natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
efter at have opfordret interesserede parter til at fremsætte deres bemærkninger i overensstemmelse med disse artikler [1], og under hensyntagen til disse bemærkninger, og
Having called on interested parties to submit their comments pursuant to the Articles [1] cited above, and having regard to these comments,
Ved brev af 11. april 2002 S(2002) 4231, registreret under nr. NN/110/02, blev Kommissionen underrettet om, at Kongeriget Spanien havde ydet en støtte til luftfartsselskabet Intermediación Aérea SL, i det følgende benævnt »Intermed«, til at levere transportydelser på ruten Girona–Madrid–Girona.
By letter S(2002)4231 of 11 April 2002, registered under No NN/110/02, the Commission was informed that the Kingdom of Spain had implemented aid for the airline Intermediación Aérea SL (hereinafter referred to as Intermed) for the provision of air transport services on the Gerona–Madrid–Gerona route.
Ved brev af 23. maj 2002 anmodede Kommissionen de spanske myndigheder om alle relevante oplysninger herom.
By letter of 23 May 2002, the Commission asked the Spanish authorities for all relevant information.
Disse svarede herpå ved brev af 1. juli 2002, indgået den 5. juli 2002.
The latter replied by letter of 1 July 2002, registered on 5 July 2002.
Ved brev af 13. december 2002 underrettede Kommissionen Kongeriget Spanien om sin beslutning om at indlede proceduren efter EF-traktatens artikel 88, stk. 2, vedrørende denne støtte.
By letter of 13 December 2002, the Commission informed the Kingdom of Spain of its decision to initiate the procedure provided for in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty with regard to this aid.
Kommissionen opfordrede interesserede parter til at fremsætte deres bemærkninger til støtten.
The Commission called on the parties concerned to submit their comments on the aid.
Ved brev af 9. januar 2003 fra Kongeriget Spaniens faste repræsentation ved Den Europæiske Union anmodede de spanske myndigheder om en ekstra frist til at svare på brevet af 13. december 2003.
By letter of 9 January 2003 from the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union, the Spanish authorities asked for further time to reply to the letter of 13 December 2003.
Ved brev af 20. januar 2003, TREN/A4(2003) 838, indrømmede Kommissionen en ekstra frist på 15 arbejdsdage.
By letter TREN/A4(2003)838 of 20 January 2003, the Commission granted an additional period of 15 working days.
De spanske myndigheder sendte deres bemærkninger ved brev af 18. marts 2003, reference A24-3996, som indgik til Kommissionens generalsekretariat den 19. marts 2003.
The Spanish authorities sent their comments by letter of 18 March 2003, reference A24-3996, registered by the Secretariat-General of the Commission on 19 March 2003.
Kommissionen modtog en række bemærkninger til sagen fra forskellige interesserede parter.
The Commission received comments on this subject from parties concerned.
Den fremsendte dem til Kongeriget Spanien ved brev af 13. marts 2003 og 2. april 2003 og gav det mulighed for at kommentere dem, og den modtog disse kommentarer ved brev af 7. maj 2003.
It forwarded them to the Kingdom of Spain by letters of 13 March and 2 April 2003, allowing it an opportunity to comment on them, and received its comments by letter of 7 May 2003.
Retsgrundlag
Legal basis of the aid
Ifølge de oplysninger, som Kommissionen har til rådighed, fremgår de af de spanske myndigheder planlagte foranstaltninger af kontrakten om luftfartsforbindelserne mellem Girona og Madrid, indgået den 26. marts 2002 mellem Generalitat de Catalunya, Diputació de Girona, Gironas handels- og industrikammer og selskabet Intermeds repræsentant.
According to the information in the Commission’s possession, the measures provided for by the Spanish authorities appear in the Contract relating to air routes serving the cities of Gerona and Madrid concluded on 26 March 2002 between the Generalitat de Catalunya (Autonomous Government of Catalonia), the Diputación de Girona (Gerona Regional Council), the Gerona Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the representative of Intermed (hereinafter referred to as the contract).
Formålet med støtten
Aims of the aid
Formålet med støtten er at fremme udviklingen af konkurrencedygtig lufttransport af høj kvalitet på ruten Girona-Madrid-Girona med komfortable og driftssikre fly og at opnå en passende rentabilitet på ruten.
The aid is intended to promote the development of competitive, high-quality air transport on the Gerona–Madrid–Gerona route through the use of aircraft which meet appropriate conditions of comfort and reliability and to secure the proper level of profitability on this route.
