only a Spanish operator with existing business in Spain has a Spanish tax base and can benefit from the depreciation. Therefore, only companies resident in Spain with a significant Spanish tax base can in practice benefit from it, since the potential benefit is linked to the size of the Spanish operation rather than of the acquisition.
Italian: Del resto, soltanto gli operatori spagnoli aventi un’attività in Spagna hanno una base imponibile spagnola e possono beneficiare del deprezzamento: possono quindi usufruire della misura solamente le imprese con sede in Spagna e aventi una cospicua base imponibile spagnola, in quanto il beneficio potenziale è vincolato all’entità dell’operazione spagnola e non dell’acquisizione.
English: In order to ascertain whether a measure constitutes aid, the Commission must assess whether the measure at issue fulfils the conditions of Article 87(1) of the Treaty. This provision states that: ‘save as otherwise provided in this Treaty, any aid granted by Member State or through State resources in any form whatsoever which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods shall, in so far as it affects trade between Member States, be incompatible with the common market’.
Italian: Per stabilire se una misura costituisca aiuto di Stato, la Commissione deve valutare se la misura controversa risponda alle condizioni dell’articolo 87, paragrafo 1, del trattato, il quale stabilisce che «salvo deroghe contemplate dal presente trattato, sono incompatibili con il mercato comune, nella misura in cui incidano sugli scambi tra Stati membri, gli aiuti concessi dagli Stati, ovvero mediante risorse statali, sotto qualsiasi forma che, favorendo talune imprese o talune produzioni, falsino o minaccino di falsare la concorrenza».
English: In particular, no such amortisation is possible for domestic transactions. This is demonstrated by the following factors:
Italian: In particolare, tale ammortamento non è possibile per le operazioni nazionali, come evidenziano gli elementi esposti qui di seguito.
Slovak: Najmä pri vnútroštátnych transakciách nie je takéto odpisovanie možné, čo dokazujú nasledujúce faktory:
English: The State Aid Action Plan, building on existing practice, has formalised a three-step ‘balancing test’. The first two steps address the positive effects of the State aid and the third addresses the negative effects and the resulting balancing of the positive and negative effects.
Italian: Basandosi sulla prassi corrente, il piano d’azione nel settore degli aiuti di Stato ha istituzionalizzato una «valutazione comparata» in tre fasi, le prime due concernenti gli effetti positivi e la terza gli effetti negativi e il bilancio tra effetti positivi e negativi.
English: When calculating the tax burden of beneficiaries in the absence of the unlawful aid measure, the Spanish authorities must base themselves on the transactions that were carried out in the period prior to publication of the initiating Decision in the Official Journal, as indicated above. It is not possible to argue that, had these illegal advantages not existed, the beneficiaries would have structured their transactions differently in order to reduce their tax burden.
Italian: Per calcolare l’onere fiscale al quale sarebbero stati assoggettati i beneficiari in mancanza della misura di aiuto illegittimo, le autorità spagnole devono basarsi, come già si è detto, sulle operazioni effettuate nel periodo anteriore alla pubblicazione della decisione di avvio nella Gazzetta ufficiale.
English: According to Article 12(5) TRLIS, the financial goodwill is determined by deducting the market value of the tangible and intangible assets of the acquired company from the acquisition price paid for the shareholding. (21) Article 12(5) TRLIS provides that the amortisation of financial goodwill is dependent on meeting the following requirements, as set by reference to Article 21 TRLIS:
Lithuanian: TRLIS 12 straipsnio 5 dalyje nustatyta, kad perviršinės vertės amortizacija turi atitikti šiuos TRLIS 21 straipsnyje nustatytus reikalavimus:
English: Intra-Community acquisitions shall mean shareholding acquisitions, which meet all the relevant conditions of Article 12(5) TRLIS, in a target company which is formed in accordance with the law of a Member State and has its registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the Community. (f) Extra-Community acquisitions shall mean shareholding acquisitions, which meet all the relevant conditions of Article 12(5) TRLIS, in a target company which has not been formed in accordance with the law of a Member State or does not have its registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the Community.
Lithuanian: Įsigijimas ne Bendrijoje tikslinės bendrovės, įsteigtos ne pagal valstybės narės teisę ar neturinčios registruotos buveinės, centrinės administracijos ar pagrindinės verslo vietos Bendrijoje, akcijų įsigijimas, kuris atitinka visas susijusias TRLIS 12 straipsnio 5 dalies nuostatas.
