natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Endelig indtog Kommissionen den holdning, at foranstaltningerne ikke var forenelige med retningslinjerne for statsstøtte med regionalt sigte for 2007-2013 (i det følgende benævnt »regionalretningslinjerne«) [6], som dannede grundlag for vurderingen af den støtte, der blev ydet i medfør af EUF-traktatens artikel 107, stk. 3, litra a) og c).
The Court ruled that the public financing given in this case did not constitute State aid, because it was not liable to distort competition or to affect trade between Member States.
Hvad angår den retssag, der blev anlagt ved de italienske domstole imod regionen for at få den til at betale sit proratabidrag, mens man afventede Kommissionens godkendelse heraf efter statsstøttereglerne, mente Kommissionen, at Italien på grund af EU-rettens forrang frem for national ret, og så længe anmeldelsen ikke var formelt trukket tilbage, var nødt til at overholde standstill-forpligtelsen i henhold til EUF-traktatens artikel 108, stk. 3.
The Court also observed that the principle of an investor in a market economy was satisfied, because at the time the aid was granted, irrespective of the losses incurred in 2004 and 2005, there were reasonable prospects of profitability in the long term.
Kommissionen fandt derfor, at de nationale domstoles afgørelse burde være blevet tilsidesat i kraft af standstill-forpligtelsens forrang ifølge EUF-traktatens artikel 108, stk. 3, og at de italienske myndigheder ikke burde have effektueret den anmeldte foranstaltning, så længe statsstøtteproceduren ikke var afsluttet.
The Region challenged the ruling of the Court on the ground that the measure constituted State aid and consequently should not be implemented until the Commission had adopted an authorising decision.
BEMÆRKNINGER FRA DE INTERESSEREDE PARTER
In December 2009 the Italian authorities informed the Commission that this action had been rejected and that no further procedural steps could be taken to oppose granting of the public contribution to SO.G.A.S.
Nærmere bestemt hævdede SO.G.A.S., at foranstaltningen i) ikke påvirkede samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne eller subsidiært ii) ikke gav SO.G.A.S. en selektiv økonomisk fordel og iii) ikke fordrejede eller truede med at fordreje konkurrencen.
they consisted in a transfer of funds to SO.G.A.S. from a number of regional and local authorities, namely the Region of Calabria, the Province of Reggio Calabria, the Municipality of Messina and the Municipality of Reggio Calabria, or local autonomous bodies set up under public law, namely the Reggio Calabria Chamber of Commerce and the Messina Chamber of Commerce;
SO.G.A.S. hævdede, at de anfægtede foranstaltninger blev ydet på normale markedsvilkår og derfor overholdt det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip.
they therefore involved State resources and were imputable to the State;
De var i overensstemmelse med artikel 2446 og 2447 i den italienske civillovbog, hvorefter aktionærerne i et aktieselskab, som havde mistet over en tredjedel af sin kapital, havde pligt til at dække dets tab for at forhindre, at selskabet blev afviklet.
they did not comply with the principle of an investor in a market economy, and thus conferred a selective advantage on SO.G.A.S.;
Hvis ikke aktionærerne dækkede lufthavnsselskabet SO.G.A.S.' tab, ville det have medført tilbagekaldelse (efter artikel 13 i ministeriel bekendtgørelse nr. 521 af 12. november 1997) af den delvise forvaltning af Stretto lufthavn, som var betroet SO.G.A.S. i henhold til artikel 17 i anordningslov nr. 67 af 1997, og ville have gjort det umuligt i fremtiden at opnå den fulde koncession til forvaltning af lufthavnen, som transportministeriet havde modtaget ansøgning om.
they were liable to distort competition and affect trade between Member States.
Det kunne derfor med rimelighed antages, at en privat investor i en lignende situation ville have handlet på samme måde for at øge værdien af sin aktiepost.
The Commission took the preliminary view that the disputed measures were incompatible with the internal market.
Støttemodtageren påpegede, at den almindelige domstol i Reggio Calabria havde rekvireret en uafhængig værdiansættelse af selskabet i juni 2008, ifølge hvilken selskabets værdi skønnedes at ligge på mellem 12 og 17 mio. EUR.
First, Italy had explicitly stated that SO.G.A.S. was not entrusted with the provision of any service of general economic interest (‘SGEI’).
For at dokumentere selskabets udsigter til rentabilitet fremlagde støttemodtageren en forretningsplan for Kommissionen, som var udarbejdet af SO.G.A.S. i oktober 2008 af en ekstern konsulent, der forventede, at selskabet ville genoprette rentabiliteten i 2013.
