natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Dette »forskud« svarer til den nominelle værdi af NOA's aktiekapital (130312450 EUR).
This advance is equal to the nominal share capital of Olympic Airlines (EUR 130312450).
De dele af OA's forpligtelser, der ikke blev overført til den nye enhed NOA, og navnlig udgifter i forbindelse med visse ansattes førtidspensionering, ville blive finansieret over den særlige konto og af indtægterne fra leveringen af tjenester til NOA og til andre tredjeparter.
Those parts of Olympic Airways’ liabilities which were not transferred to the new Olympic Airlines, and specifically the expenditure connected with the early retirement of certain staff, were to be financed out of the special account and from revenue generated by the supply of services to Olympic Airlines and to third parties.
»SPATOSIMO« OG BETALINGER TIL AIA
SPATOSIMO AND PAYMENTS TO AIA
Ved brev af 19. januar 2004 fremsendte en klager (Aegean Airlines) Kommissionen en kopi af et brev fra de græske civilluftfartsmyndigheder (dok. DII/A/28751/11626/22-07-2003), som var stilet til rigsrevisoren og sendt til »den internationale lufthavn i Athen«.
By letter of 19 January 2004 a complainant, Aegean Airlines, forwarded to the Commission a copy of a letter from the Greek Civil Aviation Authority to the Auditor-General of the State, which had also been sent to the Athens International Airport company AIA (ref. DII/A/28751/11626 of 22 July 2003).
Det fremgik af dette brev, at OA med hensyn til »afgiften til modernisering og udvikling af lufthavne«, også kendt som »spatosimo«, der opkræves af luftfartsselskaber og overføres af disse til staten, skyldte et beløb på 26001473,33 EUR.
It appeared from this letter that Olympic Airways owed the sum of EUR 26001473,33 in respect of the ‘tax for the modernisation and development of airports’, known as ‘spatosimo’, which was levied on passengers by air carriers and was to be forwarded by them to the State.
Selv om OA var forpligtet til at tilbagebetale de skyldige beløb i fremtiden, havde Kommissionen mistanke om, at selskabet i mellemtiden havde fordel af henstanden fra staten, som ikke kun ikke straffede det for den forsinkede betaling, men indførte mekanismer, hvorved de andre græske lufthavne skal bidrage til de tab, som OA's forsinkede eller manglende betaling af sin »spatosimo«-gæld forårsagede.
Although Olympic Airways was under an obligation to repay the sums it owed at some time in the future, the Commission suspected that in the meantime it was benefiting as a result of the forbearance of the State, which did not penalise it for late payment, but in fact set up mechanisms whereby the other Greek airports had to contribute in order to compensate for the losses occasioned by the late payment or non-payment by Olympic Airways of the money it owed in spatosimo.
INDLEDENDE KOMMENTARER FRA DE GRÆSKE MYNDIGHEDER
THE GREEK AUTHORITIES’ INITIAL COMMENTS
Den 11. juni 2004 fremsendte Grækenland sit svar på indledningen af proceduren.
On 11 June 2004 Greece submitted its response to the initiation of the procedure.
Grækenland var indledningsvis af den opfattelse, at det var den mest hensigtsmæssige løsning for OA at privatisere koncernens forskellige forretningsområder og aktiviteter.
It began by explaining that in its opinion the most appropriate solution for Olympic Airways was the privatisation of the various businesses and operations of the group.
Privatiseringen ville finde sted så hurtigt som muligt og i fuld overensstemmelse med alle gældende regler og krav i græsk ret og EU-retten; Kommissionen ville blive holdt fuldt underrettet om udviklingen.
The privatisation would take place as quickly as practicable and in full compliance with all applicable rules and requirements of Greek and EC law; the Commission would be kept fully informed of developments.
Grækenland forklarede, at en privatisering var den mest økonomisk fordelagtige løsning for myndighederne, da den ville generere flere penge, end der kunne forventes, hvis selskabet blev afviklet.
Greece explained that privatisation was the most economically advantageous solution for the authorities, as it would generate more money than could be expected if the company were to be liquidated.
Selv om de græske myndigheder medgav, at privatiseringsløsningen også ville have sociale og andre ikke-økonomiske fordele, understregede de, at den økonomiske analyse var det eneste kriterium for at vælge den bedste strategi.
While acknowledging that the privatisation option would also have social and other non-economic benefits, the Greek authorities emphasised that the economic analysis was the only criterion for deciding on the most appropriate strategy.