English: Therefore, Article 12(5) TRLIS does not constitute an exception as it does not depart from the rules on amortisation of goodwill established in the Spanish accounting and tax systems. (39) Thirdly, the Spanish authorities point out that the measure at issue does not constitute a true economic advantage since, in the case of sale of the acquired shareholding, the amount deducted is recovered by taxation of the capital gain, thus placing the taxpayer in the same situation as if Article 12(5) TRLIS had not been applied.
Lithuanian: Trečia, Ispanijos valdžios institucijos nurodė, kad nagrinėjama priemone nesuteikiamas tikras ekonominis pranašumas, jei įsigytos akcijos parduodamos, išskaityta suma susigrąžinama apmokestinant kapitalo prieaugį, taigi mokesčių mokėtojo padėtis pasidaro tokia pat, kokia būtų, jei nebūtų buvusi taikyta TRLIS 12 straipsnio 5 dalis.
English: In the initiating Decision, the Commission states that neither a business combination nor takeover of the target company is necessary to benefit from Article 12(5) TRLIS. This statement reflects a misunderstanding of the Spanish tax system since these two Articles do not prevent a group of companies that jointly acquires control of a target company from deducting a corresponding fraction of the goodwill resulting from the operation. Hence, application of these two Articles does not require individual control of the target company in order to benefit from the measure at issue. In this context, it would be inappropriate to consider that Article 12(5) TRLIS offers more favourable treatment than Articles 11(4) or 89(3) TRLIS as regards the controlling position of the beneficiaries.
Lithuanian: Tokiomis aplinkybėmis būtų netinkama manyti, kad, kalbant apie pagalbos gavėjų kontroliavimo padėtį, TRLIS 12 straipsnio 5 dalyje siūlomas palankesnis režimas negu TRLIS 11 straipsnio 4 dalyje ar 89 straipsnio 3 dalyje.
English: The effect of Article 12(5) TRLIS is to promote the creation of pan-European undertakings, by putting domestic and cross-border acquisitions on the same footing. (58) Therefore, for the Spanish authorities, Article 12(5) TRLIS is compatible with the common market since, in the absence of European tax harmonisation, it achieves the objective of breaking down barriers to cross-border investment in a proportionate manner.
Lithuanian: Todėl Ispanijos valdžios institucijos mano, kad TRLIS 12 straipsnio 5 dalis dera su bendrąja rinka, nes, kadangi Europos mokesčiai yra nesuderinti, ja pasiekiamas tikslas proporcingai šalinti kliūtis tarpvalstybiniam investavimui.
English: Until the introduction of Article 12(5) TRLIS the Spanish corporate tax legislation did not allow the amortisation of shareholdings regardless of whether or not there had actually been an impairment. They stress that Article 12(5) TRLIS is probably unique in the European context as no other Member State has a similar system for cross-border transactions not involving the acquisition of controlling shares.
Lithuanian: Dvi šalys pabrėžia, kad TRLIS 12 straipsnio 5 dalis tikriausiai yra unikali Europos kontekste, nes nė vienoje kitoje valstybėje narėje nėra panašios sistemos, taikomos tarpvalstybiniams sandoriams, kai neįsigyjamas kontrolinis akcijų paketas.
English: Although the company’s balance sheet discloses the book values of assets, it is unlikely that it also reflects the tacit market values of assets. Therefore, in practice, only operators with a controlling interest in target companies have sufficient access to a company’s records to ascertain the tacit market value of the company’s assets.
Lithuanian: Todėl praktiškai tik tie veiklos vykdytojai, kurie turi kontrolinę tikslinių bendrovių dalį, turi pakankamą priėjimą prie bendrovės dokumentų ir gali išsiaiškinti numanomą bendrovės turto rinkos vertę.
English: According to the case-law of the Court [87], ‘… for the purpose of categorising a national measure as prohibited State aid, it is necessary, not to establish that the aid has a real effect on trade between Member States and that competition is actually being distorted, but only to examine whether that aid is liable to affect such trade and distort competition. In particular, when aid granted by a Member State strengthens the position of an undertaking compared with other undertakings competing in intra-Community trade, the latter must be regarded as affected by that aid… In addition, it not necessary that the beneficiary undertaking itself be involved in intra-Community trade.