Second, the Italian authorities had confirmed that the measures did not relate to any specific airport investment;
I juli 2007 var den delvise privatisering af SO.G.A.S. blevet sendt i udbud.
the Commission concluded, on a preliminary basis, that the compatibility of the measures could not be assessed under the criteria laid down by the guidelines on financing of airports and start-up aid to airlines departing from regional airports (‘the 2005 aviation guidelines’) [4].
Der var indkommet et tilbud på køb af 35 % af SO.G.A.S.' kapital fra et italiensk-argentinsk konsortium (associazione temporanea di imprese, i det følgende benævnt»ATI«).
Third, notwithstanding their claim that SO.G.A.S. was a firm in difficulty within the meaning of the guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (‘the R&R guidelines’) [5], the Italian authorities had also indicated that the measures were not part of a restructuring plan and that no such plan existed.
SO.G.A.S.' aktionærer anså tilbuddet for at være økonomisk ufordelagtigt.
Last, the Commission took the view that the measures were not compatible with the guidelines on national regional aid for 2007–2013 (hereinafter ‘the regional guidelines’) [6], which provided the framework for the assessment of aid granted on the basis of Article 107(3)(a) and (c) TFEU.
I marts 2010 blev 35 % af SO.G.A.S.' aktier på ny sendt i udbud.
As regards the legal actions brought in the Italian courts against the Region's refusal to pay its pro rata contribution pending authorisation by the Commission under the State aid rules, the Commission considered that, given the primacy of EU law over national law, and as long as the notification had not been formally withdrawn, Italy was bound to comply with the standstill clause laid down by Article 108(3) TFEU.
Ifølge SO.G.A.S. viste de to interessetilkendegivelser sammen med det første tilbud fra konsortiet, at det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip var opfyldt.
The Commission therefore took the view that by virtue of the primacy of the standstill obligation in Article 108(3) TFEU the position taken by the national courts should have been disregarded, and that the Italian authorities should not have put the notified measure into effect as long as the State aid procedure was pending.
SO.G.A.S. hævdede også, at Kommissionen tog fejl, når den konkluderede, at passagererne i Stretto lufthavn også kunne bruge lufthavnene i Catania, Lamezia Terme og Crotone afhængigt af deres bopæl, og at de omhandlede foranstaltninger derfor kunne fordreje konkurrencen mellem lufthavnsselskaberne.
COMMENTS FROM INTERESTED PARTIES
De særlige geografiske og infrastrukturelle træk ved Calabrien udelukkede enhver potentiel overlapning mellem Strettos opland og de italienske nabolufthavnes opland.
SO.G.A.S. submitted that the measures under assessment did not constitute State aid because the criteria laid down in Article 107(1) TFEU were not all met.
Lamezia Terme lufthavn lå over 130 km væk, ca. en times kørsel fra Stretto.
More specifically, SO.G.A.S. claimed that the measure:
Der var ingen hurtig forbindelse mellem Stretto og Crotone lufthavn, som lå over tre timers kørsel væk.
did not affect trade between Member States, or in the alternative (ii) did not confer a selective economic advantage on SO.G.A.S. and (iii) did not distort or threaten to distort competition.
Catania lufthavn lå i en anden region over 130 km væk med en rejsetid i bil på 1 time og 30-40 minutter.
SO.G.A.S. argued that the disputed measures were granted under normal market conditions and therefore complied with the market economy investor principle.
SO.G.A.S. fremsendte en tabel med et indeks over korrelationen mellem ankommende passagerer i Stretto lufthavn henholdsvis lufthavnene i Lamezia Terme, Crotone and Catania.
They were in line with Articles 2446 and 2447 of the Italian Civil Code, which required the shareholders of a limited company that had lost over one third of its capital to compensate its losses in order to avoid the winding-up of the company.
Tabellen viste ifølge SO.G.A.S., at passagerer, der rejste via Stretto lufthavn, udgjorde en ny komponent i den regionale trafik.
Failure on the part of the shareholders to cover the losses of SO.G.A.S., an airport management company, would have entailed the withdrawal (within the meaning of Article 13 of Ministerial Order (DM) No 521 of 12 November 1997) of the partial management of Stretto airport, which had been entrusted to SO.G.A.S. under Article 17 of Decree-law No 67 of 1997, and would have made it impossible in future to secure the full concession for the management of the airport, for which an application had been made to the Ministry of Transport.
En lukning af lufthavnen ville derfor medføre tab af en del af efterspørgslen på lufttransport snarere end en omfordeling til andre lufthavne.
