natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Det er imidlertid i modstrid hermed, når det i nogle kommentarer fremføres, at staten optrådte som en markedsøkonomisk investor, og det samtidig i kommentarerne til indledningen af den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure fremføres, at statens indgriben til fordel for France 2 overholdt kriterierne i rammebestemmelserne om statsstøtte til redning og omstrukturering af kriseramte virksomheder.
It is contradictory, however, to claim, in certain comments, that the State acted in the same way as a private investor operating in a market economy and in the comments on the decision to initiate the formal investigation procedure, that the State intervention in favour of France 2 complied with the guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty.
Disse rammebestemmelser finder anvendelse på støtte til redning og omstrukturering og ikke på indgriben efter det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip.
The guidelines apply to rescue and restructuring aid and not to interventions in line with the market economy private investor principle.
Da de franske myndigheder imidlertid sammenlignede deres praksis i forbindelse med France 2 med en markedsøkonomisk investors, skal dette argument analyseres.
Since the French authorities compared their behaviour towards France 2 with that of a private investor operating in a market economy, that argument must nevertheless be examined.
For at vurdere om kapitaltilførslerne blev ydet på normale markedsvilkår, skal der foretages en analyse af modtagerens økonomiske resultater i perioden før kapitaltilførslen og af de økonomiske udsigter på basis af markedsprognoser.
To assess whether the capital injections were granted under normal market conditions, the economic performance of the recipient during the period preceding the grant of the capital injections must be examined, together with its financial prospects based on market forecasts.
Tabel 3 nedenfor viser France 2’s nettoresultat før og efter de tre kapitaltilførsler.
Table 3 shows France 2’s net profits/losses before and after the grant of the three capital injections.
France 2’s økonomiske situation i perioden 1988-1994
France 2 financial data 1988 to 1994
Kilde: France 2’s resultatopgørelse.
Source: France 2, profit and loss accounts
(i mio. FRF)
(FRF million)
Nettoresultat for regnskabsåret
Net profit/loss
Som det fremgår af tabel 3 var France 2 ikke rentabel på tidspunktet for kapitaltilførslen.
As can be seen from table 3, France 2 was not profitable at the time the capital injections were made.
De franske myndigheder kunne ikke på basis af tv-kanalens tidligere resultater forvente en rimelig forrentning af deres investering.
The French authorities could not, on the basis of the broadcaster’s past performance, expect a reasonable rate of return on their investment.
De kunne heller ikke forvente en normal forrentning på grundlag af selskabets økonomiske udsigter eller markedsprognoserne.
Neither could they expect a normal return on the basis of the enterprise’s financial prospects or market forecasts.
Der blev ganske vist rettet op på France 2’s situation fra 1992 — efter nogle år med tab — men tv-kanalens beskedne overskud var kun muligt takket være statens kapitalindskud i 1993 og 1994.
Although France 2’s viability was restored from 1992 onwards, after several years of losses, the meagre profits it registered were possible only thanks to the additional capital injections granted by the French State in 1993 and 1994.
De franske myndigheders argument, ifølge hvilket kapitalindskuddene i France 2 skal betragtes som en normal markedsøkonomisk investering, kan derfor ikke accepteres.
Consequently, the French authorities’ argument that the capital injections granted to France 2 should be regarded as a normal market investment cannot be accepted.
Kommissionen mener derfor ikke, at en markedsøkonomisk investor ville have foretaget de kapitalindskud i France 2, som den franske stat foretog i 1991, 1993 og 1994.
The Commission thus takes the view that a private investor operating in a market economy would not have granted France 2 capital injections equivalent to those made by the French State in 1991, 1993 and 1994.
De udgør derfor en fordel for France 2 — endda en selektiv fordel — da France 2 er den eneste tv-kanal, der har modtaget sådanne kapitalindskud til finansiering af sine aktiviteter.
Those capital injections therefore conferred an advantage on France 2 that was also selective since France 2 is the only television broadcaster that received such capital injections in order to finance its activities.
Endvidere skal det undersøges, om betingelsen om, at der er tale om en fordel, er opfyldt i forhold til de kumulative betingelser, EF-Domstolen opstillede i Altmark-dommen [9].