Lithuanian: Vadovaujantis Teisingumo Teismo praktika [87], „vertinant, ar nacionalinę priemonę galima laikyti draudžiama valstybės pagalba, neprivaloma konstatuoti, kad ši pagalba turėjo realios įtakos valstybių narių tarpusavio prekybai ar kad ji realiai iškraipė konkurenciją, o reikia tik išsiaiškinti, ar tokia pagalba gali daryti poveikį šiai prekybai ir iškraipyti konkurenciją.
English: See the judgment of the Court of Justice in joined Cases 6/69 and 11/69 Commission v France [1969] ECR 523. See also point 18 of the Commission Notice on the application of the State aid rules to measures relating to direct business taxation (OJ C 384, 10.12.1998, p. 3).
Latvian: Skatīt Tiesas 1969. gada 10. decembra spriedumu apvienotajās lietās 6/69 un 11/69, Komisija pret Franciju, [1969] Recueil, 523. lpp. Skatīt arī Komisijas paziņojuma par normu piemērošanu attiecībā uz valsts atbalstu pasākumiem saistībā ar uzņēmējsabiedrību tiešo aplikšanu ar nodokļiem 18. punktu (OV C 384,10.12.1998., 3. lpp.).
English: This approach is in line with previous Commission practice and the case-law of the European Courts, which consider the ordinary corporate tax system as the reference system [54]. The Spanish authorities’ comments stress that the constraints on cross-border business combinations place taxpayers that buy shareholdings in domestic companies in a different legal and factual situation from those that buy shareholdings in foreign companies.
Maltese: Dan l-approċċ huwa konsistenti mal-prassi preċedenti tal-Kummissjoni u l-każistika tal-Qrati Ewropej, li jqisu s-sistema tat-taxxa korporattiva ordinarja bħala s-sistema ta’ referenza [54] Il-kummenti tal-awtoritajiet Spanjoli jisħqu li r-restrizzjonijiet fuq il-kombinamenti tan-negozju transkonfinali jpoġġu lill-kontribwenti li jixtru l-ishma f’kumpaniji domestiċi f’sitwazzjoni legali u fattwali differenti minn dawk li jixtru l-ishma f’kumpaniji barranin.
English: In the course of the procedure, the Spanish authorities and the 30 interested parties presented their arguments to demonstrate that the exemptions provided for in Article 87(3)(c) of the Treaty would apply in the case in question [107]. The two parties considered that none of the provisions of Article 87(2) or Article 87(3) of the Treaty applied in the case at hand.
Dutch: In de loop van de procedure hebben de Spaanse autoriteiten en de dertig belanghebbenden hun argumenten naar voren gebracht om aan te tonen dat de in artikel 87, lid 3, onder c), van het Verdrag bedoelde vrijstellingen in de onderhavige zaak van toepassing zouden zijn [107].
English: Tax reductions enjoyed by beneficiaries in respect of intra-Community acquisitions, by virtue of Article 12(5) TRLIS which are related to an irrevocable obligation entered into before 21 December 2007 to hold such rights where the contract contains a suspensive condition linked to the fact that the operation at issue is subject to the mandatory approval of a regulatory authority and where the decision and the operation has been notified before 21 December 2007, can continue to apply for the entire amortisation period established by the aid scheme for the part of the rights held as of the date when the suspensive condition is lifted. Article 2
Dutch: Belastingaftrek die de begunstigden overeenkomstig artikel 12, lid 5, van de TRLIS genoten in het kader van intracommunautaire verwervingen, die zijn verbonden aan een vóór 21 december 2007 aangegane onherroepelijke verbintenis, genoemde deelnemingen in bezit te hebben mits de overeenkomst een opschortende voorwaarde bevat die is verbonden met het feit dat de transactie in kwestie aan de verplichte goedkeuring van een regelgevende instantie is onderworpen en de transactie vóór 21 december 2007 is aangemeld, kan gedurende de gehele in de steunregeling vastgelegde afschrijvingsperiode verder worden toegepast voor het gedeelte van de deelnemingen die zij vanaf de datum waarop de opschortende voorwaarde wordt opgeheven in bezit hebben.