It was reasonable to suppose, therefore, that a private investor facing a similar choice would have acted in the same manner in order to increase the value of their shareholding.
SO.G.A.S. indsendte også en tabel, der viste, at de omhandlede foranstaltninger faktisk havde skabt ny efterspørgsel efter lufttransport i området og givet positive gevinster for både luftfartsselskaber, som var interesseret i at starte nye ruter mellem Stretto og andre italienske og europæiske lufthavne, og andre lufthavne, som oplevede en øget efterspørgsel.
The recipient pointed out that the Ordinary Court of Reggio Calabria had commissioned an independent valuation of the company in June 2008, which estimated that the value of the company fell in a range between EUR 12 million and EUR 17 million.
SO.G.A.S. afviste Kommissionens foreløbige konstatering af, at foranstaltningerne potentielt kunne fordreje konkurrencen mellem luftfartsselskaberne.
To evidence the company's prospects of profitability, the recipient submitted to the Commission a business plan drawn up for SO.G.A.S. in October 2008 by an external consultant, which forecast that the company would return to viability in 2013.
Den offentlige støtte var ikke blevet overført til et luftfartsselskab gennem bevilling af lavere afgifter for landing eller andre gunstige vilkår.
A call for tenders for the partial privatisation of SO.G.A.S. had been published in July 2007.
Landingsafgifter og andre driftsbetingelser i lufthavnen blev fastlagt af den kompetente myndighed og var ikke overladt til lufthavnsselskabets skøn.
A bid for the acquisition of 35 % of SO.G.A.S.'s capital had been submitted by an Italo-Argentine consortium (associazione temporanea di imprese or ‘ATI’).
Endelig hævdede SO.G.A.S., at Stretto primært blev befløjet af Alitalia (som havde seks af otte daglige flyvninger), og at der ikke var tegn på, at charter- eller lavprisselskaber var interesserede i at starte nye ruter med afgang fra Stretto lufthavn.
The bid was considered economically disadvantageous by SO.G.A.S.'s shareholders.
SO.G.A.S. konkluderede, at Kommissionen i sin vurdering af foranstaltningens virkning for konkurrencen og samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne burde have taget mere hensyn til de specifikke omstændigheder og fundet, at foranstaltningen ikke udgjorde statsstøtte.
In March 2010 a new call for tenders for 35 % of SO.G.A.S.'s shares was published.
Støttens forenelighed
According to SO.G.A.S. the two expressions of interest received in response, together with the initial bid from the consortium, showed that the market economy investor principle was satisfied.
Angående spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt foranstaltningerne kunne anses for forenelige efter EUF-traktatens artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c), hævdede SO.G.A.S., at den omhandlede offentlige støtte var rettet mod at opretholde lufthavnsselskabets drift og udvikle visse økonomiske aktiviteter.
SO.G.A.S. also argued that the Commission was wrong to conclude that passengers using Stretto airport could also use in Catania, Lamezia Terme or Crotone airports, depending on their place of residence, and that the disputed measures consequently had the potential to distort competition between airport managers.
Denne målsætning var begrundet i det forhold, at små lufthavne generelt ikke genererer tilstrækkelig indtjening til at dække de omkostninger, der er nødvendige for at overholde sikkerhedskravene.
First, Stretto airport and Catania, Lamezia Terme and Crotone airports were regional point-to-point airports whose catchment areas did not overlap.
Desuden ville Stretto lufthavn på grund af lufthavnsinfrastrukturens karakteristika og de deraf følgende restriktioner, som den italienske myndighed for civil luftfart ENAC [7] pålagde den, have meget vanskeligt ved at huse charter- og lavprisselskaber.
Nor did Stretto airport compete with any other airport in Italy or the Union.
Navnlig var Stretto lufthavn i overensstemmelse med ENAC's kriterier kategoriseret som en niveau II-lufthavn.
The particular geographical and infrastructural features of Calabria excluded any potential overlap between the catchment area of Stretto airport and those of neighbouring Italian airports.
Denne kategorisering byggede på infrastrukturens dimensioner frem for passagertal.
Lamezia Terme airport was more than 130 km away, at approximately one hour's driving time from Stretto.
Lufthavne med lave passagertal skulle ifølge denne klassificering afholde samme omkostninger for at opfylde sikkerhedsstandarderne som lufthavne med over en million passagerer.
There was no rapid direct link between Stretto and Crotone airport, which was over three hours away.