It also has to be examined whether the criterion concerning the advantage conferred is fulfilled in the light of the cumulative conditions laid down by the Court of Justice of the European Communities in Altmark [9].
Der er tale om følgende betingelser:
Those conditions are the following:
den begunstigede virksomhed er faktisk blevet pålagt at opfylde forpligtelser til offentlig tjeneste, og disse forpligtelser er blevet klart defineret
the recipient undertaking must actually have public service obligations to discharge, and the obligations must be clearly defined,
de kriterier, der er grundlaget for beregningen af kompensationen, er blevet fastlagt på forhånd på en objektiv og gennemsigtig måde for at undgå, at kompensationen udgør en økonomisk fordel, der kan begunstige den støttemodtagende virksomhed i forhold til konkurrenterne
the parameters on the basis of which the compensation is calculated must be established in advance in an objective and transparent manner, to avoid it conferring an economic advantage which may favour the recipient undertaking over competing undertakings,
kompensationen overstiger ikke, hvad der er nødvendigt for helt eller delvis at dække de udgifter, der er afholdt ved opfyldelsen af forpligtelserne til offentlig tjeneste, idet der skal tages hensyn til de hermed forbundne indtægter og til en rimelig fortjeneste ved opfyldelsen af forpligtelserne
the compensation cannot exceed what is necessary to cover all or part of the costs incurred in the discharge of public service obligations, taking into account the relevant receipts and a reasonable profit for discharging those obligations,
når udvælgelsen af den virksomhed, der skal overdrages en forpligtelse til offentlig tjeneste, ikke gennemføres inden for rammerne af en procedure for tildeling af offentlige kontrakter, skal kompensationen fastlægges på grundlag af en analyse af de omkostninger, som en gennemsnitsvirksomhed, der er veldrevet og tilstrækkeligt udstyret til at kunne opfylde de stillede krav til den offentlige tjeneste, ville have ved at gennemføre forpligtelserne, idet der skal tages hensyn til de hermed forbundne indtægter og til en rimelig fortjeneste ved opfyldelsen af forpligtelserne.
where the undertaking is not chosen pursuant to a public procurement procedure, the level of compensation needed must be determined on the basis of an analysis of the costs which a typical undertaking, well run and adequately provided, would have incurred in discharging those obligations, taking into account the relevant receipts and a reasonable profit for discharging the obligations.
I dette tilfælde mener Kommissionen ikke, at den anden betingelse i Altmark-dommen er opfyldt.
In the case in point, the Commission considers that the second condition laid down by the Court in Altmark is not met.
Investeringsstøtten og kapitalindskuddene er punktuelle støtteforanstaltninger, som den franske stat ydede France 2 og France 3 for at give selskaberne mulighed for at klare deres forværrede økonomiske situation.
The investment grants and capital injections are one-off support measures granted by the French State to France 2 and France 3 to enable them to cope with the deterioration in their economic situation.
Den finansielle kompensation blev først indrømmet efterfølgende og for at klare en uforudset situation. Der er således ikke tale om kompensationer, der er blevet fastlagt på forhånd på en objektiv og gennemsigtig måde.
Such finance was granted only a posteriori and in order to address an unforeseen situation, and therefore not on the basis of parameters established in advance in an objective and transparent manner.
Hvad angår den fjerde betingelse i Altmark-dommen, kan Kommissionen endvidere konstatere, at de tv-kanaler, som de franske myndigheder har pålagt at udføre public service-opgaver, ikke er udvalgt inden for rammerne af en procedure for tildeling af offentlige kontrakter. Endvidere er den kompensation, der er indrømmet de to tv-kanaler, ikke beregnet med udgangspunkt i en gennemsnitsvirksomhed, der er veldrevet og tilstrækkeligt udstyret til at kunne opfylde de stillede krav til den offentlige tjeneste.
Furthermore, as far as the fourth condition laid down by the Court in Altmark is concerned, the Commission notes that the television broadcasters to which the French authorities entrusted public service obligations were not chosen pursuant to a public procurement procedure, and the level of financial compensation granted to the two public broadcasters was not determined on the basis of an analysis of the costs which a typical undertaking, well run and adequately provided, would have incurred in discharging those public service obligations.