English: In the same way, the contested measure adopted in 2001 cannot be regarded as promoting the execution of a project of common European interest or remedying a serious disturbance in the economy of Spain, as provided for in Article 87(3)(b). Nor is its purpose to promote culture and heritage conservation as provided for in Article 87(3)(d).
Portuguese: Do mesmo modo, não se pode considerar que a medida impugnada que foi adoptada em 2001 fomente a realização de um projecto de interesse europeu comum ou sane uma perturbação grave da economia espanhola, conforme prevê o artigo 87.o, n.o 3, alínea b), também não tendo como objectivo a promoção da cultura e da conservação do património em conformidade com o artigo 87.o, n.o 3, alínea d).
Swedish: Den ifrågasatta åtgärd som antogs 2001 kan inte heller anses främja genomförandet av ett projekt av gemensamt europeiskt intresse eller avhjälpa en allvarlig störning i Spaniens ekonomi, i enlighet med artikel 87.3 b. Inte heller är syftet med åtgärden att främja kultur och bevara kulturarvet, som anges i artikel 87.3 d.
English: The preamble to Spanish Act No 3/2009 of 3 April 2009 on structural modifications of companies [59], which transposes the Company Law Directive, confirms this analysis when stating that ‘… the Spanish practice was already familiar with cross-border mergers between companies subject to the laws of different Member States …’. The Commission has not been notified by the Spanish authorities or the 30 interested parties of any other substantiated barrier that could justify different legal treatment as in the case of the measure at issue.
Slovak: V preambule španielskeho zákona č. 3/2009 z 3. apríla 2009 o štrukturálnych zmenách podnikov [59], ktorým sa vykonáva transpozícia smernice o práve obchodných spoločností, sa táto analýza potvrdzuje, keď sa uvádza, že „… Španielsko je už v praxi dobre oboznámené s cezhraničnými fúziami medzi podnikmi, ktoré podliehajú zákonom rôznych členských štátov…“ Španielske orgány ani tridsať zainteresovaných strán nenotifikovali Komisii žiadnu inú opodstatnenú prekážku, ktorá by mohla oprávňovať rozdielne právne zaobchádzanie, ako v prípade predmetného opatrenia.
English: The concept of State aid does not, however, apply to State measures which differentiate between undertakings where that differentiation arises from the nature or the overall structure of the system of which they form part. As explained in the Commission Notice [52], ‘some conditions may be justified by objective differences between taxpayers’.
Swedish: Begreppet statligt stöd är dock inte tillämpligt på statliga åtgärder som gör åtskillnad mellan företag där åtskillnaden beror på egenskaperna eller den övergripande strukturen hos det system som de ingår i. I kommissionens meddelande anges följande [52]: ”Vissa villkor kan slutligen motiveras av objektiva skillnader mellan skattebetalarna.”
English: Third, the Commission observes that, in line with the case-law of the Court of Justice [61], if the Member States do not treat cross-border business combinations in similar terms to domestic business combinations, this may constitute an infringement of the obligations arising from the Treaty. In effect, when a national law establishes a difference in treatment between companies according to the internal or cross-border nature of the merger, this is likely to deter the exercise of freedom of establishment laid down by the Treaty.
Swedish: För det tredje konstaterar kommissionen att om medlemsstater inte behandlar gränsöverskridande rörelseförvärv på liknande villkor som inhemska rörelseförvärv kan detta enligt domstolens rättspraxis [61] strida mot de skyldigheter som följer av fördraget.
English: The Commission considers that, under the settled case-law of the Court [73], measures introducing a differentiation between undertakings do not constitute State aid where that differentiation arises from the nature or the overall structure of the system of charges of which they are part. This justification based on the nature or overall structure of the tax system reflects the consistency of a specific tax measure with the internal logic of the tax system in general.
Swedish: Kommissionen anser att EU-domstolens fasta rättspraxis [73] innebär att åtgärder som leder till att det görs åtskillnad mellan företag inte är statligt stöd om de är en följd av egenskaperna hos det övergripande avgiftssystem som de ingår i. Denna motivering som bygger på egenskaperna hos eller den övergripande strukturen i skattesystemet avspeglar en viss skatteåtgärds förenlighet med den inre logiken i skattesystemet i stort.