natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Kommissionen bemærker først, at Det Forenede Kongerige ikke har påstået, at det handler, som en privat kreditor ville have gjort i forbindelse med gældsreduktionsforanstaltningerne, og at Det Forenede Kongerige derfor ikke har givet Kommissionen oplysninger, som ville gøre det muligt for Kommissionen at anvende kriteriet vedrørende private kreditorer.
The Commission observes first that the United Kingdom has not claimed that it is acting in line with the behaviour of a private creditor in relation to the debt reduction measures and therefore it has not provided the Commission with any information that would enable it to apply such test.
For det andet mener Kommissionen ikke, at en privat kreditor ville have indvilliget i at nedsætte gælden uden at kræve yderligere klausuler eller i det mindste aftaler om omlægning af den resterende del af gælden med henblik på at maksimere chancerne for tilbagebetaling efter en vellykket omstrukturering.
Second, the Commission is of the view that a private creditor would not have agreed to a reduction of his credit without demanding any further covenants or at least agreements on a rescheduling of the reminder of its credit with a view to maximise his chances of debt repayment after a successful restructuring.
Derfor finder Kommissionen, at gældsreduktionsforanstaltningerne i omstruktureringsplanen giver RMG en selektiv fordel i henhold til traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1.
Therefore, the Commission finds that the debt reduction measures in the restructuring plan provide a selective advantage to RMG within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
Fordrejning af konkurrencevilkårene og påvirkning af samhandelen i EU
Distortion of competition and affectation of intra-Union trade
Det gælder ifølge gængs retspraksis [30], at der er tale om, at en foranstaltning fordrejer konkurrencen og påvirker samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne, når støttemodtageren konkurrerer med andre virksomheder på markeder, der er åbne for konkurrence.
In accordance with settled case-law [30], for a measure to distort competition and affect trade between Member States it is sufficient that the recipient of the aid competes with other undertakings on markets open to competition.
Det britiske postmarked blev åbnet fuldt ud for konkurrence i 2006, men var allerede åbent for konkurrence før det tidspunkt i visse markedssegmenter (f.eks. pakkeomdeling og masseforsendelser på over 4000 stk. og generelt enhver posttjeneste, som ikke var forbeholdt en specifik virksomhed).
The UK postal market was fully opened to competition in 2006, while already being open to competition before that date in certain market segments (for example delivery of parcels and delivery of bulk mail in case of postings above 4000 items and in general any postal service that was not reserved to a specific undertaking).
I denne forbindelse er det tilstrækkeligt at påpege, at RMG konkurrerer med virksomheder i andre medlemsstater (bl.a. Post NL og Deutsche Post) og selv er aktiv på markeder uden for Det Forenede Kongerige gennem sit datterselskab, GLS, som beskæftiger sig med eksprespakker.
In this context, it is sufficient to point out that RMG is competing with companies established in other Member States (such as Post NL or Deutsche Post) and is itself active on markets outside the United Kingdom through its express parcel subsidiary GLS.
Foranstaltningerne kan derfor fordreje konkurrencevilkårene og påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
Therefore, the measures in question are liable to distort competition and affect trade between Member States.
Konklusion med hensyn til, om der er tale om støtte
Conclusion as regards the existence of aid
I lyset af ovenstående konkluderer Kommissionen, at både pensionseftergivelsen og gældsreduktionsforanstaltningerne i omstruktureringsplanen udgør statsstøtte i henhold til traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1.
In light of the above, the Commission concludes that both the pension relief as well as the debt reduction measures in the restructuring plan constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
Da undtagelserne i traktatens artikel 107, stk. 2, og artikel 107, stk. 3, litra a) og b), ikke klart finder anvendelse, vil Kommissionen vurdere, i hvilket omfang pensionseftergivelsen og gældsreduktionsforanstaltningen kan betragtes som forenelig med det indre marked i henhold til traktatens artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c).
As the derogations provided for in Article 107(2) of the Treaty and Article 107(3)(a)(b) of the Treaty do clearly not apply, the Commission will assess to which extent the pension relief and the debt reduction measure can be found compatible with the internal market under Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty.
Det Forenede Kongerige har ikke påberåbt sig traktatens artikel 106, stk. 2, som argumentation for foreneligheden af støtten til RMG.
