natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Kommissionen understregede, at hvis WAM S.p.A. på tidspunktet for indledningen af proceduren ikke var en lille eller mellemstor virksomhed, kunne støtte til markedsundersøgelser og deltagelse i messer og udstillinger, som i princippet kan være berettiget til støtte til konsulentbistand og andre aktiviteter, jf. artikel 5 i Kommissionens forordning (EF) nr. 70/2001 af 12. januar 2001 om anvendelse af EF-traktatens artikel 87 og 88 på statsstøtte til små og mellemstore virksomheder [7], ikke komme i betragtning til en undtagelse i den foreliggende sag.
In particular, in view of the fact that, at the time the procedure was initiated, WAM SpA was not regarded as a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), the Commission also stressed that aid for market surveys and for participation in fairs and exhibitions, which in principle could qualify as aid for consultancy and other services and activities within the meaning of Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 of 12 January 2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises [7], could not be granted an exemption in the present case.
Hvis støtten skal vurderes som en udenlandsk direkte investering, skal det endvidere bemærkes, at Kommissionen hidtil ikke har godkendt statsstøtte til udenlandske direkte investeringer til store virksomheder.
Furthermore, if the aid were to be assessed as foreign direct investment (FDI), it should be noted that, until now, the Commission has not authorised State aid for FDI in the case of large enterprises.
I sin beslutning 97/241/EF af 5. juni 1996 [8] godkendte Kommissionen en ordning på betingelse af, at støtten kun gik til SMV’s udenlandske direkte investeringer — på betingelse af at alle betingelser for statsstøtte til SMV var opfyldt — mens støtte til store virksomheder skulle anmeldes særskilt.
By Decision 97/241/EC of 5 June 1996 [8], the Commission approved a scheme subject to the aid being granted only for foreign direct investment by SMEs — provided that all the conditions laid down for the granting of state aid to SMEs were met — and subject to any aid for large enterprises being notified individually.
Den eneste anmeldelse af individuel støtte til en stor virksomhed på grundlag af ovennævnte beslutning førte til en negativ beslutning [9].
The only notification of an individual aid to a large enterprise on the basis of the above mentioned decision resulted in a negative decision [9].
De italienske myndigheder påpegede endvidere i deres brev af 24. oktober 2002 (A/37783), at der aldrig er ydet støtte direkte til »WAM Engineering«, og at der ikke findes noget selskab registreret under dette navn i det italienske selskabsregister.
The Italian authorities then pointed out in their letter of 24 October 2002 (A/37783) that no aid has ever been granted directly to ‘WAM Engineering’ and that there was no undertaking registered as such in the Italian business register.
For det første skal det bemærkes, at »WAM Engineering Ltd« er WAM S.p.A.’s datterselskab i Det Forenede Kongerige og Irland.
First of all, it has to be noted that ‘WAM Engineering Ltd’ is the subsidiary for the United Kingdom and Ireland of ‘WAM SpA’.
For det andet meddelte de italienske myndigheder i deres brev af 11. oktober 1999, at »WAM S.p.A.« i 1995 fik tildelt et lavtforrentet lån i henhold til lov nr. 394/81, og de tilføjede i brev A/33699 af 21. maj 2002, at WAM-koncernen fik endnu et begunstiget lån under samme ordning den 9. november 2000.
Secondly, following their letter of 11 October 1999, the Italian authorities announced that in 1995 ‘WAM SpA’ had been granted a subsidised loan under Law No 394/81 and added, by letter A/33699 of 21 May 2002, that the ‘WAM group’ has been granted another subsidised loan under the same scheme on 9 November 2000.
I artikel 10, stk. 1, i Rådets forordning (EF) nr. 659/1999 af 22. marts 1999 om fastlæggelse af regler for anvendelsen af EF-traktatens artikel 93 [10] hedder det: »Er Kommissionen kommet i besiddelse af oplysninger om en påstået ulovlig støtte, undersøger den omgående oplysningerne, uanset kilden til disse oplysninger«.
According to Article 10(1) 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 [10], ‘Where the Commission has in its possession information from whatever source regarding alleged unlawful aid, it shall examine that information without delay.’
Endelig gav Kommissionen udtryk for alvorlig tvivl om, hvorvidt den støtte, WAM fik tildelt i 1995 efter lov nr. 394/81, kunne berettige til en undtagelse efter EF-traktatens artikel 87, stk. 3.
In conclusion, having regard to the above, the Commission expressed strong doubts as to whether the aid granted in 1995 to WAM SpA under Law No 394/81 might qualify, pursuant to any provision, for an exemption under Article 87(3) of the EC Treaty.