Da de kumulative betingelser i Altmark-dommen ikke er opfyldt, konstaterer Kommissionen, at den støtte og de kapitalindskud, der behandles i denne beslutning, udgjorde en selektiv fordel for France 2 og France 3 efter traktatens artikel 87, stk. 1.
Since the cumulative conditions laid down by the Court in Altmark are not met, the Commission finds that the grants and capital injections covered by this Decision did constitute for France 2 and France 3 selective advantages within the meaning of Article 87(1) of the Treaty.
Ifølge EF-Domstolens faste retspraksis [10], vil en finansiel støtte, som styrker en virksomheds position i forhold til andre virksomheder, som den konkurrerer med i samhandelen inden for Fællesskabet, være konkurrenceforvridende.
The Court of Justice has furthermore consistently held [10] that any State aid which strengthens the position of an undertaking compared with other undertakings competing in intra Community trade distorts competition.
Da Kommissionens undersøgelse af denne sag blev påbegyndt i 1988, var den audiovisuelle sektor i Frankrig åben for konkurrence.
In 1988, when the Commission’s examination of this case began, the broadcasting sector in France was open to competition.
France 2 og France 3 konkurrerede med andre tv-kanaler, og den økonomiske fordel som følge af de økonomiske foranstaltninger, der behandles i denne beslutning, fastslog eller styrkede nødvendigvis deres stilling i forhold til konkurrenterne.
France 2 and France 3 were in competition with other television broadcasters and the financial advantage they received through the financial measures covered by this Decision necessarily maintained or strengthened their position compared with that of their competitors.
De økonomiske foranstaltninger til fordel for France 2 og France 2 medførte således en konkurrenceforvridning efter traktatens artikel 87, stk. 1.
The financial measures from which they benefited did therefore result in a distortion of competition within the meaning of Article 87(1) of the Treaty.
Påvirkning af samhandelen
Effect on trade
En statslig økonomisk foranstaltning udgør kun statsstøtte efter traktatens artikel 87, stk. 1, hvis den faktisk eller potentielt påvirker samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
A State financial measure constitutes State aid within the meaning of Article 87(1) of the Treaty only where it actually or potentially affects trade between Member States.
Når en økonomisk støtte ydet af staten styrker en virksomheds stilling i forhold til andre konkurrerende virksomheder, må sidstnævnte siges at være påvirket af støtten [11].
When State financial aid 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 [11].
EF-Domstolen har udviklet en bred fortolkning af begrebet påvirkning.
The Court of Justice has developed a broad interpretation of the concept of the effect on trade.
Det forhold, at den berørte virksomhed ikke selv deltager i eksporten, udelukker ikke, at samhandelen påvirkes.
Accordingly, the fact that an undertaking is not itself engaged in exporting does not mean that trade is not affected.
Når en medlemsstat yder støtte til en virksomhed, kan det betyde, at den indenlandske aktivitet fastholdes eller styrkes, hvilket i samme omfang vil svække andre medlemsstaters virksomheders mulighed for at etablere sig på markedet.
Where a Member State grants aid to an undertaking, domestic production may for that reason be maintained or increased, with the result that undertakings established in other Member States have less chance of exporting their products to the market in that Member State.
Støtten giver således mulighed for at bevare en markedsandel, som konkurrenter i andre medlemsstater kunne have erhvervet [12].
Such aid thus enables the undertaking to retain a market share that could have been captured by competitors established in other Member States [12].
I lyset af denne retspraksis hedder det i meddelelsen, at »statslig finansiering af public service-radio- og tv-virksomhed normalt vil påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
In the light of this case-law, the communication states that ‘thus, State financing of public service broadcasters can generally be considered to affect trade between Member States.
Det er oplagt tilfældet, når der er tale om erhvervelse og salg af programrettigheder, der ofte finder sted på internationalt niveau.
This is clearly the position as regards the acquisition and sale of programme rights, which often takes place at an international level.
For de public service-selskaber, der har ret til at sælge reklametid, har også reklamer grænseoverskridende virkninger, navnlig i homogene sprogområder, der overskrider de nationale grænser.
Advertising, too, in the case of public broadcasters who are allowed to sell advertising space, has a cross-border effect, especially for homogeneous linguistic areas across national boundaries.
Endvidere kan radio- og tv-selskabernes ejerstruktur række ud over én medlemsstat.« [13].