Grækenland henviste til de fremskridt, der allerede var gjort med hensyn til at fremme den privatiseringsproces, som Kommissionen var blevet orienteret om på forhånd.
Greece referred to the progress that had already been made in the privatisation process, which had been communicated to the Commission in advance.
Grækenland bekræftede, at OA's og OAv's luftfartsaktiviteter sammen med en række immaterielle aktiver som f.eks. slots, rettigheder i henhold til bilaterale aftaler, OA's mærkenavn og logo samt goodwill, var blevet udskilt til et eksisterende selskab, MA.
Greece confirmed that the flight operations of Olympic Airways and Olympic Aviation had been hived off into an existing company, Macedonian, along with a number of intangible assets, such as slots, rights under bilateral agreements, the brand name and logo, and Olympic Airways’ goodwill.
MA ændrede navn til NOA.
Macedonian had changed its name and had become Olympic Airlines.
Ejerskabet af NOA-aktier (efter en kapitalforhøjelse for at kunne dække apportindskuddet i form af luftfartsaktiviteterne) blev overført direkte til den græske stat, hvorved NOA ikke længere indgik i OAG.
Ownership of Olympic Airlines’ shares (following a capital increase to accommodate the contribution in kind of the flight operations) had been transferred directly to the Greek State, thus taking Olympic Airlines out of the Olympic Airways group.
Det nye selskab påbegyndte driften den 12. december 2003 efter at have fået tildelt alle nødvendige licenser.
The new company had been granted all necessary licences and had begun operations on 12 December 2003.
Grækenland forklarede endvidere, at den strategiske model for NOA var, at der skulle oprettes et rentabelt ruteluftfartsselskab, hvis arbejdskraftomkostninger svarede til gennemsnittet for branchen, og som var i stand til at udnytte en række faktorer, bl.a. OA's stærke mærkeimage, Grækenlands position som en af verdens 15 foretrukne turistdestinationer og De Olympiske Lege i Athen i 2004.
The Greek authorities further explained that the strategic model for Olympic Airlines was the creation of a viable scheduled air carrier, operating with industry average labour costs, which would be able to take advantage of a number of factors including Olympic Airways’ strong brand image, Greece’s position as one of the world’s 15 favourite tourist destinations, and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Der var udpeget en ny ledelse til NOA, og man var i færd med en grundig gennemgang af forretningsplanen.
New management had been appointed to Olympic Airlines and a thorough review of the business plan was under way.
Efter at NOA havde påbegyndt driften, ophørte OA med at være et luftfartsselskab med EU-licens og blev omdøbt til OAS.
Following Olympic Airlines’ commencement of operations Olympic Airways had ceased to be an EU licensed air carrier and had been renamed Olympic Airways Services.
OAv indstillede ligeledes luftfartsaktiviteterne med undtagelse af begrænsede tjenester inden for almenflyvning og helikoptertjenester, som forventedes at blive overført til det nye selskab.
Olympic Aviation had also ceased flight operations, with the exception of limited general aviation and helicopter services, which were expected to be transferred to the new company.
Med hensyn til de andre aktiviteter end luftfartsaktiviteter (groundhandling, vedligeholdelse og teknik og flyveuddannelse), som nu er samlet i OAS, anførte Grækenland, at man også havde til hensigt at privatisere disse aktiviteter.
With respect to the non-flight operations now regrouped within Olympic Airways Services (ground handling, maintenance and engineering and aviation training), Greece indicated that it intended to privatise these activities also.
Dette var også fastsat i lov nr. 3185/2003.
This was provided for by Law 3185/2003.
Det var også hensigten at sælge enhver kapitalinteresse i andre selskaber som f.eks. Olympic Catering og Galileo Hellas.
Any holdings in other companies, such as Olympic Catering and Galileo Hellas, were likewise to be sold.
OA havde også kapitalinteresser i tre brændstofvirksomheder i den internationale lufthavn i Athen, dvs. Athens Airport Pipeline, Olympic Fuel og Olympic IntoPlane, og det forventedes, at disse aktieposter ville blive solgt rettidigt og på ordnet vis.
Olympic Airways also had interests in three fuel companies that operated at Athens International Airport, namely Athens Airport Pipeline, Olympic Fuel and Olympic IntoPlane, and it was anticipated that these shareholdings would be sold off in a timely and orderly manner.
Det ville være forholdsvis let at sælge disse selskaber, da de havde »rene balancer«, og deres private aktionærer havde forkøbsret til dem.
The sale of these companies would be relatively easy, as they had ‘clean balance sheets’ and their private shareholders had the right of first refusal to buy them.