Vedrørende støtten til WAM S.p.A. i 2000
Aid granted to WAM SpA in 2000
Da den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure blev indledt, havde Kommissionen ikke kendskab til særlige forhold som støtteintensitet og støtteberettigede udgifter vedrørende støtten til WAM-koncernen — som de italienske myndigheder udtrykte det — i 2000 igen i form af et begunstiget lån efter lov nr. 394/81, da de italienske myndigheder ikke havde fremlagt relevante oplysninger.
At the time the formal investigation procedure was initiated, the Commission was not aware of any specific feature, such as aid intensity or eligible expenditure, of the aid granted to the ‘WAM group’ (as defined by the Italian authorities) in 2000, again in the form of a subsidised loan under Law No 394/81. No relevant information had been submitted by the Italian authorities.
Som følge heraf var Kommissionen på daværende tidspunkt ikke i stand til at undersøge den specifikke støtte til bunds, men gav udtryk for sin tvivl om, hvorvidt den kunne være i overensstemmelse med traktaten efter nogen bestemmelse, da støtten havde samme formål og blev tildelt med samme retsgrundlag som støtten i 1995.
Accordingly, the Commission was not able at that stage to assess the specific aid in depth. However, given that it served the same purpose and was granted on the same legal basis as the aid granted in 1995, it doubted whether the aid could be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions of the Treaty pursuant to any relevant rule.
En tredjemand med interesse i sagen fremsatte bemærkninger. Vedkommende anmodede om fortrolighed.
Comments on the opening of proceedings were received from a third party interested in the case at hand, who asked for confidentiality to be preserved.
I disse bemærkninger hilste vedkommende Kommissionens bestræbelser for at skabe lige vilkår for konkurrenterne i denne specifikke sektor velkommen og klagede over de ingeniørmæssige færdigheder og arbejdspladser, der gik tabt på grund af WAM S.p.A.’s markedsposition.
These comments applaud the Commission’s efforts to restore a level playing field for competitors in the sector concerned and complain about the engineering skills and jobs being lost on account of the position of WAM SpA on the market.
Ved brev A/37525 af 3. november 2003 påpegede de italienske myndigheder, som blev underrettet om tredjemands bemærkninger ved Kommissionens brev D/56068 af 25. september 2003, at disse bemærkninger efter deres opfattelse ikke udgjorde noget egentligt bidrag, idet de blot bekræftede nogle beskyldninger, som f.eks. klageren allerede havde rejst i forbindelse med sagen.
By letter A/37525 of 3 November 2003, Italy, which was made aware of the third party’s comments by Commission letter D/56068 of 25 September 2003, pointed out that, in its opinion, these comments made no new contribution as they simply confirmed some points already made in the case, including by the complainant.
De italienske myndigheder finder især, at der foreligger tilstrækkeligt bevis for, at der ingen forbindelse er mellem de forhold, der omtales i ovennævnte bemærkninger, og finansiering af WAM i henhold til lov nr. 394/81.
In particular, Italy considers that sufficient proof has been provided of the lack of any link between the facts claimed in the above-mentioned comments and the funding of WAM SpA under Law No 394/81.
V. DE ITALIENSKE MYNDIGHEDERS BEMÆRKNINGER
V. COMMENTS FROM ITALY
Der er fremlagt bevis for, at WAM på tidspunktet for tildelingen af den første støtte samt ved indgivelsen af ansøgningen herom i henhold til virksomhedens årsregnskab for 1994 opfyldte definitionen af en mellemstor virksomhed i punkt 2.2 i Fællesskabets rammebestemmelser for statsstøtte til små og mellemstore virksomheder fra 1992 [11], eftersom den havde 163 medarbejdere, havde en årsomsætning på 16,8 mio. EUR og en samlet status på 20,1 mio. EUR og var ejet af to selskaber, som begge opfyldte definitionen af små og mellemstore virksomheder.
Evidence has been provided that, at the moment of the granting of the first aid measure and of the introduction of the relevant application, WAM SpA, on the basis of its 1994 annual accounts, complied with the definition of medium-sized enterprise given at point 2.2 of the 1992 Community guidelines on State aid for small and medium-sized enterprises [11], on the grounds that it had 163 employees, had an annual turnover of EUR 16,8 million and a balance-sheet total of EUR 20,1 million and was owned by two undertakings, both fulfilling the definition of an SME.
Derimod er de italienske myndigheder selv enige i, at WAM efter 1998 ikke længere var en SMV, og dermed heller ikke da den anden støtte blev tildelt (2000).
