natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
I den foreliggende sag har den pågældende virksomhed fået pålagt visse forpligtelser, som er defineret i kontrakten.
In the case at issue, the recipient undertaking has been required to discharge certain obligations which are defined in the contract.
De er sammen med kriterierne for beregningen af kompensationen som omhandlet i bilag III, IV og V i kontrakten resultatet af forhandlinger mellem de kompetente regionale myndigheder og selskabet, som allerede var blevet udvalgt til at præstere lufttransportydelsen.
These obligations as well as the parameters for calculation of the compensation, as established in Annexes III, IV and V to the contract, are the result of negotiations conducted between the competent regional authorities and the company which had already been selected to provide the air transport service.
Cataloniens autonome regering henvendte sig i perioden juli-november 2001 ved brev til flere transportselskaber for at oplyse om sit initiativ til at anspore til oprettelse af denne rute og for at opfordre dem til at fremsætte bud eller erklære sig rede til at beflyve ruten.
In fact, the Autonomous Government of Catalonia had contacted several carriers individually by letter during the period July to November 2001 in order to inform them of its initiative to encourage the establishment of this air route and to invite them to submit tenders or to state that they were prepared to operate this air service.
Ved disse kontakter begrænsede de regionale myndigheder sig til at opfordre luftfartsselskaberne til at fremsætte et bud.
During this process, the regional authorities invited only the airlines contacted to submit a tender.
Det nævnes i disse breve ikke, hvilke forpligtelser selskaberne skal påtage sig, eller hvilke kriterier der skal ligge til grund for kompensationen.
These letters contain no details about the obligations imposed on the companies or the parameters regarding compensation.
Det kan ikke udelukkes, at de luftfartsselskaber, som ikke efterkom de regionale myndigheders anmodning, eventuelt ville have været interesseret i at indgå en kontrakt, hvis de regionale myndigheder samtidig med deres anmodning havde givet mere konkrete oplysninger om forpligtelserne og kriterierne for beregning af kompensationen.
It cannot be ruled out that the airlines which did not respond to the request from the regional authorities might have been interested in concluding the contract if more specific details about these obligations and the parameters for calculating the compensation had been available when the request was sent out by the regional authorities.
Kommissionen mener ikke, at forpligtelserne til offentlig tjeneste i den foreliggende sag blev defineret på en klar og gennemsigtig måde, og den første betingelse i henhold til Altmark-dommen er således ikke opfyldt.
The Commission considers that, in the case at issue, the public service obligations were not defined in a clear and transparent manner and that, consequently, the first condition laid down in the Altmark judgment was not satisfied.
Desuden blev kontrakten, som blev indgået den 26. marts 2002 mellem Generalitat de Catalunya, Diputació de Girona, Gironas handels- og industrikammer og repræsentanten for selskabet Intermediación Aérea SL (Intermed), blot omtalt i en pressemeddelelse og ikke en officiel meddelelse, som interesserede tredjeparter ifølge oplysninger, som Kommissionen er i besiddelse af, ikke havde adgang til.
Furthermore, the contract concluded on 26 March 2002 between the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, the Gerona Regional Council, the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Gerona and the representative of Intermediación Aérea SL (Intermed) was simply announced by a press release but was not officially published and, according to the Commission’s information, was not accessible to interested third parties.
Kriterierne for forudgående beregning af kompensationen på en objektiv og gennemsigtig måde er for luftfartssektoren fastsat i artikel 4 i forordning (EØF) nr. 2408/92, som ikke er blevet overholdt.
In addition, in the air transport sector the parameters for calculating compensation in advance in an objective and transparent manner are established by the method laid down by the Community legislator in Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92, which has not been complied with.
Kommissionen mener desuden ikke, at kriterierne for beregning af kompensationen i det foreliggende tilfælde er blevet fastlagt på forhånd på en objektiv og gennemsigtig måde.
In addition, the Commission considers that the parameters on the basis of which the compensation is calculated in the case at hand were not established in advance in an objective and transparent manner.
Den anden betingelse i henhold til Altmark-dommen er således ikke opfyldt.
The second condition of the Altmark judgment has therefore not been satisfied.