Procedure for udvælgelse af selskabet, der skal levere tjenesteydelsen
Procedure to select the company to provide the service
Da ingen luftfartsselskaber kunne tilbyde ruteflyvning mellem Girona og Madrid, henvendte Cataloniens autonome regering sig i perioden juli-november 2001 ved brev til flere nationale transportselskaber og tillige transportselskaber fra andre af Fællesskabets medlemsstater (Aerolíneas de Baleares (AeBal), Spanair S.A. (Spanair), Air Europa Líneas Aéreas (Air Europa), KLM UK Limited, Intermed, Air Catalunya S.A. (Air Catalunya), Ibertrans Aérea S.A. (Ibertrans) og Navegación y Servicios Canarios S.A. (Naysa) 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.
Given the lack of a scheduled service between the cities of Gerona and Madrid since no air carrier offered this service, the Autonomous Government of Catalonia contacted several national carriers as well as carriers in other Member States of the Community (Aerolíneas de Baleares (AeBal), Spanair S.A. (Spanair), Air Europa Líneas Aéreas (Air Europe), KLM UK Ld, Intermed, Air Catalunya S.A. (Air Catalunya), Ibertrans Aérea S.A. (Ibertrans) and Navegación y Servicios Canarios S.A. (Naysa)) individually by letter during the period from July to November 2001 to inform them of its initiative to encourage the establishment of this air link and to call on them to submit tenders or state that they were prepared to ensure this air link.
Herefter fastslog Cataloniens autonome regering, at Intermed var det eneste luftfartsselskab, som var rede til og i stand til at varetage denne rutefart og påtage sig de dermed forbundne forpligtelser til offentlig tjeneste, og derfor blev kontrakten indgået med dette selskab.
At the end of this process, the authorities of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia found that the only air carrier which had shown that it had the availability and capacity to ensure a regular air service and to fulfil the public service obligations inherent in it was Intermed and, consequently, the contract was concluded with this carrier.
Luftruten Girona–Madrid–Girona
The Gerona–Madrid–Gerona air link
Luftruten Girona–Madrid–Girona er siden den 15. april 2002 blevet befløjet dels med ruteflyvning forestået af selskabet Intermed med et fly af typen ATR 42-300 med 48 pladser, dels med charterflyvning, som klageren i denne sag ifølge oplysninger fra de spanske myndigheder har forestået siden den 3. april 2002 med et fly af typen SA-227.
According to the information received from the Spanish authorities, the Gerona–Madrid–Gerona air link was provided, firstly, by means of a scheduled service operated by Intermed as of 15 April 2002 with a 48-seat ATR 42-300 aircraft and, secondly, by a charter service operated by the complainant in this case as of 3 April 2002 using an SA-227 aircraft.
Gironas lufthavn er en lille lufthavn med et passagertal i følgende udvikling [3]:
Gerona airport is a small airport at which passenger numbers have developed as follows [3]:
Udviklingen i passagertrafikken
Development of passenger traffic
Antal passagerer
Number of passengers
Kontraktens indhold
Content of the contract
Ifølge kontrakten skal Intermed til levering af tjenesteydelsen benytte et turbopropelfly af typen ATR 42-300, som har følgende kendetegn:
The contract stipulates that, for the provision of the service in question, Intermed will use a turboprop ATR 42-300 aircraft having the following chief characteristics:
48 pladser i 12 rækker med en hældning på 30 °
48 seats arranged in 12 rows with an inclination of 30 °;
maksimal lastkapacitet 4687 kg
maximum loading capacity 4687 kg;
bagagerumskapacitet 8,94 m3
volume of baggage hold 8,94 m3;
maksimal flyvehøjde 5485 m (18000 fod)
maximum altitude 5485 m (18000 feet);
hastighed 300 kt (556 km/t).
flight speed 300 kt (556 km/h).
Indledningsvis var der to daglige afgange fra mandag til fredag på følgende tidspunkter:
Initially, there will be two flights a day from Monday to Friday with the following timetables:
morgen: afgang fra Girona kl. 7.00/afgang fra Madrid kl. 9.00
morning: departure from Gerona at 07.00/departure from Madrid at 09.00.
eftermiddag: afgang fra Girona kl. 17.00/afgang fra Madrid kl. 19.30.
afternoon: departure from Gerona at 17.00/departure from Madrid at 19.30.
Hensigten med afgangstidspunkterne var generelt set, at den rejsende fra Girona skulle kunne opholde sig mindst 5 timer i Madrid fra og med ankomsten.