But the Italian authorities themselves agree that WAM SpA was no longer an SME after 1998 or when the second aid measure was granted (2000).
Der er ikke kommet væsentlige nye elementer til vedrørende den første tildeling af den specifikke støtte, der kan supplere det kendskab, Kommissionen allerede havde ved indledningen af proceduren, med undtagelse af det forhold, at lånet blev stillet til rådighed for støttemodtageren i en række trancher, hvilket betyder, at den afdragsfrie periode spænder fra to år til ingenting.
No new substantive element concerning the first aid measure has been added to the information that the Commission already possessed at the time of the opening of procedure, save for the fact that the loan was made available to the recipient in several instalments for which the grace period could vary from 2 years to zero.
Tilsyneladende indeholdt den oprindelige kontrakt ingen bestemmelser om regulering af rentesatsen.
Apparently, there was no provision in the original contract for reviewing the interest rate.
Tilbagebetalingen af denne støtte skulle have været afsluttet i april 2004.
This aid should have been repaid in full by April 2004.
Med hensyn til det andet bløde lån til WAM i 2000 oplyste de italienske myndigheder efter indledningen af proceduren ved brev A/35269 af 25. juli 2003, at det samlede beløb var 3603574689 ITL (1861091,01 EUR) i stedet for 1940579808 ITL (ca. 1 mio. EUR), som oprindelig oplyst i brev A/33699 af 21. maj 2002 og anført i beslutningen om at indlede proceduren, eftersom man heri kun henviste til den del af lånet, der allerede var udbetalt på det tidspunkt, brevet blev skrevet, uden hensyn til det samlede støttebeløb.
As far as the second subsidised loan granted to WAM SpA in 2000 is concerned, the Italian authorities provided clarification, after the opening of the procedure, by letter A/35269 of 25 July 2003 that its actual overall amount was ITL 3603574689 (EUR 1861091,01), instead of ITL 1940579808 (about EUR 1 million), as previously declared by letter A/33699 of 21 May 2002 and mentioned in the decision to initiate the procedure, since the latter figure referred only to the part of the loan which had already been paid at the moment the letter was written, irrespective of the overall amount of aid granted.
Der er faktisk foretaget yderligere to støtteudbetalinger herefter.
Two more instalments of the aid were, in fact, paid.
Den sidste på 248091,01 EUR blev udbetalt den 29. januar 2003, mens Kommissionens beslutning om at indlede proceduren blev truffet den 21. januar 2003, og Kommissionens brev med meddelelsen til de italienske myndigheder om, at proceduren var indledt, er dateret den 24. januar 2003.
In particular, the last one, amounting to EUR 248091,01, was paid on 29 January 2003, while the Commission decision to initiate the procedure had been taken on 21 January 2003 and the Commission letter notifying Italy of that fact is dated 24 January 2003.
Betingelserne er de samme for dette lån som for det første, da de blev tildelt i henhold til samme lov nr. 394/81.
The conditions on which this loan was granted are the same as those for the first loan since both were granted under Law No 394/81.
Man besluttede den 9. november 2000 at tildele hele lånebeløbet, og kontrakten blev undertegnet den 20. december 2000.
The granting of the entire amount of the loan in question was decided on 9 November 2000 and the contract was signed on 20 December 2000.
Denne oversigt over støtteberettigede udgifter i forbindelse med den foreliggende støtte blev fremsendt af de italienske myndigheder i brev A/35269.
A schedule of the eligible costs taken into consideration for the aid at issue, transmitted by the Italian Government in the Annex to letter A/35269, is reproduced below.
(tusind EUR)
(EUR 000)
Leje og indretning af lokaler, køretøjer
Rent and fitting-out of premises, vehicles
Driftsudgifter (drift, varer og personale)
Operating costs (management, goods and personnel)
Kunderejser til Italien
Trips by customers to Italy
Det fremgår endvidere af de dokumenter, der er vedhæftet brev A/30263 af 14. januar 2004, at programmet skulle gennemføres i fællesskab af WAM S.p.A. og WAM Bulk Handling Machinery Shangai Co Ltd, som er et lokalt firma, som kontrolleres 100 % af WAM S.p.A.
Furthermore, it transpires from the documents annexed to letter A/30263 of 14 January 2004 that the programme in question was to be carried out jointly by WAM SpA and ‘WAM Bulk Handling Machinery Shangai (Co Ltd’, which is a local firm wholly owned by WAM SpA.