Kompensationen må ifølge Domstolens tredje betingelse ikke overstige, 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.
According to the third condition laid down by the Court, the compensation must not exceed what is necessary to cover all or part of the costs incurred in the discharge of the public service obligations, taking into account the relevant receipts and a reasonable profit for discharging those obligations.
Det er nødvendigt, at denne forpligtelse overholdes, for at garantere, at den pågældende virksomhed ikke indrømmes nogen fordel, som fordrejer eller truer med at fordreje konkurrencen ved at styrke virksomhedens konkurrencemæssige stilling.
Compliance with such a condition is essential to ensure that the recipient undertaking is not given any advantage which distorts or threatens to distort competition by strengthening that undertaking’s competitive position.
Formålet er at hindre, at virksomheder indrømmes en overkompensation, og at hindre, at kompensationen ydes i en form eller med et beløb, som giver virksomheden overskydende likvide midler, som den vil kunne afsætte til aktiviteter, der eventuelt kan skabe en fordrejning af konkurrencen.
The purpose of this condition is to avoid overcompensation being paid to undertakings and to avoid the situation where the type and amount of compensation granted means that the undertaking has surplus cash which it could devote to activities which might distort competition.
I luftfartssektoren er den metode, som lovgiveren har valgt til at hindre en sådan overkompensation og tillige så vidt muligt at mindske de skadelige virkninger af en begrænsning af markedsadgangen, en streng overholdelse af udbudsproceduren som omhandlet i artikel 4 i forordning (EØF) nr. 2408/92.
In the aviation sector, the method used by the legislator to avoid such overcompensation and to minimise any harmful effects of limiting market access is strict compliance with the tender procedure laid down in Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92.
Kommissionen mener, at et udbud forud for en medlemsstats indkøb normalt må betragtes som tilstrækkeligt til at hindre, at en medlemsstat indrømmer en virksomhed en fordel.
The Commission considers that such a tender procedure prior to a purchase by a Member State is normally regarded as sufficient to rule out the possibility that the Member State concerned is seeking to grant an advantage to a particular undertaking.
Retten i Første Instans har bekræftet denne fremgangsmåde [13].
The Court of First Instance has confirmed this approach [13].
Da der ikke blev iværksat noget udbud, mener den, at det er vanskeligt nøjagtigt at fastslå, om det beløb, som selskabet Intermed har modtaget, svarer til omkostningerne ved indfrielsen af forpligtelserne til offentlig tjeneste, eller om der er tale om overkompensation og en fordel for selskabet.
In the absence of an invitation to tender, it believes that it is difficult to determine precisely whether the amount received by Intermed corresponds to the costs arising from discharging the public service obligations, or whether it represents overcompensation and an advantage in its favour.
De spanske myndigheder mener, at tilskudsbeløbet er mindre end underskuddet i de måneder, hvor ruten blev befløjet, og at der derfor ikke er tale om overkompensation.
The Spanish authorities consider that the amount of the subsidy granted is less than the deficit run up in the months during which the service was operated and that, consequently, there has been no overcompensation.
Kommissionen skønner, at det i mangel af objektive midler til at fastslå kompensationsniveauet i medfør af de af Rådet fastlagte obligatoriske regler ikke kan udelukkes, at andre selskaber kunne have tilbudt den pågældende service til et lavere tilskudsbeløb.
The Commission considers that, in the absence of objective means of establishing the level of compensation pursuant to the compulsory rules laid down by the Council, it cannot be ruled out that other companies may have been able to offer the services in question with a lower level of subsidy.
Kommissionen mener ikke, at den tredje betingelse i medfør af Altmark-sagen er opfyldt i det foreliggende tilfælde.
The Commission considers that the third condition of the Altmark judgment is not satisfied in the case at issue.