Moreover, the ownership structure of commercial broadcasters may extend to more than one Member State’ [13].
(I anmodningen om oplysninger [14] og i beslutningen om at indlede den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure behandlede Kommissionen indgående spørgsmålet om påvirkning af samhandelen.
In its information injunction [14] and in the decision to initiate the formal investigation procedure, the Commission developed at length the issue of the effect on trade.
Markedet for erhvervelse og salg af programrettigheder er internationalt, selv om rettighederne og programmerne generelt erhverves for et bestemt geografisk marked.
The markets in the acquisition of broadcasting rights and the sale of programmes have an international dimension, even if rights and programmes are usually acquired for a particular geographic market.
De økonomiske ressourcer, der blev ydet France 2 og France 3, gav selskaberne yderligere konkurrencemæssige midler til at erhverve audiovisuelle rettigheder og investere i programmer, der efterfølgende blev solgt.
The financial resources granted to France 2 and France 3 provided them with additional competitive means for acquiring broadcasting rights and investing in programmes that were subsequently put up for sale.
Endvidere placerede støtteforanstaltningerne France 2 og France 3 i en mere gunstig situation end deres konkurrenter i EU, hvorved konkurrenternes chancer for at etablere sig i Frankrig mindskedes.
The aid measures in question also placed France 2 and France 3 in a more favourable position than their competitors in the Community, with the result that those competitors had less chances of exporting their products to France.
I den forbindelse skal det bemærkes, at i en del af den periode, der undersøges i denne beslutning, var en audiovisuel koncern, der opererer i flere medlemsstater, aktionær i den franske tv-kanal, la Cinq, der gik konkurs i 1992.
It should be noted here that during part of the period examined in this Decision, a broadcasting group operating in several Member States held shares in the French channel La Cinq, which was declared bankrupt in 1992.
Den støtte og de kapitalindskud, som France 2 og France 3 nød godt af, påvirkede således samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne efter traktatens artikel 87, stk. 1.
Consequently, the grants and capital injections received by France 2 and France 3 did affect trade within the meaning of Article 87(1) of the Treaty.
På baggrund af disse betragtninger kan det konkluderes, at den støtte, som de franske myndigheder ydede France 2 og France 3, samt kapitalindskuddene i France 2 fra 1988 til 1994 udgør statsstøtte ifølge traktaten.
In the light of these considerations, it has to be concluded that the grants paid by the French authorities to France 2 and France 3 and the capital injections granted to France 2 between 1988 and 1994 constitute State aid within the meaning of the Treaty.
OVERDRAGELSE TIL FRANCE 2 OG FRANCE 3 AF UDFØRELSEN AF EN TJENESTEYDELSE AF ALMINDELIG ØKONOMISK INTERESSE
ASSIGNMENT TO FRANCE 2 AND FRANCE 3 OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE OPERATION OF A SERVICE OF GENERAL ECONOMIC INTEREST
Det hedder i traktatens artikel 86, stk. 2, at »Virksomheder, der har fået overdraget at udføre tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse, eller som har karakter af fiskale monopoler, er underkastet denne traktats bestemmelser, navnlig konkurrencereglerne, i det omfang anvendelsen af disse bestemmelser ikke retligt eller faktisk hindrer opfyldelsen af de særlige opgaver, som er betroet dem.
Article 86(2) of the Treaty provides that ‘undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest or having the character of a revenue-producing monopoly shall be subject to the rules contained in this Treaty, in particular to the rules on competition, insofar as the application of such rules does not obstruct the performance, in law or in fact, of the particular tasks assigned to them.
Udviklingen af samhandelen må ikke påvirkes i et sådant omfang, at det strider mod Fællesskabets interesse.«
The development of trade must not be affected to such an extent as would be contrary to the interests of the Community’.
Ifølge EF-Domstolens faste retspraksis udgør artikel 86 en undtagelse fra forbuddet mod statsstøtte, hvad angår virksomheder, der har fået overdraget at udføre tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse [15].
It is settled case-law that Article 86 of the Treaty constitutes, for undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest, a derogation from the ban on State aid [15].
Altmark-dommen bekræfter indirekte, at statsstøtte, der opvejer en virksomheds omkostninger ved at udføre en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse, generelt kan erklæres forenelig med fællesmarkedet, hvis betingelserne i traktatens artikel 86, stk. 2, overholdes.