Som støtteberettigede udgifter er medregnet leje af kontorlokaler, lager, udstillingslokale og serviceværksted med et samlet areal på 7500 m2, køb, leje eller leasing af 3 køretøjer, personale i moderselskabet og i udlandet (herunder 1 salgsdirektør og 6 teknikere).
Eligible costs were considered to include the rent of premises for offices, storage, showrooms and a technical assistance workshop (with a total surface area of 7500 m2), the purchase, renting or leasing of 3 vehicles, personnel costs for the parent firm and abroad (in particular 1 sales manager and 6 technicians).
Renten på det specifikke lån er 2,32 %, dvs. 40 % af den referencesats på 5,8 %, der gjaldt på tildelingstidspunktet.
The interest rate applied to the specific loan is 2,32 %, i.e. 40 % of the reference rate of 5,8 % in force when the aid was granted.
Igen synes der ikke at være bestemmelser i kontrakten om at ændre rentesatsen i lånets løbetid.
Once again, no change in the interest rate during the duration of the loan seems to have been provided for in the contract.
Det blev udbetalt til støttemodtageren i flere trancher, hvorved den afdragsfrie periode varierer fra 2 år til ingenting.
The loan was paid to the recipient in several instalments, so that the grace period varies from 2 years to zero.
Med hensyn til tilbagebetalingen fremgår det af oplysningerne fra de italienske myndigheder, at den afdragsfrie periode på to år, hvor kun renterne af de trancher af lånet, der allerede var udbetalt til modtageren, skulle betales, udløb den 20. februar 2003.
As regards repayment, the data supplied by Italy show that the grace period of two years, during which only the interest on the loan instalments already made over to the recipient was paid, elapsed on 20 February 2003.
Tilbagebetalingen skulle dermed være afsluttet i februar 2008.
According to the schedule, repayment should therefore be completed by February 2008.
Hvad angår justering af rentesatsen i tilbagebetalingsperioden, fremfører de italienske myndigheder, at der findes generelle regler i det italienske retssystem, der tillader en sådan justering.
As regards modification of the interest rate during the repayment period, the Italian authorities argue that general rules allowing such reductions did exist within the Italian legal framework.
Imidlertid gælder det ministerielle dekret (Decreto Ministeriale) af 31. marts 2000, som er det eneste anførte retsgrundlag, kun for initiativer finansieret under lov nr. 394/81 og 304/90 og synes dermed at være yderst selektivt.
However, the Ministerial Decree of 31 March 2000, which is the only legal basis provided for this purpose, applies only to the initiatives funded by Laws Nos 394/81 and 304/1990, and is therefore very selective.
Der er endvidere ikke fremlagt noget bevis for, at der faktisk er foretaget en justering af renten på lånet.
No further evidence has been provided that the interest rate on the aid in question was modified.
Endelig kunne den kun anvendes på det første bløde lån til WAM, da den gælder eksisterende støtte på ikrafttrædelsestidspunktet, mens den anden støttetildeling til WAM S.p.A. endnu ikke var foretaget på daværende tidspunkt.
Lastly, such a modification could have been made only to the first subsidised loan granted to WAM SpA as it applied to the funding in existence when it came into force, while the second loan had not as yet been granted to WAM SpA.
I forbindelse med begge støttetildelinger hævder de italienske myndigheder, at udgifterne til den obligatoriske bankgaranti, der kræves inden udstedelsen af lånene, skal trækkes fra støttebeløbet.
With regard to both loans, the Italian authorities claim that the cost of the compulsory bank guarantee, which was requested prior to the granting of the loans, has to be deducted from the amount of the aid.
Kommissionen bemærker for det første, at en sådan garanti eller noget tilsvarende normalt vil blive krævet også af et privat pengeinstitut, der udsteder lån efter princippet om den markedsøkonomiske investor, og for det andet, at det fremgår af punkt A i de specifikationer, der er vedhæftet kontrakten, at overlappende støtte til det samme program ikke er tilladt, medmindre der er tale om støtte i forbindelse med garantien, som derfor selv betragtes som støtteberettiget.
The Commission observes, first of all, that such a guarantee, or its equivalent, would normally have been requested even by a private credit institution granting loans according to the market economy investor principle and, secondly, that it emerges from letter A of the specifications annexed to the contract that the overlapping of aid for the same programme is not permitted, except for aid related to the guarantee, which consequently is deemed itself to be eligible for aid.
Følgende oplysninger om WAM’s eksport til lande i og uden for EU er fremsendt:
As regards WAM SpA’s exports inside and outside the EU, the following data were provided:
Eksport til EU
Exports inside EU
Eksport til lande uden for EU
Exports outside EU
Samlet eksport
Total exports
De italienske myndigheder meddelte, at de samlede eksporttal udgør 52 %-57,5 % af WAM’s samlede årlige omsætning.