Den fjerde betingelse omfatter to alternativer:
The fourth condition contains two alternatives:
»udvælgelsen af den virksomhed, der skal overdrages en forpligtelse til offentlig tjeneste, gennemføres i et konkret tilfælde inden for rammerne af en procedure for tildeling af offentlige kontrakter, som giver mulighed for at udvælge den ansøger, der kan levere de pågældende ydelser til de laveste omkostninger for samfundet«, eller
either ‘the undertaking which is to discharge public service obligations, in a specific case, is chosen pursuant to a public procurement procedure which would allow for the selection of the tenderer capable of providing those services at the least cost to the community’,
»størrelsen af den nødvendige kompensation skal fastlægges på basis af en analyse af de omkostninger, som en gennemsnitsvirksomhed, der er veldrevet og tilstrækkeligt udstyret med transportmidler 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«.
or ‘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 with means of transport so as to be able to meet the necessary public service requirements, would have incurred in discharging those obligations, taking into account the relevant receipts and a reasonable profit for discharging the obligations’.
Første regel i fjerde betingelse er ikke opfyldt i det foreliggende tilfælde.
The first alternative of the fourth condition is not satisfied in the case at issue.
Den udvælgelsesprocedure, som de spanske myndigheder har fulgt, opfylder ikke kriterierne for gennemsigtighed og objektivitet, som kræves i forbindelse med ethvert udbud, jf. betragtning 51 og 52 i denne beslutning, for at det kan betragtes som et virkeligt udbud, og den kan således ikke siges at være tilstrækkelig gennemsigtig til at sikre »de laveste omkostninger for samfundet«.
The selection procedure followed by the Spanish authorities does not comply with the criteria of transparency and objectivity which are essential for any public tender procedure, as pointed out in recitals 51 and 52 to this Decision, to be regarded as genuine competition and therefore cannot be regarded as sufficiently transparent to ensure ‘the least cost to the community’.
Den anden regel i fjerde betingelse, jf. betragtning 70, litra b), synes i princippet kun at være relevant, når der ikke foreligger noget krav om iværksættelse af et udbud, og ikke når der foreligger et sådant krav, som ikke er blevet overholdt.
The second alternative of the fourth condition referred to in recital 70(b) seems to apply in principle only where there is no obligation to issue an invitation to tender and not where the obligation exists but has not been complied with.
Men skulle den anden regel i fjerde betingelse eventuelt være relevant i det foreliggende tilfælde, må Kommissionen konkludere, at den ikke er blevet overholdt.
Nonetheless, assuming that the second alternative of the fourth condition should be applied to the case at issue, the Commission must conclude that it has not been complied with.
Kompensationen er ikke blevet beregnet på basis af »en analyse af de omkostninger, som en gennemsnitsvirksomhed, der er veldrevet og tilstrækkeligt udstyret med transportmidler 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«.
The compensation was not calculated on the basis ‘of an analysis of the costs which a typical undertaking, well run and adequately provided with means of transport so as to be able to meet the necessary public service requirements, would have incurred in discharging those requirements, taking into account the relevant receipts and a reasonable profit for discharging the obligations’.
Som forklaret i forbindelse med analysen af anden betingelse har myndighederne ikke foretaget nogen forudgående analyse af omkostningerne eller deres eventuelle forenelighed med denne standard, men har blot begrænset sig til at kompensere for den pågældende operatørs faktiske udgifter.
As explained in the analysis of the second condition, the authorities did not carry out any advance analysis of the costs or of whether or not they were compatible with this standard, but confined themselves to providing compensation for the actual costs incurred by the operator in question.
De spanske myndigheder har ikke fremlagt oplysninger, som sætter Kommissionen i stand til at foretage en efterprøvning.
The Spanish authorities have not provided any data which enable the Commission to carry out such a check.
Under disse omstændigheder er det tydeligt, at fjerde betingelse i medfør af Altmark-dommen heller ikke er opfyldt.
In these circumstances, it is obvious that the fourth condition laid down in the Altmark judgment has also not been satisfied.
Kommissionen fastslår således, at ingen af betingelserne i medfør af Altmark-dommen er opfyldt i det foreliggende tilfælde.
The Commission therefore finds that none of the conditions of the Altmark judgment has been satisfied in the case at issue.
Set på baggrund af det ovenfor anførte indebærer foranstaltningen en fordel for den begunstigede.
In the light of the foregoing, the measure involves an advantage for the beneficiary.
