natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Den 8. oktober 2002 [8] fremsendte de franske myndigheder deres bemærkninger til Kommissionen vedrørende beslutningen af 19. august 2002 [9].
The notified restructuring aid consisted in the recapitalisation of SNCM through CGMF to the tune of EUR 76 million.
På anmodning af de franske myndigheder blev der afholdt arbejdsmøder med Kommissionens tjenestegrene henholdsvis den 24. oktober 2002, den 3. december 2002 og den 25. februar 2003.
By letter of 19 August 2002, the Commission notified the French authorities of the decision to initiate the formal investigation procedure [6] pursuant to Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty and Article 6 of Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 [7].
De franske myndigheder meddelte Kommissionen deres kommentarer til bemærkningerne fra CFF og STIM den 13. februar 2003 [11] og den 27. maj 2003 [12].
On 8 October 2002 [8], the French authorities communicated to the Commission their comments on the decision of 19 August 2002 [9].
Ved brev af 10. februar 2003 [13] redegjorde de franske myndigheder mere detaljeret for, hvorfor de mente, at støtteprojektet på alle punkter overholdt EF-rammebestemmelserne for statsstøtte til redning og omstrukturering af kriseramte virksomheder [14] (herefter benævnt »rammebestemmelserne fra 1999«).
In the context of initiating the procedure, the Commission received observations from two undertakings, namely Corsica Ferries France (hereinafter: ‘CFF’) on 8 January 2003 [10] and STIM d’Orbigny group STEF-TFE (hereinafter: ‘STIM’) on 7 January 2003, and from various French regional and local authorities on 18 December 2002 and 9 and 10 January 2003.
Den 25. februar 2003 [15] fremsendte de franske myndigheder efter anmodning fra Kommissionen kopi af aktionæraftalen mellem SNCM og STIM.
It sent those observations to France for comment by letters of 13 and 16 January and 5 and 21 February 2003.
Den 13. oktober 2003 anlagde CFF sag ved Retten i Første Instans (herefter benævnt »Retten«) med påstand om annullation af beslutningen fra 2003 (sag T-349/03).
The French authorities submitted their comments on the observations by CFF and STIM on 13 February [11] and 27 May 2003 [12].
Ved beslutning 2005/36/EF [17] (herefter benævnt »beslutningen fra 2004«) besluttede Kommissionen, at de ændringer, som Frankrig havde anmodet om den 23. juni 2004, nemlig udskiftning af Aliso med Asco i fortegnelsen over de skibe, SNCM havde tilladelse til at benytte i henhold til beslutningen fra 2003, og salget af Aliso i stedet for Asco, ikke havde betydning for spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt den ved beslutningen fra 2003 godkendte omstruktureringsstøtte var forenelig med fællesmarkedet.
On 16 January 2003, the Commission sent a request for additional information, to which the French authorities replied on 21 February 2003.
Den 15. juni 2005 afsagde Retten dom i sag T-349/03 [19] og annullerede beslutningen fra 2003 med henvisning til en fejlagtig vurdering af støttens minimumskarakter.
At the Commission’s request, on 25 February 2003 [15] the French authorities forwarded a copy of the shareholders’ agreement binding SNCM and STIM.
Den 25. oktober 2005 [20] fremsendte de franske myndigheder oplysninger til Kommissionen om udviklingen i rederiets finansielle situation siden anmeldelsen af omstruktureringsplanen af 18. februar 2002.
By Decision 2004/166/EC [16] (hereinafter: ‘the 2003 decision’), the Commission approved, under certain conditions, the granting of restructuring aid to SNCM payable in two instalments, one of EUR 66 million and the other for a maximum amount of EUR 10 million, to be determined on the basis of the net proceeds resulting from asset sales made after the adoption of the 2003 decision.
Den 17. november 2005 [21] leverede de franske myndigheder oplysninger om gennemførelsen af omstruktureringsplanen fra 2002 og genoprettelsen af SNCM's egenkapital [22].
The payment of the first instalment was authorised by the 2003 decision.
Den 15. marts 2006 sendte de franske myndigheder Kommissionen et sammenfattende notat om markedet, forretningsplanen (indtægtsdelen) og den foreløbige resultatopgørelse [23].
On 13 October 2003, CFF brought an action for annulment of the 2003 decision before the General Court of the European Communities (hereinafter: ‘the General Court’) (Case T-349/03).
Den 21. april 2006 fik Kommissionen med henvisning til artikel 4 i Rådets forordning (EF) nr. 139/2004 [26] meddelelse om en planlagt fusion, hvorved virksomhederne Veolia Transport (herefter benævnt »VT«) [27] og Butler Capital Partners (herefter benævnt »BCP«) i fællesskab ville få kontrollen med SNCM [28].