In general terms, the flight timetables must always allow passengers from Gerona a minimum stay of five hours in Madrid from the time of arrival at the destination.
Finansiering af flyruten
Funding of the service
Det maksimale samlede beløb af støtten for den af kontrakten dækkede periode er på 4337086,18 EUR. Generalitat de Catalunya (Cataloniens autonome regering) og Diputació de Girona (Gironas generalråd) forpligter sig til at finansiere flyforbindelsen mellem Girona og Madrid inden for følgende årlige lofter:
The maximum total amount of aid for the period covered by the contract is EUR 4337086,18. The Autonomous Government of Catalonia and the Gerona Regional Council undertake to bear the cost of funding the air service between Gerona and Madrid up to the following annual limits:
Regnskabsåret 2003: For denne periode, som eventuelt omfatter en regulering fra 2002, udgør loftet 1182883,13 EUR, som fordeles med 641972,13 EUR til Generalitat de Catalunya og 540911 EUR til Diputació de Girona.
2003 financial year: for this period, including any regularisation of the 2002 financial year, the ceiling is EUR 1182883,13, with EUR 641972,13 borne by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia and EUR 540911 by the Gerona Regional Council.
Regnskabsårene 2004 og 2005: For denne periode udgør loftet 1081822 EUR, heraf 540911 EUR for Diputació de Girona til finansiering i første halvår af hvert regnskabsår og 540911 for Generalitat de Catalunya til finansiering i andet halvår af hvert regnskabsår.
2004 and 2005 financial years: for this period, the ceiling is EUR 1081822, with EUR 540911 from the Gerona Regional Council as funding for the first half of each financial year, and EUR 540911 from the Autonomous Government of Catalonia as funding for the second half of each financial year.
Støtten, der udbetales til Intermed, beregnes i forhold til den gennemsnitlige kapacitetsudnyttelse på flyene på ruten Girona–Madrid–Girona efter den i bilag V til kontrakten fastlagte formel.
The aid paid to Intermed is calculated on the basis of the average annual occupancy rate of the seats in the aircraft operating on the Gerona–Madrid–Gerona route by applying the formula set out in Annex V to the contract.
Ifølge oplysninger fra de spanske myndigheder udgør omkostningerne pr. flyvning beregnet på basis af et gennemsnitligt passagertal på 32 personer 3980,55 EUR fordelt således:
According to the information from the Spanish authorities, the cost per flight, calculated on the basis of an average occupancy rate of 32 persons, is EUR 3980,55, broken down as follows:
Afskrivning af flyet
Depreciation of the aircraft
Forsikringer
Insurance
Udgifter vedrørende ruten (herunder kontrol af det elektriske system, flyelektronikken, landingsstellet og inspektion af brændstofindsprøjtningssystemet)
Line costs (including checking of the electrical system, the avionics and the landing gear and inspection of the fuel injection system)
Brændstof
Fuel
Personaleudgifter (kabinepersonale og personale på jorden, herunder socialsikringsbidrag)
Staff costs (cabin and ground crews, including social security)
Lufthavnsafgifter og afgifter for flyvekontroltjenester
Airport charges and landing fees
Eurocontrol (overflyvningsafgift)
Eurocontrol (route charge)
Passagerservice (forplejning, aviser og tidsskrifter osv.)
Passenger services (catering, press, etc.)
Reklame
Advertising measures
Diputació de Girona påtager sig desuden at lancere og finansiere alle reklame- og marketingkampagner vedrørende flyforbindelsen med et maksimumsbeløb på 120202 EUR, så længe kontrakten løber.
The Gerona Regional Council also undertakes to establish and finance all advertising for the promotion and marketing of this air link during the period of validity of the contract up to a maximum of EUR 120202.
Gironas handels- og industrikammer forpligter sig endvidere til at træffe alle foranstaltninger, som påhviler det, til at garantere, at ruten fungerer ordentligt.
Similarly, the Gerona Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation undertakes to do whatever proves to be necessary, within its field of competence, to support and ensure the smooth functioning of the air service covered by the contract.
Kontrakten kan automatisk 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 provided that the contract will be terminated as of right in the event, for example, 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 in terms, in particular, of the type of aircraft, frequency, fares and period of service without public aid or any other State funding.
Støttens varighed
Duration of the aid
Kontrakten løber fra den 26. marts 2002 til den 31. december 2005.
The contract is concluded for the period from 26 March 2002 to 31 December 2005.
Flyvningerne blev imidlertid indstillet i december 2002 efter indledningen af Kommissionens formelle undersøgelsesprocedure.