Overførsel af statsmidler
Transfer of State resources
Begrebet statsstøtte som beskrevet i traktaten og fortolket af Domstolen refererer til enhver fordel, som direkte eller indirekte indrømmes med statsmidler, eller som udgør en ekstra byrde for staten eller organer, der er udpeget eller oprettet til dette formål.
The concept of State aid under the terms of the Treaty and as interpreted by the Court of Justice refers to any advantage granted directly or indirectly through State resources or constituting an additional burden for the State or the bodies appointed or set up for this purpose.
I det foreliggende tilfælde fastsætter kontrakten, at det begunstigede selskab skal modtage et beløb på højst 4337086,18 EUR for hele kontraktens løbetid, som finansieres af Generalitat de Catalunya og Diputació de Girona.
In the case at issue, the contract provides that the beneficiary company will receive a maximum of EUR 4337086,18 for the duration of the contract funded by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia and the Gerona Regional Council.
Som bekræftet af de spanske myndigheder udgør det faktisk udbetalte beløb 919879,98 EUR. Dette beløb, der er udbetalt direkte af de spanske myndigheder, bekræfter, at der er tale om statsmidler.
As confirmed by the Spanish authorities, the amount of aid actually paid amounts to EUR 919879,98. The fact that this amount was directly granted by the Spanish authorities clearly confirms the presence of State resources.
Foranstaltningens selektive karakter
Selective nature of the measure
Den pågældende foranstaltning henvender sig kun til en enkelt transportsektor, nemlig lufttransport, og driften af en enkelt luftrute Girona–Madrid–Girona.
The measures in question concern only one transport sector, namely air transport, and the provision of a single air route: Gerona–Madrid–Gerona.
Kontrakten er indgået med et enkelt luftfartsselskab.
The contract was concluded with a single airline.
Det har ikke været muligt at udlede af oplysningerne fra de spanske myndigheder, om der skal gælde samme foranstaltninger for andre selskaber, som eventuelt måtte beslutte af levere tjenesteydelser i rutefart mellem Madrid og Girona.
From the information received from the Spanish authorities, it is not possible to deduce that the same measures would have applied to other companies which might have decided to provide scheduled air transport services between Madrid and Gerona.
Foranstaltningen må derfor betragtes som selektiv.
The measure in question is therefore considered to be selective.
Virkningerne for konkurrencen og samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne
The impact on competition and intra-Community trade
Der må siges at foreligge en fordrejning af konkurrencen, hvis et indgreb fra statens side kunstigt ændrer visse elementer i en virksomheds produktionsomkostninger og styrker virksomhedens stilling i forhold til andre konkurrerende virksomheder i samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne [14].
In order to make a finding of a distortion of competition, it is sufficient for the State intervention artificially to modify certain elements of an undertaking’s production cost and to strengthen that undertaking’s position vis-à-vis other undertakings competing in intra-Community trade [14].
Domstolen skønner [15], at det på ingen måde er udelukket, at et offentligt tilskud til en virksomhed, som alene leverer lokale eller regionale transportydelser, og som ikke leverer transportydelser uden for den oprindelige medlemsstat, ikke desto mindre kan have indvirkning på samhandelen mellem medlemsstater.
The Court considers [15] that it is not impossible that a public subsidy granted to an undertaking which provides only local or regional transport services and does not provide any transport services outside its State of origin may nonetheless have an effect on trade between Member States.
På den anden side har Domstolen også understreget, at en støtte kunne påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne og fordreje konkurrencevilkårene, selvom virksomheden, som er i konkurrence med virksomheder fra andre medlemsstater, ikke selv deltager i grænseoverskridende aktiviteter.
Furthermore, the Court also stressed that aid could be capable of affecting trade between Member States and distorting the conditions of competition, even if, while in competition with undertakings in other Member States, the undertaking receiving the aid is not participating itself in cross-border activities.
Når en medlemsstat yder støtte til en virksomhed, kan det indenlandske udbud nemlig derved blive opretholdt eller forøget med den konsekvens, at chancerne for de virksomheder, der er etableret i de øvrige medlemsstater, for at tilbyde deres ydelser på denne medlemsstats marked, herved kan blive formindsket [16].