The Court’s judgment in Altmark implicitly confirms that State aid which compensates for the costs incurred by an undertaking in providing a service of general economic interest may be declared compatible with the common market if the conditions laid down in Article 86(2) of the Treaty are met.
I overensstemmelse med fast retspraksis [16], er traktatens artikel 86 en undtagelsesbestemmelse, der skal fortolkes restriktivt.
The Court has consistently held [16] that Article 86 provides for a derogation and must therefore be interpreted restrictively.
Førsteinstansretten har fastslået, at alle følgende betingelser skal være opfyldt, for at en foranstaltning kan omfattes af denne undtagelse:
The Court has clarified that in order for a measure to benefit from such a derogation, it is necessary that all the following conditions be fulfilled:
den omhandlede tjenesteydelse skal være en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse og være klart defineret som sådan af medlemsstaten
the service in question must be a service of general economic interest and clearly defined as such by the Member State,
den omhandlede virksomhed skal udtrykkeligt af medlemsstaten være pålagt at udføre den omhandlede tjenesteydelse
the undertaking in question must be explicitly entrusted by the Member State with the provision of that service,
anvendelsen af traktatens konkurrenceregler (i dette tilfælde forbuddet mod statsstøtte) skal være hindrende for udførelsen af den særlige tjeneste, det er pålagt virksomheden at udføre, og undtagelsen fra disse regler må ikke påvirke samhandelen i et omfang, der strider mod Fællesskabets interesse.
the application of the competition rules of the Treaty must obstruct the performance of the particular tasks assigned to the undertaking and the derogation must not affect the development of trade to an extent that would be contrary to the interests of the Community.
Meddelelsen fastsætter de principper og metoder, som Kommissionen vil følge for at sikre overholdelse af disse betingelser på radio- og tv-området.
The communication sets out the principles and methods which the Commission intends to follow to ensure that the above conditions are fulfilled in the broadcasting sector.
I dette tilfælde skal Kommissionen således sikre, at:
In the case in point, the Commission must accordingly establish that:
de aktiviteter, som tv-kanalerne France 2 og France 3 udfører, er public service-aktiviteter, og at deres public service-opgaver er klart defineret (definition)
the activity of France 2 and France 3 constitutes a public service activity and the public service tasks of the two broadcasters are clearly defined (definition),
France 2 og France 3 er blevet pålagt public service-opgaverne ved en officiel akt (mandat og kontrol)
France 2 and France 3 have been entrusted with these public service tasks by an official decision (entrustment and supervision),
den finansielle kompensation er proportionel med nettoomkostningerne som følge af public service-forpligtelsen (proportionalitet).
the financial compensation granted to them is proportional to the net cost of their public service activity (proportionality test).
Kommissionen skal også i sin analyse tage højde for protokollen.
In its analysis, the Commission must also have due regard for the Protocol.
Her mindes der om, at offentlig radio- og tv-virksomhed i medlemsstaterne hænger direkte sammen med de demokratiske, sociale og kulturelle behov i de enkelte samfund og med nødvendigheden af at bevare mediepluralisme.
The Protocol stresses that the system of public broadcasting is directly related to the democratic, social and cultural needs of each society and to the need to preserve media pluralism.
Det hedder, at medlemsstaterne har kompetence til at »finansiere public service-radio- og tv-virksomhed, for så vidt finansieringen ydes til radio- og fjernsynsforetagender, så disse kan opfylde deres public service-opgaver som pålagt dem, defineret og tilrettelagt af de enkelte medlemsstater, og denne finansiering ikke ændrer handels- og konkurrencevilkårene i Fællesskabet i et omfang, der strider mod de fælles interesser, idet der tages hensyn til opfyldelsen af disse public service-opgaver.«
It states more precisely that the Member States are competent ‘to provide for the funding of public service broadcasting insofar as such funding is granted to broadcasting organisations for the fulfilment of the public service remit as conferred, defined and organised by each Member State, and insofar as such funding does not affect trading conditions and competition in the Community to an extent which would be contrary to the common interest, while the realisation of the remit of that public service shall be taken into account’.
Definition af France 2’s og France 3’s public service-opgaver
Definition of the public service remits of France 2 and France 3