The United Kingdom has not invoked Article 106(2) of the Treaty as such as justification for the compatibility of the aid granted to RMG.
Pensionseftergivelsens forenelighed som kompensation for nedarvede pensionsomkostninger i henhold til traktatens artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c)
Compatibility of the pension relief as compensation for legacy pension costs under Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty
Kommissionen vil vurdere, hvorvidt pensionseftergivelsen kan erklæres forenelig i henhold til EF-traktatens artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c), som foreskriver, at støtte til fremme af udviklingen af visse erhvervsgrene eller økonomiske regioner kan erklæres forenelig med fællesmarkedet, når den ikke ændrer samhandelsvilkårene på en måde, der strider mod den fælles interesse.
The Commission will assess whether the pension relief can be declared compatible pursuant to Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty, which provides that aid to facilitate the development of certain economic activities or of certain economic areas may be declared compatible with the internal market where such aid does not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest.
Ifølge Domstolens retspraksis kan Kommissionen erklære støtte for forenelig med det indre marked, hvis støtten bidrager til virkeliggørelsen af et mål af fælles interesse [31], er nødvendig for at kunne nå dette mål [32] og ikke ændrer samhandelsvilkårene på en måde, der strider mod den fælles interesse (proportionalitet).
According to the case-law, the Commission may declare State aid compatible with the internal market if the aid contributes to the attainment of an objective of common interest [31], is necessary for the attainment of that objective [32], and does not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest (proportionality).
Posttjenester bidrager til den sociale, økonomiske og territoriale samhørighed i EU.
Postal services contribute to social, economic and territorial cohesion in the Union.
Den gradvise åbning af posttjenester for konkurrence, som begyndte i EU i 1998, har betydet bedre kvalitet, større effektivitet og større lydhørhed over for brugerne.
The gradual opening of postal services to competition, which started at Union level in 1998, has brought about increased quality, greater efficiency and better responsiveness to users.
Markedsåbningen har givet mulighed for at etablere et indre marked for posttjenester.
Market opening has allowed the establishment of an internal market for postal services.
Det bidrager derfor til målet med etableringen af det indre marked i henhold til EU-traktatens artikel 3, stk. 3.
It therefore contributes to the objective of the establishment of the internal market set out in Article 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union.
I forbindelse med liberaliseringen kan den tidligere befordringspligtige virksomhed lide under en konkurrencemæssig ulempe, fordi denne skal bære »nedarvede omkostninger«, dvs. omkostninger, der stammer fra forpligtelser, som blev indgået før markedets åbning, og som ikke længere kan opfyldes under samme vilkår i en konkurrencepræget markedssituation, fordi den historiske operatør ikke længere kan føre de tilsvarende omkostninger over på forbrugerne.
However, during the process of liberalisation, the former incumbent may suffer from a competitive disadvantage because he is burdened with ‘legacy costs’, that is to say costs which come from commitments entered into prior to the beginning of market opening and which can no longer be honoured under the same conditions in a competitive market environment because the historic operator is no longer able to pass on the corresponding costs to consumers.
Kommissionen har i sin beslutningspraksis anerkendt, at den gradvise overgang fra en situation, hvor konkurrencen i stor udstrækning var begrænset, til reel konkurrence på europæisk plan bør ske på forsvarlige økonomiske vilkår.
The Commission has recognised in its decision-making practice that the gradual transition from a situation of largely restricted competition to one of genuine competition at Union level must take place under acceptable economic conditions [33].
Derfor har den i en række beslutninger accepteret, at medlemsstaterne yder statsstøtte til den historiske operatør for at fritage denne for de »nedarvede« pensionsforpligtelser. [34]
Therefore, it has accepted in a number of decisions that Member States grant State aid to relief the historic operator of a part of its ‘legacy’ pension liabilities [34].
I sin beslutning om statsstøtte til EDF [35] erklærede Kommissionen, at statsstøtte, som fritog EDF for særlige pensionsforpligtelser, der oversteg forpligtelserne i henhold til den almindelige pensionsordning, og som var blevet fastsat i monopolperioden, var forenelig med det indre marked.
In its Decision regarding the State aid granted to EDF [35], the Commission declared compatible with the common market State aid that relieved EDF of specific pension liabilities which exceeded those resulting from the general retirement arrangements and which had been defined during the monopoly period.