Uden den omhandlede offentlige støtte ville lufthavnen være tvunget til at lukke, hvilket ville få negative konsekvenser på regionalt plan for indbyggernes mobilitet.
Catania airport was located in a different geographic region, at a distance of over 130 km, with a travelling time by car of 1hr30–1hr40.
Det ville også have hindret aktionærerne i at få et afkast af deres investering.
SO.G.A.S. provided a table showing a correlation index between the incoming flow of passengers at Stretto airport and those at Lamezia Terme, Crotone and Catania.
Endelig eller subsidiært hævdede SO.G.A.S., at Kommissionens beslutning 2005/842/EF [8] af almindelig økonomisk interesse kunne finde anvendelse på nærværende sag, og at foranstaltningerne under alle omstændigheder kunne anses for at være forenelige med det indre marked og være fritaget for anmeldelseskravet på det grundlag.
The table showed, it said, that passengers travelling by Stretto airport constituted a new component in regional traffic.
SO.G.A.S. hævdede, at eftersom trafikken i lufthavnen ikke oversteg en million passagerer om året i referenceperioden, var forvaltningen af lufthavnen en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse efter artikel 2, stk. 1, litra d), i beslutning2005/842/EF.
A closure of the airport would therefore result in the loss of part of the demand for air transport services, rather than in a redistribution to other airports.
SO.G.A.S. påpegede, at lokale myndigheder i henhold til anordningslov nr. 250 af 25. juli 1997 kun kunne eje aktieposter i selskaber, som havde fået overdraget at udføre en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse.
SO.G.A.S. also submitted a table to show that the measures under scrutiny had indeed created new demand for air transport services in the area, resulting in positive benefits both for air carriers interested in starting up new routes between Stretto and other domestic and EU airports, and for other airports, which found themselves handling increased demand.
SO.G.A.S. havde altid været ejet af lokale myndigheder i Calabrien og Messina, hvilket var et formodet bevis for, at forvaltningen af lufthavnen udgjorde en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse.
SO.G.A.S. rejected the Commission's preliminary finding that the measures had the potential to distort competition between airlines.
For at vise, at forvaltningen af lufthavnen faktisk udgjorde en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse, fremsendte SO.G.A.S. to beslutninger, som var truffet af Reggio Calabria kommune den 27. juli 2010 og den 19. juni 2010, og hvori der blev henvist til lufthavnstjenestens betydning for regionen.
The public financing had not been transferred to any air carrier through the granting of lower landing fees or other favourable terms.
Kompensationen for offentlig tjeneste var begrænset til de tab, som lufthavnsselskabet led ved udførelsen af tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse, hvorfor den overholdt principperne om nødvendighed og proportionalitet i henhold til artikel 5, stk. 1, i beslutning 2005/842/EF.
Landing charges and other operating conditions at the airport were set by the competent authority and did not leave any discretion to the airport manager.
Med hensyn til fraværet af et dokument, hvoraf det fremgår, at lufthavnsselskabet får overdraget udførelsen af tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse, foreslog SO.G.A.S., at der blev udarbejdet forslag til en aftale, som kunne fjerne enhver tvivl om, at de fire Altmark-kriterier [9] var opfyldt i nærværende sag om Stretto lufthavn.
Finally, SO.G.A.S. contended that Stretto was served mainly by Alitalia (which provided six of the eight daily flights), and that there was no indication that charter or low-cost carriers were interested in starting up new routes departing from Stretto airport.
DE ITALIENSKE MYNDIGHEDERS BEMÆRKNINGER
SO.G.A.S. concluded that in assessing the impact of the measure on competition and trade between Member States, the Commission should have taken greater account of the specific circumstances, and should have found that the measure did not constitute State aid.
I indledningsafgørelsen bemærkede Kommissionen, at Italien havde bekræftet, at SO.G.A.S. ikke formelt var blevet betroet udførelsen af en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse, hvorfor foreneligheden af den omhandlede foranstaltning ikke kunne vurderes i henhold til reglerne om tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse.
The compatibility of the aid
Spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt lufthavnens aktiviteter udgør en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse
On the question whether the measures could be held compatible under Article 107(3)(c) TFEU, SO.G.A.S. argued that the public financing under assessment was aimed at maintaining the operational continuity of the airport manager and the development of certain economic activities.
I løbet af undersøgelsesproceduren hævdede Italien, at de omhandlede foranstaltninger udgjorde en kompensation for SO.G.A.S.' levering af tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse.
This objective was justified by the fact that small airports did not generally generate sufficient revenues to cover the costs required to comply with safety and security requirements.