De græske myndigheder ønskede at afklare en række spørgsmål i forbindelse med omstruktureringen, der var rejst ved procedurens indledning.
The Greek authorities wanted to clarify a number of issues relating to the restructuring that had been raised when the procedure was initiated.
Vedrørende aftalerne mellem OA og NOA hævdede Grækenland, at alle tjenester leveres til markedspriser og er i overensstemmelse med OA's forretningspolitik, der gælder generelt.
With regard to the agreements between Olympic Airways and Olympic Airlines, Greece asserted that all services were provided at market rates and were in accordance with Olympic Airways’ generally applicable commercial policy.
Myndighederne forpligtede sig også til at fremsende disse aftaler til Kommissionen.
The Greek authorities undertook to transmit these agreements to the Commission.
Med hensyn til flyleasing understregede Grækenland, at kun fly, som OA ejede fuldt ud, blev overført til Olympic Airlines.
With regard to aircraft leases, Greece stressed that the only aircraft transferred to Olympic Airlines were those fully owned by Olympic Airways.
Fly, som OA havde leaset, blev videreleaset til NOA til markedspriser, da en ophævelse af leasingaftalerne inden udløb havde medført, at OA skulle betale for tab, som opstod for leasinggiverne.
Aircraft leased by Olympic Airways were subleased to Olympic Airlines at market rates, because if the leases had been terminated early Olympic Airways would have had to compensate the lessors for their losses.
Operationelle leasingaftaler ville blive overdraget direkte til NOA, hvorved OA ikke længere ville være omfattet af leasingaftalen.
The operating leases would be assigned directly to Olympic Airlines, thus taking Olympic Airways out of the lease.
Vedrørende leasingen af fire Airbus A340/300-fly, som til dels var omfattet af statsgarantier (op til 45 % af værdien af finansieringen), ville disse leasingaftaler ikke blive overdraget til det nye selskab.
The leases of four Airbus A340-300 aircraft partially covered by State guarantees (up to 45 % of the financing value) would not be assigned to the new company.
NOA ville operere disse fly på grundlag af videreleasing og betale markedspriser til OA.
Olympic Airlines would operate these aircraft on a sublease basis, paying market rates to Olympic Airways.
De græske myndigheder anførte således, at NOA ikke ville få nogen fordel fra staten.
In this way the Greek authorities contended that no State benefit would pass to Olympic Airlines.
I forbindelse med statsgarantierne til disse fly var det Grækenlands påstand, at selv om det hed i 2002-beslutningen, at den omstruktureringsstøtte, der var ydet til OA i flere former (herunder statsgarantier), var uforenelig, havde Kommissionen kun krævet tilbagesøgning af den sidste tranche (41 mio. EUR) af den omstruktureringsstøtte, der var ydet til OA (samt tilbagesøgning af ulovlig ny støtte) på grundlag af en berettiget forventning.
On the State guarantees for these aircraft, it was the contention of Greece that although the 2002 Decision declared that restructuring aid granted to Olympic Airways in several forms (including State guarantees) was incompatible, the Commission had ordered the recovery only of the last tranche of the restructuring aid granted, equal to EUR 41 million (as well as the recovery of unauthorised new aid), on the grounds of legitimate expectation.
Grækenland fastholdt, at da der i 2002-beslutningen ikke specifikt var fastsat krav om tilbagesøgning (eller tilbagekaldelse) af statsgarantier, gav beslutningen mulighed for, at de blev videreført.
Greece maintained that as the 2002 Decision did not provide specifically for the recovery (or cancellation) of State guarantees, it allowed their continuation.
Med hensyn til overførslen af forpligtelser til offentlig tjeneste gjorde Grækenland gældende, at denne fandt sted på lovlig vis, da beflyvningen af disse ruter udgjorde en integrerende del af OAv's luftfartsaktiviteter, og ruterne fortsat blev befløjet med de samme fly og det samme personale som resten af nettet.
The Greek authorities argued that the transfer of public service obligations was lawful, because the operation of these routes formed an integral part of the flight activities of Olympic Aviation, and the routes continued to be operated with the same aircraft and same personnel as the rest of the network.
Med hensyn til den påståede nye støtte til OA udtrykte de græske myndigheder en vis forvirring over, hvad der mentes med »skyldige skatter«.
Regarding the alleged new aid to Olympic Airways, the Greek authorities expressed some confusion as to what was meant by ‘tax obligations’.