Kommissionen skønnede, at disse forpligtelser ikke adskiller sig særlig meget fra situationen vedrørende de strandede omkostninger i elektricitetssektoren [36], og at støtte til godtgørelse for høje pensionsomkostninger derfor skulle sidestilles med godtgørelsen for strandede omkostninger.
The Commission stated that these liabilities were not dissimilar in nature to that of stranded costs in the electricity sector [36] and that aid to compensate excessive pension costs would therefore be treated in the same way as compensation for stranded costs.
Derfor erklærede Kommissionen, at den ville følge samme fremgangsmåde i lignende sager.
Therefore, the Commission declared that the same approach would be applied in the analyses of similar cases in the future.
I sin beslutning af 10. oktober 2007 om statsstøtte til La Poste [37] erklærede Kommissionen, at statsstøtte, som fritog La Poste for særlige pensionsforpligtelser, som oversteg forpligtelserne i henhold til den almindelige pensionsordning, og som var blevet fastsat i monopolperioden, var forenelig med det indre marked.
In its Decision of 10 October 2007 on the State aid granted to La Poste [37], the Commission declared compatible with the common market State aid that relieved La Poste of specific pension liabilities which exceeded those resulting from the ordinary pension arrangements and which had been defined during the monopoly period.
Kommissionen bemærkede, at foranstaltningerne var begrænset til det, der var strengt nødvendigt for at skabe lige konkurrencevilkår med hensyn til de obligatoriske socialsikringsbidrag og derfor i sidste instans ville være til fordel for udviklingen af konkurrencen og den yderligere liberalisering af postsektoren.
The Commission noted that the measures were limited to what was strictly necessary to establish a level playing field for social security contributions and ultimately would therefore favour the development of competition and further liberalisation of the postal sector.
Det bemærkes endvidere, for at drage en parallel til EDF-beslutningen, at La Poste ikke længere ansatte tjenestemænd, og at La Postes fremtidige pensionsbetalinger stillede virksomheden i samme situation som sine konkurrenter med hensyn til socialsikringsbidrag.
It further noted, by way of drawing a parallel with the EDF decision, that La Poste no longer recruited civil servants and that the future pensions payments of La Poste placed it in a comparable situation vis-à-vis its competitors as regards social security contributions.
I sin beslutning af 25. januar 2012 om støtte til finansieringen af pensionerne til tjenestemandsansatte i Deutsche Post [38] bekræftede Kommissionen, i overensstemmelse med La Poste-beslutningen, at Deutsche Posts socialsikringsbidrag svarede til de private konkurrenters.
In its Decision of 25 January 2012 concerning subsidies for the financing of the civil servants’ pension costs at Deutsche Post [38], the Commission verified, in line with its La Poste Decision, whether the social security contributions borne by Deutsche Post were equivalent to those of private competitors.
Kommissionen fandt også, at Deutsche Post ud over pensionsstøtte også havde fordel af de faste frimærkeprisstigningerne til finansiering af de tjenestemandsansattes pensionsomkostninger.
The Commission found that, in addition to pension subsidies, Deutsche Post has also benefitted from dedicated stamp price increases to finance the civil servants’ pension costs.
Under hensyntagen til denne yderligere støtte havde Deutsche Post i virkeligheden haft meget lavere udgifter til sociale bidrag end de private konkurrenter i visse markedssegmenter.
Taking account of this extra relief, Deutsche Post had effectively borne significantly lower social contributions than private competitors in certain market segments.
Derfor erklærede Kommissionen, at pensionsstøtten var delvist uforenelig med det indre marked, og pålagde Tyskland at inddrive den uforenelige del af pensionsstøtten.
Accordingly the Commission declared the pension subsidies as partly incompatible with the internal market and ordered Germany to recover the incompatible share of the pension subsidies.
I sin beslutning af samme dato i BPost [39] fandt Kommissionen, at den statsstøtte, der var ydet til BPost for at fritage denne fra tjenestemandsansattes pensionsforpligtelser, var forenelig med det indre marked i henhold til traktatens artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c), eftersom den kun fritog BPost for nedarvede pensionsomkostninger uden at sætte virksomheden i en gunstigere position end konkurrenterne med hensyn til socialsikringsbidrag.