However, the service was suspended in December 2002 following the initiation of the Commission’s formal investigation procedure.
Kontrakten indeholder også bestemmelser om kapacitetsudnyttelse, regelmæssighed, punktlighed, groundhandling og takster.
The contract in question also contains provisions regarding the occupancy rate, regularity, punctuality, groundhandling services and applicable fares.
Begrundelse for beslutningen om at indlede proceduren
Grounds for the decision to initiate the procedure
Kommissionen gav i sin beslutning om at indlede en formel undersøgelsesprocedure udtryk for tvivl om støttens forenelighed med EF-traktatens artikel 86, stk. 2, navnlig fordi proceduren i artikel 4 i Rådets forordning (EØF) nr. 2408/92 af 23. juli 1992 om EF-luftfartsselskabers adgang til luftruter inden for Fællesskabet [5] ikke var overholdt.
In its decision to initiate the formal investigation procedure, the Commission expressed doubts regarding the compatibility of the aid in question with Article 86(2) of the EC Treaty, in particular the lack of compliance with the procedure established by Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92 of 23 July 1992 on access for Community air carriers to intra-Community air routes [5].
Kommissionen anmodede især Spanien om at fremlægge oplysninger om, hvorfor kompensation var nødvendig, og om nettoomkostningerne ved den offentlige tjeneste og om beregningsgrundlaget for kompensationsbeløbet på den ene side og på den anden side en begrundelse for, at proceduren i artikel 4 i forordning (EØF) nr. 2408/92 ikke var blevet overholdt.
In particular, the Commission asked Spain to send it, firstly, data showing the need for compensation and the net costs of the public service in question and the data used to calculate the volume of compensation and, secondly, the reasons which justify non-compliance with the procedure established by Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92.
BEMÆRKNINGER FRA DE INTERESSEREDE PARTER
COMMENTS FROM PARTIES CONCERNED
Selskabet Air Catalunya oplyser, at ruten mellem Girona og Madrid beflyves af støttemodtageren og Air Catalunya selv, som ikke modtager offentlige midler, og dét siden 3. april 2002.
The company Air Catalunya points out that the air route between Gerona and Madrid was served, on the one hand, by the beneficiary of the aid and, on the other, by itself without public funding from 3 April 2002.
Air Catalunya gør opmærksom på de skadelige konsekvenser for det og den omstændighed, at der foreligger en åbenbar konkurrencefordrejning.
The company draws attention to the harmful consequences it has suffered and the fact that there has been an obvious distortion of competition.
Det peger på, at ruten Girona–Madrid–Girona ikke er forbundet med nogen forpligtelse til offentlig tjeneste efter procedurerne i artikel 4 i forordning (EØF) nr. 2408/92.
It points out that the Gerona–Madrid–Gerona link has not been the subject of a public service obligation in accordance with the procedures established by Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92.
Den pågældende støtte kan ikke erklæres for forenelig med traktaten, da den ikke opfylder betingelserne med hensyn til nødvendighed og proportionalitet, som offentlig tjeneste er forbundet med.
The aid in question cannot be said to be compatible with the Treaty as it does not meet the requirements of necessity and proportionality which are inherent in a public service role.
Air Catalunya suspenderede også sine flyvninger i december 2002.
Air Catalunya therefore suspended its service in December 2002.
(Austrian Airlines) oplyser endvidere, at reglerne i retningslinjerne for anvendelsen af artikel 92 og 93 i EF-traktaten og artikel 61 i EØS-aftalen på statsstøtte ikke er blevet overholdt i den foreliggende sag.
(Austrian Airlines) adds that the rules established in the Guidelines on the application of Articles 92 and 93 of the EC Treaty and Article 61 of the EEA Agreement to State aid in the aviation sector have not been followed in the case at issue.
BEMÆRKNINGER FRA KONGERIGET SPANIEN
COMMENTS BY THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN
De spanske myndigheder oplyser, at udbetalingen af støtten til Intermed blev suspenderet straks ved indledningen af den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure i december 2002, og at selskabet derefter så sig nødsaget til i december 2002 at indstille flyvningerne mellem Girona og Madrid, fordi det ikke kunne dække de dermed forbundne omkostninger, hvilket beviste, at den pågældende rute ikke var rentabel for noget selskab.
The Spanish authorities point out that, since the formal investigation procedure was initiated in December 2002, the payment of aid to Intermed has been suspended and that the company was consequently forced to suspend the Gerona–Madrid air service in December 2002 as it could not cover the costs involved, which shows that the air service in question is not profitable for any company.