Ifølge de græske myndigheder havde Kommissionen ikke godtgjort, at de græske myndigheder havde »bistået« OA ved at tolerere, at visse forpligtelser (ikke kun skatter) ikke blev betalt.
The Greek authorities said that the Commission had failed to show that the Greek authorities had ‘assisted’ Olympic Airways by tolerating the non-payment of certain obligations (not only tax obligations).
De anførte endvidere, at da Kommissionen havde fremført en sådan påstand, påhvilede det den at løfte bevisbyrden, hvilket den ikke havde gjort.
They argued that it was for the Commission to discharge the burden of proving such an allegation, which it had failed to do.
Grækenland gentog, at OA er underlagt den generelt gældende græske lovgivning og de procedurer, der gælder for alle græske virksomheder i denne henseende.
The Greek authorities reiterated that Olympic Airways was subject to the generally applicable Greek law and procedures applicable to all Greek companies in this regard.
Vedrørende den påstående manglende betaling af »spatosimo« anførte den græske regering, at der bør sondres mellem forholdet mellem luftfartsselskaberne, der opkræver »spatosimo«-afgiften og derpå overfører denne til de græske civilluftfartsmyndigheder (HCAA), og forholdet mellem HCAA og lufthavnene i Grækenland (herunder AIA), som modtager en andel af »spatosimo«-afgiften beregnet på grundlag af passagertallet.
Concerning the alleged non-payment of the spatosimo tax, the Greek Government submitted that the relationship between the air carriers, who collected spatosimo, and the Civil Aviation Authority, to which they forwarded it, had to be distinguished from the relationship between the Authority and the airports in Greece (including AIA), which received funding from spatosimo calculated on the basis of the number of passengers flown.
Med hensyn til opkrævningsmekanismen opkræver luftfartsselskaberne denne afgift hos passagererne, og den overføres derpå af luftfartsselskaberne til staten.
Air carriers collected spatosimo from passengers, and forwarded it to the State.
»Spatosimo«, der således er blevet opkrævet og ikke betalt til staten, er gæld til staten og omfattet af den generelle bestemmelse i bestemmelserne om opkrævning af gæld (KEDE).
Spatosimo levied but not paid to the State constituted a debt to the State and was subject to the general provision of the Code for the Collection of Debts owed to the State (KEDE).
Dette var situationen med hensyn til det beløb på 26001473,33 EUR, som OA ikke havde betalt rettidigt, men som senere blev tilbagebetalt i rater med alle gældende morarenter og tillæg.
This was what had happened in the case of the sum of EUR 26001473,33 referred to, which Olympic Airways had not paid on time but had paid off subsequently, in instalments, with all the default interest and penalties applicable.
Opkrævningsmekanismen var adskilt fra udbetalingsmekanismen, hvor den græske stat (via HCAA) betaler beløb til lufthavnene.
The collection mechanism was separate from the disbursement mechanism whereby the Greek State (through the Civil Aviation Authority) paid money to the airports.
Selv om de to mekanismer skulle fungere i forlængelse af hinanden (hvor den ene finansierer den anden), anførte de græske myndigheder, at den græske stats forpligtelse til at betale lufthavnene ikke er afhængig af dens evne til at opkræve de skyldige beløb hos luftfartsselskaberne.
Although the two mechanisms were intended to operate back-to-back, one financing the other, the obligation on the Greek State to pay the airports was not dependant on its ability to collect the sums due from the air carriers.
Som følge heraf havde der været situationer, hvor staten havde været forpligtet til at udbetale beløb, der endnu ikke var opkrævet.
As a result there had been situations where the State had been obliged to grant sums that had not yet been collected.
De anførte endvidere, at selv om dette var utilfredsstillende for staten, udgjorde det ikke statsstøtte, da luftfartsselskaberne ikke blev fritaget for deres forpligtelse til at betale (herunder morarenter og tillæg).
While this was unsatisfactory for the State, it did not amount to State aid, as the air carriers were not released from their obligation to pay (with default interest and penalties).
I det tilfælde, der blev henvist til i forbindelse med procedurens indledning, havde den græske stat på grund af likviditetsbegrænsninger været nødt til at ændre fordelingsprocenten for »spatosimo«-afgiften lufthavene imellem og yde mere til AIA (hvilket medførte en kortvarig reduktion af de forfaldne betalinger til andre lufthavne).
In the particular case referred to when the procedure was initiated, cash flow constraints had obliged the Greek State to alter the percentages of spatosimo allocated to particular airports, granting more to AIA (which resulted in a short-term reduction in the payments due to other airports).