By Decision 2005/36/EC [17] (hereinafter: ‘the 2004 decision’), the Commission decided that the amendments requested by France on 23 June 2004, namely swapping the vessel Aliso with the vessel Asco in the list of vessels which SNCM was authorised to use following the 2003 decision and the sale of the Aliso instead of the Asco, were not such as to call into question the compatibility with the internal market of the restructuring aid authorised by the 2003 decision.
Kommissionen besluttede ikke at rejse indsigelse mod den anmeldte fusion og erklærede den forenelig med det indre marked ved beslutning af 29. maj 2006 [29].
By decision of 16 March 2005 (hereinafter: ‘the 2005 decision’) [18], the Commission approved the payment of the second instalment of restructuring aid, in the amount of EUR 3,3 million, which brought the total amount of authorised restructuring aid to EUR 69,3 million.
Den 21. juni 2006 [30] fik Kommissionen af de franske myndigheder tilsendt økonomi-, finans- og industriministeriets bekendtgørelse af 26. maj 2006 om godkendelse af finansielle transaktioner besluttet af de franske statsbaner, Société nationale des chemins de fer français (herefter benævnt »SNCF«), og dekret nr. 2006-606 af 26. maj 2006 om overførsel af SNCM til den private sektor.
On 15 June 2005, in Case T-349/03 [19], the General Court annulled the 2003 decision on the ground that the minimal character of the aid had been incorrectly assessed.
Ved brev af 13. september 2006 underrettede Kommissionen de franske myndigheder om beslutningen om at indlede den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure efter EF-traktatens artikel 88, stk. 2, i overensstemmelse med artikel 6 i forordning (EF) nr. 659/1999 vedrørende de nye støtteforanstaltninger til fordel for SNCM og lade den omfatte den i 2002 anmeldte omstruktureringsplan [32] (herefter benævnt »beslutningen fra 2006«).
On 17 November 2005 [21], the French authorities provided information on the updating of the 2002 restructuring plan and the reconstitution of SNCM’s own capital [22].
Den 16. november 2006 fremsendte Frankrig sine bemærkninger til Kommissionen vedrørende beslutningen fra 2006 [33].
On 15 March 2006, a briefing note on the market, the business plan (revenue part) and the projected income statement were submitted to the Commission by the French authorities [23].
Efter at Kommissionen fra visse interesserede parter var blevet anmodet om at forlænge fristen for fremsættelse af bemærkninger [34] med en måned, besluttede Kommissionen at give samtlige interesserede parter denne yderligere frist [35].
Other documents were delivered to the Commission on 28 March 2006 and 7 April 2006 [24].
De franske myndigheder meddelte deres kommentarer til bemærkningerne fra de interesserede tredjeparter den 30. april 2007 [38].
In the letter dated 7 April 2006, the French authorities also called on the Commission to classify part of the 2002 restructuring aid, in particular the amount of EUR 53,48 million, not as a measure taken under a restructuring plan but as non-aid in accordance with the Altmark [25] case-law or as an autonomous measure independent of the restructuring plan pursuant to Article 86(2) of the EC Treaty, on account of its being ‘public service compensation’.
Den 20. december 2007 indgav CFF som opfølgning på fremsendelsen af oplysninger den 15. juni 2007 og den 30. november 2007 en klage over SNCM til Kommissionen.
On 21 April 2006, a planned merger, under which the undertakings Veolia Transport (hereinafter: ‘VT’) [26] and Butler Capital Partners (hereinafter: ‘BCP’) acquired joint control of SNCM [27], was notified to the Commission pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 [28].
Kommissionen meddelte de interesserede parter sin beslutning om at forlænge fristen for tredjemand til at fremsætte bemærkninger til den 14. marts 2008.
By decision dated 29 May 2006 [29], the Commission decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the internal market.
Den 26. marts 2008 fremsendte Kommissionen bemærkningerne fra de interesserede tredjeparter til Frankrig, der meddelte sine kommentarer henholdsvis den 28. marts 2008, den 10. april 2008 og den 28. april 2008.
On 21 June 2006 [30], the French authorities sent the Commission the Order of 26 May 2006 of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Finance and Industry approving financial transactions decided by Société nationale des chemins de fer français (hereinafter: ‘SNCF’) and Decree No 2006-606 of 26 May 2006 transferring SNCM to the private sector.
Denne beslutning blev delvis annulleret af Retten den 11. september 2012 [39].
By letter dated 13 September 2006, the Commission notified the French authorities of its decision to initiate the formal investigation procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty and in Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 concerning the new measures implemented in favour of SNCM and the restructuring plan notified in 2002 [32] (hereinafter: ‘the 2006 decision’).
Retten fandt, at Kommissionens konklusioner om de foranstaltninger, der var gennemført i 2006, var behæftet med åbenbart urigtige skøn.
On 16 November 2006, France sent the Commission its comments on the 2006 decision [33].
Kommissionen skal derfor træffe en ny endelig afgørelse.
The Commission received comments from CFF [36] and STIM [37] which were forwarded to the French authorities by letter dated 20 February 2007.