Delfinansieringen af forbindelsen Girona–Madrid er tidsbegrænset, nemlig indtil den pågældende rute er blevet konsolideret og rentabel af sig selv.
The part-funding of the Gerona–Madrid route is subject to a time limit, in particular until the route in question is consolidated and becomes profitable on its own.
De spanske myndigheder skønner, at den fulgte procedure, som førte til udvælgelsen af selskabet Intermed, ikke svarer til proceduren i artikel 4 i forordning (EØF) nr. 2408/92, hvad angår forpligtelse til offentlig tjeneste på en given rute.
The Spanish authorities consider that the procedure which led to the selection of Intermed is not in compliance with the procedure laid down in Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92 to impose public service obligations on a given route.
Cataloniens autonome regering har indgivet en formel anmodning til det spanske egnsudviklingsministerium om at indføre en forpligtelse til offentlig tjeneste på ruten Girona–Madrid i overensstemmelse med bestemmelserne i forordning (EØF) nr. 2408/92.
The Autonomous Government of Catalonia presented a formal request to the Spanish Ministry for Regional Development with a view to imposing a public service obligation (PSO) on the Gerona– Madrid route in conformity with Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92.
Ministeriet afviste imidlertid denne anmodning med den begrundelse, at der ikke var tilstrækkelig grund til at bringe artikel 4 i nævnte forordning i anvendelse.
However, this request was rejected by the Ministry in question on the grounds that there were not sufficient reasons to invoke Article 4 of that Regulation.
Overvejelser vedrørende offentlig tjeneste
Consideration as a public service
De spanske myndigheder finder, at de materielle betingelser, der stilles i forordning (EØF) nr. 2408/92, for at den pågældende tjeneste kan anses for at være en offentlig tjeneste eller af almen interesse, er opfyldt.
The Spanish authorities consider that the material requirements demanded by Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92 for the service in question to be considered a public or general interest service are fully met.
Den omstændighed, at intet luftfartsselskab ønsker at beflyve ruten, viser, at der er liden økonomisk interesse i den.
The fact that no airline is able to operate the route shows how little economic interest the route generates.
Kun med et indgreb fra de offentlige myndigheders side kunne der således opretholdes en rute mellem Girona og Madrid med en vis garanti for stabilitet og regelmæssighed i flyvningerne.
Only public authority intervention therefore made it possible to guarantee the Gerona– Madrid route with certain assurances regarding the stability and regularity of the service.
Det er i denne forbindelse vigtigt at nævne, at Air Catalunya begyndte at beflyve ruten Girona–Madrid samtidig med Intermed, dvs. i april 2002.
In this regard, it is important to point out that Air Catalunya started operating the Gerona–Madrid route at the same time as Intermed, i.e. in April 2002.
Indtil da og siden den 28. oktober 2001, hvor det foregående selskab indstillede driften, blev strækningen Girona–Madrid ikke befløjet af noget selskab.
Before that date and since 28 October 2001, the date on which the previous company stopped operating the route, no company had been covering the Gerona–Madrid route.
Denne rute, som anses for at være essentiel, var uvirksom i fem måneder, hvilket var grunden til et indgreb fra de offentlige myndigheders side i betragtning af forbindelsens betydning for befolkningen.
This route, which is considered essential, was not operated for five months, justifying the necessary intervention by the public authorities in view of the importance of this route for citizens.
De spanske myndigheder påpeger, at der er et stort behov for en forbindelse af luftvejen mellem Girona og Madrid af hensyn til regionens økonomiske udvikling.
The Spanish authorities draw attention to the importance of establishing an air link between Gerona and Madrid for the economic development of the region.
Konsekvenserne af overtrædelsen af artikel 4 i forordning (EØF) nr. 2408/92
Consequences of the infringement of Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92
Da de formelle betingelser for indførelse af en forpligtelse til offentlig tjeneste ikke er opfyldt, dvs. tilslag efter udbud med adgang for alle selskaber og efter underretning af Kommissionen og de andre medlemsstater, kan tilskuddet imidlertid ikke anses for ikke at være en statsstøtte efter EF-traktatens artikel 87 og skal derfor behandles efter de almindelige regler på området.
However, since the formal conditions for imposing the obligation have not been fulfilled, i.e. a call for tenders open to all companies and communicated to the Commission and the other Member States, the subsidy cannot benefit from the presumption that no State aid has been given within the meaning of Article 87 of the EC Treaty and must therefore be subject to the general rules of the Treaty which govern this matter.