I mangel af dokumentation for det modsatte hævdede de italienske myndigheder, at en efterfølgende evaluering ville vise, at EU's krav vedrørende tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse var opfyldt i SO.G.A.S.' tilfælde.
In addition, Stretto airport, given the characteristics of the airport infrastructure and the consequent restrictions imposed by the national civil aviation authority ENAC [7], would have great difficulty in hosting charter and low cost airlines.
Italien fandt, at Kommissionen med sin valgte linje tillagde det formelle unødigt stor vægt i forhold til de væsentlige krav til tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse.
In particular, in accordance with ENAC's parameters, Stretto airport was classed as a level II airport.
Til støtte for denne påstand fremsendte Italien en summarisk vurdering af de fire Altmark-kriterier.
This classification was based on the dimensions of the infrastructure, rather than on passenger volumes;
Italien hævdede, at SO.G.A.S. faktisk havde fået betroet udførelsen af forpligtelse til offentlig tjeneste.
it required airports with low passenger levels to incur the same costs in order to meet safety standards as airports with over a million passengers.
Denne forpligtelse blev bekræftet både direkte og indirekte af flere forvaltningsdokumenter udstedt af de lokale myndigheder.
Without the public financing under investigation, the airport would have been forced to exit the market, with negative consequences at regional level for the mobility of residents.
Italien fremsendte referat fra et møde i kommunalbestyrelsen i Reggio Calabria, som fandt sted den 17. oktober 2007, hvor bestyrelsen besluttede at yde tilskud til dækning af lufthavnsselskabets tab, og referatet af møderne i samme organ, som fandt sted den 16. juni 2009 og 31. december 2009, til dokumentation af, at lufthavnsaktiviteterne var tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse.
This would also have prevented the shareholders from obtaining any return on their investment.
Ifølge mødereferatet fra den 17. oktober 2007 havde regionen Calabrien den holdning, at visse aktiviteter i lufthavnen i Reggio Calabria var nødvendige for leveringen af en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse, og havde pålagt SO.G.A.S. en række forpligtelser til offentlig tjeneste for at sikre, at den offentlige interesse blev ordentlig varetaget.
Finally or in the alternative, SO.G.A.S. contended that Commission Decision 2005/842/EC [8] on services of general economic interest was applicable in the present case, and that the measures could in any event be held compatible with the internal market and exempted from the notification requirement on that basis.
I sådanne tilfælde kunne lufthavnsselskabet få tilskud af myndighederne til de ekstra omkostninger, som ville påløbe ved udførelsen af disse forpligtelser, som var af en sådan art, at det ikke kunne udelukkes, at den samlede forvaltning af lufthavnen kunne anses for at være en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse.
SO.G.A.S. argued that since the traffic at the airport did not exceed a million passengers a year in the reference period, the management of the airport was a service of general economic interest (‘SGEI’) within the scope of Article 2(1)(d) of Decision 2005/842/EC.
Mere generelt var regionen Calabrien medunderskriver af en protokol for udvikling af lufthavnene i Lamezia Terme, Crotone og Reggio Calabria, som gjorde det klart, at lufthavnstjenester var offentlige tjenester, som var afgørende for den økonomiske og sociale udvikling i regionen, hvorfor de kunne finansieres med EU-midler eller nationale eller regionale midler.
SO.G.A.S. pointed out that under Decree-law No 250 of 25 July 1997, local authorities could hold shareholdings only in companies which were entrusted with a service of general economic interest.
Italien understregede også, at lufthavnsselskabet den 28. december 2008 bad aktionærerne om at specifikt dække sine tab i kraft af forpligtelsen til offentlig tjeneste og hævdede, at ingen privat erhvervsdrivende ville levere de pågældende lufthavnsforvaltningstjenester på rene markedsvilkår.
SO.G.A.S. had always been owned by local authorities in Calabria and Messina, which was presumptive evidence that the management of the airport qualified as an SGEI.
Således var det første Altmark-kriterium opfyldt.
In order to show that the management of the airport was indeed an SGEI, SO.G.A.S. submitted decisions of the Municipality of Reggio Calabria dated 27 July 2010 and 19 June 2010 which made reference to the importance of the airport services at regional level.
De parametre, som kompensationen blev beregnet ud fra, kunne let udledes af SO.G.A.S.' balance, hvor man åbent fremlagde driftstabene.
Public service compensation was limited to the losses incurred by the airport manager in providing the SGEI, and therefore complied with the necessity and proportionality principles laid down by Article 5(1) of Decision 2005/842/EC.