De græske myndigheder forklarede, at dette var af afgørende betydning, da AIA's finansielle situation overvåges af Den Europæiske Investeringsbank og kommercielle långivere, og var uden betydning for spørgsmålet, om OA betalte de skyldige beløb.
This was essential, as AIA’s financial situation was monitored by the European Investment Bank and commercial lenders; the step was irrelevant to the question whether Olympic Airways paid its dues.
De græske myndigheder anførte, at den manglende betaling af »spatosimo« var blevet rejst af Kommissionen som det eneste bevis for OA's manglende betaling af sine forpligtelser over for staten.
The Greek State said that this non-payment of the spatosimo tax was the only evidence cited by the Commission of the non-payment of Olympic Airways’ debts to the State.
Med hensyn til den særlige konto i henhold til lov nr. 3185/2003 anførte de græske myndigheder, at forudbetalingen til OA af beløbet på 130312450 EUR var en foranstaltning af midlertidig karakter og noget, som enhver forsigtig markedsinvestor ville gøre.
With regard to the special account provided for by Law 3185/2003, the Greek authorities submitted that the advance to Olympic Airways of the sum of EUR 130312450 was a measure of a temporary nature, and was something that any prudent market investor would do.
På tidspunktet for salget af NOA vil alle forudbetalte beløb igen blive indbetalt på den særlige konto.
When the time came to sell Olympic Airlines, any sums advanced would be repaid to the special account.
Grækenland forklarede endvidere, at aktierne i NOA ikke længere tilhører OAG, men staten.
The Greek authorities further explained that the shares in Olympic Airlines no longer belonged to the Olympic Airways group but to the State.
Grækenland tilføjede imidlertid, at eftersom OA var frataget værdien af sin luftfartsdivision, var fastsættelsen af en vis forudbetaling til OA, som ikke overstiger værdien af den »mistede« ejendom, en forholdsmæssig og passende foranstaltning i forbindelse med omstrukturering og privatisering.
As Olympic Airways had been deprived of the value of its flight division, however, provision for an advance to Olympic Airways which did not exceed the value of its ‘lost’ property was a proportionate and adequate measure for the purposes of restructuring and privatisation.
Den græske regering anførte, at såfremt salget af NOA ikke indbringer det forudbetalte beløb på 130312450 EUR, vil mankoen blive dækket ved hjælp af salgsprovenuet fra andre aktiviteter end luftfartsaktiviteter.
In the event that revenue from the sale of Olympic Airlines was not enough to repay the advance of EUR 130312450, the shortfall would be made up from the sale of non-flight operations.
I henhold til lov nr. 3185/2003 vil provenuet fra salget af disse divisioner blive indbetalt på den særlige konto.
Law 3185/2003 provided that the proceeds of the sale of these divisions were to be paid into the special account.
Såfremt OA's finansielle forpligtelser overstiger den nominelle værdi af aktiekapitalen i de selskaber, der skal sælges, vil den græske insolvenslovgivning finde anvendelse, og kreditorerne kan gøre deres respektive krav gældende på grundlag heraf.
In the event that the financial obligations of Olympic Airways exceeded the nominal value of the share capital of the companies to be sold, Greek insolvency law would apply, and creditors could make their respective claims accordingly.
Eventuelle beløb fra salgsprovenuet, som overstiger den nominelle værdi af aktiekapitalen i de selskaber, der er blevet solgt, forbliver hos staten og kan ikke anvendes af OA.
Any sums from the proceeds of the sale which exceeded the nominal value of the share capital of the companies sold would remain with the State, and could not be used by Olympic Airways.
OA vil kun have adgang til kontoen med henblik på at opfylde sine fratrædelses- og pensionsforpligtelser og OA's og OAv's finansielle forpligtelser i forbindelse med omdannelsen og likvidationen.
Olympic Airways would have access to the account only in order to meet its severance and retirement obligations and to cover the financial obligations of Olympic Airways and Olympic Aviation during the course of the restructuring and liquidation process.
Den græske stat anførte, at lov nr. 3185/2003 var et forsøg på at maksimere »shareholder value« for at maksimere tilbagebetalingen (af statsstøtte) og investeringsafkastet.
The Greek authorities submitted that Law 3185/2003 was an attempt to maximise shareholder value so as to maximise the recovery of the aid and the return on investment.
Kreditorbeskyttelsen kunne ikke være bedre i tilfælde af konkurs.
Creditors would not be better protected by a bankruptcy.