Where a Member State grants aid to an undertaking, internal supply may be maintained or increased with the consequence that the opportunities for undertakings established in other Member States to offer their services to the market of that Member State are reduced [16].
Kommissionens forordning (EF) nr. 69/2001 af 12. januar 2001 om anvendelse af EF-traktatens artikel 87 og 88 på de minimis-støtte [17] finder i overensstemmelse med tredje betragtning og artikel 1, litra a), ikke anvendelse på transportsektoren.
In accordance with the third recital thereto and Article 1(a) thereof, Commission Regulation (EC) No 69/2001 of 12 January 2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to de minimis aid [17] does not apply to the transport sector.
Ifølge Domstolens retspraksis findes der ikke nogen tærskel eller procentsats, under hvilken man kan antage, at samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne ikke påvirkes.
According to the Court’s case law, there is no threshold or percentage below which it may be considered that trade between the Member States is not affected.
Støttens relativ ringe betydning og den begunstigede virksomheds relativ beskedne størrelse udelukker ikke på forhånd, at konkurrencen og samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne kan være påvirket [18].
The relatively small amount of aid or the relatively small size of the undertaking which receives it does not as such exclude the possibility that trade between Member States might be affected [18].
I den foreliggende sag beflyves luftruten mellem Girona og Madrid af to luftfartsselskaber, hvoraf det ene modtager offentlige midler, medens det andet ikke gør det.
In the case at issue, the air link between Gerona and Madrid is served by two operators, one receiving public funding and the other not receiving public funding.
Det er korrekt, at kontrakten kan opsiges, hvis f.eks. et andet luftfartsselskab uden offentlig støtte eller anden statsfinansiering skulle etablere en flyvning mellem Girona og Madrid på samme vilkår som den af kontrakten omfattede flyvning, hvad angår flytype, hyppighed, takster og serviceperiode.
It is true that the contract contains a termination clause which applies in the event of another air carrier establishing an air service between Gerona and Madrid with characteristics similar to those of the air service covered by the contract concerned in terms, in particular, of the type of aircraft, frequency, fares and the period of service without public aid or any other State funding.
Men hvis det eventuelt konkurrerende luftfartsselskab leverer tjenester, som ikke opfylder de ovenfor anførte kriterier (hvis det f.eks. benytter mindre fly), bekræftes den selektive karakter af støtten alligevel, eftersom kun det ene af de to selskaber, som opererer på ruten, modtager støtte.
However, if any competing operator provides services which do not comply with the abovementioned characteristics (for example, the use of a smaller aircraft), the selective nature would even be confirmed since two operators would be operating on the same route, one receiving aid and the other not.
Klageren i denne sag beflyver faktisk luftruten Girona–Madrid uden at modtage offentlig støtte.
In fact, the complainant in this case operates the Gerona–Madrid–Gerona air link without receiving public aid.
Ifølge oplysninger fra de spanske myndigheder foretager klageren charterflyvning mellem Girona og Madrid med fly med en kapacitet på under 20 pladser, hvilket ikke svarer til kontraktkravene.
According to the information received from the Spanish authorities, the complainant has established a charter flight operation on the Gerona–Madrid–Gerona route using aircraft with less than 20 seats, which does not meet the requirements of the contract.
De pågældende foranstaltninger påvirker desuden samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne, når de vedrører et selskab, hvis transportvirksomhed, som i kraft af sin art direkte berører samhandelen, dækker en del af fællesmarkedet.
Furthermore, the measures in question affect trade between the Member States since they concern a company whose transport activity, which by its nature directly affects trade, covers part of the common market.
De fordrejer endvidere konkurrencen inden for dette marked, da de kun er rettet mod en enkelt virksomhed, som er i konkurrence med et andet EF-luftfartsselskab, særlig siden lanceringen af tredje luftfartsliberaliseringspakke den 1. januar 1993.
In addition, they distort competition within this market since they are aimed at only one single undertaking which is in competition with another Community airline, in particular since the entry into force of the third air transport liberalisation package (third package) on 1 January 1993.