In its Decision on the same day in BPost [39], the Commission found the State aid granted to BPost for the relief of civil servants’ pension liabilities as compatible with the internal market under Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty since it only relieved BPost of legacy pension costs without placing the company in a more favourable position than its competitors as regards the social security contributions.
Kommissionen bekræftede, at Belgian Posts socialsikringsbidrag svarede til konkurrenternes.
The Commission verified that the social security contributions borne by Belgian Post were equivalent to those of private competitors.
Der er visse paralleller mellem RMG-sagen og tidligere retspraksis.
There are certain parallels between the case on RMG and previous case-law.
For det første omfatter alle sager en væsentlig økonomisk risiko og ubegrænsede forpligtelser: RMG bærer den økonomiske risiko ved en pensionsordning, der stammer fra RMG's fortid som offentlig monopolvirksomhed.
First of all, all cases involve material economic risk and involve uncapped liabilities: RMG bears the economic risk of a pension scheme which stems from RMG’s public monopoly legacy.
De andre befordringspligtige virksomheder bar en tilsvarende økonomisk risiko, før de blev fritaget for deres forpligtelser, og havde samme ulemper i forhold til deres konkurrenter.
The other postal incumbents bore a similar economic risk prior to being relieved of their liabilities, and were similarly disadvantaged when compared to their competitors.
Alle sager omhandler støttemodtagere i tilsvarende positioner, fordi deres pensionsordninger var meget forskellige fra konkurrenternes pensionsordninger.
All cases concern aid beneficiaries in equivalent positions because their pension arrangements differed very significantly from the competitors’ pension arrangements.
For det andet mener Kommissionen, som i de tidligere sager, at RMG i fraværet af statslige indgreb, som fritog RMG for i hvert fald en del af pensionsforpligtelserne, ikke ville kunne klare sig i konkurrencen ved egen hjælp.
Second of all, as with the previous cases, the Commission considers that in the absence of any State intervention to relieve RMG of at least part of the pension liabilities, RMG would not be able to compete on its merits with its competitors.
Hvis RMG blev ladt tilbage med pensionsunderskuddet, ville det føre til virksomhedens konkurs.
After all, leaving RMG with the pension deficit would lead to its bankruptcy.
Som nævnt i betragtning 29 havde RMG i slutningen af regnskabsåret 2010/11 negative nettodriftsaktiver på balancen.
As mentioned in recital 29, RMG has shown at the end of the 2010/2011 financial year negative operating assets on its balance sheet.
Selv efter en vellykket gennemførelse af omstruktureringsplanen vil RMG have nettoforpligtelser på mindst 2000 mio. GBP uden eftergivelse af pensionsunderskuddet.
Even after a successful implementation of the restructuring plan RMG would remain with net liabilities of at least GBP 2000 million without a relief of the pension deficit.
Der er imidlertid nogle faktorer, som adskiller denne sag fra de tidligere sager.
However, there are some factors which distinguish the previous cases from this case.
For det første er de britiske pensionsordninger meget forskellige fra andre medlemsstaters.
In the first place, the UK pension arrangements differ significantly from those in other Member States.
I henhold til den britiske pensionslovgivning skal disse ordninger give en pensionsret, som opfylder visse normer, og arbejdsgiverne har visse forpligtelser til at sikre, at ordningerne har tilstrækkelige midler.
Under UK pension law, those schemes must provide a pension entitlement which meets certain standards, and employers have certain obligations to ensure that schemes are adequately funded.
I henhold til de gældende regnskabsstandarder (IAS) skal arbejdsgiverne opføre underskud i forbindelse med sådanne pensionsordninger på deres balancer.
Under current accounting standards (IAS), employers must record deficits on such pension schemes on their balance sheets.
I denne henseende svarer RMPP i princippet til de private konkurrenters pensionsfonde.
In this respect, the RMPP is in principle similar to pension funds of private competitors.
Den eneste forskel mellem RMG og konkurrenterne er, at omfanget af pensionsforpligtelser — og dermed underskuddet i RMPP — er opstået som følge af vilkår og betingelser, der blev aftalt i monopolperioden og i overensstemmelse med tjenestemændenes status.
The only difference between RMG and competitors lies in the fact that the level of pension liabilities — and thus the deficit of the RMPP — has arisen from terms and conditions which were agreed during the monopoly period and in line with the status of civil servants.