The Italian authorities informed the Commission that the total export figures above represent between 52 % and 57,5 % of WAM SpA’s total annual turnover.
Endelig erkender de italienske myndigheder, at ingen af de to støttetildelinger er omfattet af hverken forordning (EF) nr. 69/2001 eller (EF) nr. 70/2001, men er af den opfattelse, at incitamenter for EU-virksomheder til støtte for programmer, der skal gennemføres uden for EU, ikke er omfattet af traktatens artikel 87.
Finally, while the Italian authorities acknowledge that the two loans under examination are covered neither by Regulation (EC) No 69/2001 nor by Regulation (EC) No 70/2001, they take the view that the incentives for Community enterprises designed to support programmes to be implemented outside the EU do not fall within the scope of Article 87 of the EC Treaty.
Støtte som omhandlet i EF-traktatens artikel 87, stk. 1
Existence of aid within the meaning of Article 87(1) of the EC Treaty
I EF-traktatens artikel 87, stk. 1, hedder det, at »støtte, som ydes ved hjælp af statsmidler under enhver tænkelig form, og som fordrejer eller truer med at fordreje konkurrencevilkårene ved at begunstige visse virksomheder eller visse produktioner, [er] uforenelig med fællesmarkedet i det omfang, den påvirker samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne«.
Article 87(1) of the EC Treaty states that ‘any aid granted by a 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, insofar as it affects trade between Member States, be incompatible with the common market.’
Den undersøgte støtte blev ydet ved hjælp af statsmidler i form af bløde lån til en specifik virksomhed, nemlig WAM S.p.A.
The aid under scrutiny consist of transfers of public funding, in the form of subsidised loans, to a specific undertaking, WAM SpA.
Bidragene forbedrede støttemodtagerens økonomiske situation.
These loans improve the financial situation of the aid recipient.
Med hensyn til påvirkningen af samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne har Domstolen understreget [12], at selv om støtten tager sigte på eksport til lande uden for EU, kan samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne alligevel blive påvirket.
As regards the potential effect on trade between Member States, it has been stressed by the Court of Justice [12] that, even if the aid is intended to promote exports outside the EU, intra-Community trade may be affected.
I betragtning af den indbyrdes afhængighed af de markeder, hvor virksomhederne i EU er aktive, er det muligt, at denne form for støtte kan fordreje konkurrencen i EU.
Moreover, having regard to the interdependence between the markets on which Community undertakings operate, it is possible that such aid might distort competition within the Community.
WAM S.p.A. har datterselskaber i hele verden. Flere af dem er etableret i næsten alle EU-lande, f.eks. Frankrig, Holland, Finland, Det Forenede Kongerige, Danmark, Belgien og Tyskland.
WAM SpA has subsidiaries all around the world, including in almost all the EU Member States, including France, the Netherlands, Finland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Belgium and Germany.
Klageren understregede, at han lå i hård konkurrence med WAM Engineering Ltd, som er WAM S.p.A.’s datterselskab i Det Forenede Kongerige og Irland, internt i EU, og at han mister mange ordrer til den italienske virksomhed.
In particular, the complainant stressed that it competed on the Community market directly with ‘WAM Engineering Ltd’, which is the subsidiary for the United Kingdom and Ireland of WAM SpA, and that it was losing many orders to the Italian company.
Med hensyn til eksternt orienteret konkurrence blandt virksomheder i EU viste det sig, at det program, der blev finansieret af den anden støttetildeling, og som tog sigte på indtrængen på det kinesiske marked, skulle gennemføres i fællesskab af WAM S.p.A. og WAM Bulk Handling Machinery Shangai Co Ltd, der er et lokalt firma, som kontrolleres 100 % af WAM S.p.A.
Furthermore, as regards outward-looking competition among Community undertakings, it transpired that the programme financed by the second loan and designed to support business penetration in China, was to be jointly carried out by WAM SpA and ‘WAM Bulk Handling Machinery Shangai Co Ltd’, a local firm wholly owned by WAM SpA.
I henhold til Domstolens retspraksis kan støtte til eksportvirksomhed påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne, selv hvis støttemodtageren eksporterer næsten hele sin produktion til lande uden for EU, EØS og tiltrædelseslandene.
According to the case law of the Court of Justice, even if the recipient exports almost its entire production outside the EU, the EEA and the accession countries, any subsidising of export activities can affect trade between Member States.