Endvidere er vilkårene for og størrelsen af andre sociale omkostninger (f.eks. bidrag til den statslige pensionsordning, bidrag til sundheds- og arbejdsløshedsforsikringer) ikke forskellige for RMG's ansatte og de private konkurrenters ansatte.
Furthermore, the terms and levels of other social costs (for example contributions to the State pension arrangement, contributions to health and unemployment insurances) do not differ between RMG’s employees and private competitors’ employees.
Endelig vil RMG fortsat hæfte for alle nye påløbne forpligtelser i fremtiden samt for nye forpligtelser, der stammer fra en stigning i de pensionsydelser, som de nuværende ansatte tidligere havde optjent, som følge af fremtidige lønstigninger, der overstiger inflationen.
Finally, RMG will remain liable for all newly accrued liabilities in the future as well as for new liabilities from an increase in the previously-accrued benefits of current employees as a result of future above-inflation wage increases.
Det betyder, at RMG fortsat vil skulle bære samme niveau af pensionsomkostninger for nyoptjente pensionsrettigheder.
This means that RMG will continue to bear the same level of pension costs for newly accrued pension rights.
Den anmeldte pensionseftergivelse vil derfor kun reducere de historiske pensionsforpligtelser frem til datoen for pensionseftergivelsen den 1. april 2012, mens RMG fortsat vil hæfte fuldt ud for et eventuelt underskud, der måtte opstå som følge af pensionsrettigheder optjent efter pensionseftergivelsen den 1. april 2012.
The notified pension relief will therefore only reduce historic pension liabilities up to the date of the pension relief on 1 April 2012, while RMG remains fully responsible for any deficit that may arise from newly accrued pension rights after the pension relief on 1 April 2012.
Disse forskelle berettiger til at afvige fra den fremgangsmåde, Kommissionen har fulgt i tidligere sager for at vurdere foranstaltningens forenelighed samt tage højde for de britiske pensionsordningers særegenheder.
These differences justify an adjustment of the approach followed in previous cases to assess the compatibility of the measure at issue and to account for the specificities of the UK pension arrangements.
I de tidligere sager blev de obligatoriske socialsikringsbidrag (f.eks. bidragene til socialsikring vedrørende pension, sundhed og arbejdsløshed) anvendt som benchmark, men dette er ikke hensigtsmæssigt i denne sag.
In the previous cases, the compulsory social security contributions (for example the contribution to the social insurances for pension, health, and unemployment) were used as a benchmark but this is not appropriate in the current case.
For det første skal benchmarkingen udføres for finansieringen af pensionsforpligtelserne, fordi RMG — bortset fra pensionsomkostningerne — har omkostninger i samme størrelsesorden som konkurrenterne til anden socialsikring (f.eks. er finansieringsvilkårene for sundheds- og arbejdsløshedsforsikringer ikke forskellige fra konkurrenternes).
First, as RMG bears — apart from the pension costs — the same level of costs as competitors for the other social insurances (for example the financing terms for health and unemployment insurances do not differ from those of competitors), the benchmarking has to be carried out with regard to the funding of pension’s liabilities.
Det skal sikres, at RMG står i samme position som konkurrenterne med hensyn til forpligtelserne vedrørende finansiering af pensionsfondene.
It has to be ensured that RMG is placed in the same position as competitors in respect of their obligations as regards the financing of pension funds.
For det andet godkendte Kommissionen i de tidligere sager et vist støtteniveau, som betød, at den befordringspligtige virksomheds fremtidige sociale omkostninger blev begrænset til konkurrenternes socialbidragssatser.
Second, in the previous cases, the Commission approved a level of aid such that the postal incumbent’s future social costs were capped at the competitors’ social contribution rates.
Den britiske reform går ikke så langt, men overlader det fulde økonomiske ansvar for ethvert underskud, der måtte opstå som følge af de nyoptjente pensionsrettigheder, til RMG.
The United Kingdom reform does not go that far but leaves RMG the full financial responsibility for any deficit that results from the newly accrued pension rights.
Derfor skal sammenligningen foretages på grundlag af de pensionsforpligtelser, RMG har optjent på datoen for pensionseftergivelsen den 1. april 2012.
Therefore, the comparison has to be done on the basis of RMG’s accrued pension liabilities at the date of the pension relief on 1 April 2012.