Der skal således ikke søges oplysninger efter datoen for den annullerede beslutnings vedtagelse.
A third party also sent comments which were also forwarded to the French authorities, and withdrawn by that party on 28 May 2008.
Efter annullationen må Kommissionen nemlig dels vurdere, om nogle af de omtvistede foranstaltninger svarer til en privat investors adfærd under markedsøkonomiske vilkår og dels — for så vidt de undersøgte foranstaltninger udgør statsstøtte — om betingelserne for forenelighed i henhold til de relevante rammebestemmelser er opfyldt.
The French authorities sent their observations on the comments by the interested third parties on 30 April 2007 [38].
For hver af disse to undersøgelser kan Kommissionen i overensstemmelse med Rettens praksis [40] kun tage hensyn til de oplysninger, den havde til rådighed på datoen for vedtagelsen af den annullerede beslutning, dvs. den 8. juli 2008 [41].
On 20 December 2007, CFF lodged a complaint against SNCM with the Commission which supplemented the information sent on 15 June 2007 and 30 November 2007.
Et møde fandt sted den 13. november 2012 med deltagelse af Kommissionen, de franske myndigheder og repræsentanter for SNCM.
That complaint concerns Article 3 of the new public service delegation agreement signed in June 2007 between the Corsican regional authorities and the Compagnie Méridionale de Navigation-SNCM joint venture for 2007 to 2013.
ved at præcisere kriterierne for testen for den markedsøkonomiske investor, afsagde Retten angiveligt en nyskabende dom i retspraksis, som gjorde det nødvendigt at genåbne den kontradiktoriske procedure.
Furthermore, it stated that the compensation paid to SNCM in respect of public service obligations is State aid which is, moreover, unlawful since it has not been notified to the Commission.
Ved brev af 15. januar og 13. februar 2013 afviste Kommissionen disse anmodninger og understregede, at sagen kunne genoptages på det præcise tidspunkt, hvor ulovligheden var sket, og mindede om, at afgørelsen fra 2006 om at indlede undersøgelsen ikke var ulovlig.
The Commission informed the interested parties of its decision to extend the period for them to submit comments to 14 March 2008.
Kommissionen meddelte dog de franske myndigheder, at det stod dem frit for at indsende alle supplerende oplysninger om overvejelser, analyser eller ethvert dokument, de fandt passende.
On 26 March 2008, the Commission forwarded the comments by the interested third parties to France, which communicated its observations on 28 March, 10 April and 28 April 2008.
De franske myndigheder sendte Kommissionen et oplysningsblad den 16. maj 2013.
By decision dated 8 July 2008, the Commission took the view that the new measures in 2006 did not constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 87(1) of the EC Treaty and that the measures notified in 2002 were aid compatible with the internal market.
Ved brev af 19. juni 2013 anmodede SNCM ligeledes om en afgørelse om genoptagelse af den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure af samme årsager som de franske myndigheder.
This decision was partially annulled on 11 September 2012 by the General Court [39], which found that the Commission’s conclusions on the measures implemented in 2006 were vitiated by manifest errors of assessment.
Den 27. august 2013 sendte SNCM et oplysningsblad og en ny rapport vedrørende afhændelsen af SNCM.
The General Court held that the Commission’s analysis of the 2002 restructuring aid should be reviewed because the decision was based on the fact that the 2006 measures were free of aid.
BESKRIVELSE
The only aid in respect of which the finding of compatibility was not annulled is the EUR 53,48 million as compensation for SNCM’s public service obligations for the period 1991-2001.
STØTTEMODTAGEREN
Consequently, this point will not be addressed in this decision.
Modtageren af den støtte, der er emnet for denne afgørelse, er SNCM, der har flere datterselskaber i søtransportsektoren, og som fragter passagerer samt person- og lastbiler mellem det franske fastland og Korsika, Italien (Sardinien) og Maghreb (Algeriet og Tunesien).
The Commission must therefore adopt a new final decision.
Rederiet var i realiteten udvalgt af den franske regering til at sikre princippet om territorial enhed i relation til Korsika, idet dets takster for søtransport skulle tilpasses SNCF's takster for jernbanetransport i henhold til en overenskomst, der blev indgået den 31. marts 1976 for 25 år.
There is no need to examine facts subsequent to the date of adoption of the annulled decision.
Compagnie générale transatlantique havde i forvejen ved en tidligere overenskomst af 23. december 1948 af den franske regering fået til opgave at sikre trafikbetjeningen af Korsika.
Following the annulment, the Commission is required, first, to evaluate whether certain of the measures in question are consistent with the behaviour of a private investor in a market economy and, second, as far as the measures examined constitute State aid, whether the compatibility conditions laid down by the guidelines are met.
Efter fusionen den 30. maj 2006 (jf. betragtning 18 i denne afgørelse) ejer BCP og VT henholdsvis 38 % og 28 % af aktierne i SNCM, mens CGMF fortsat kontrollerer 25 % (9 % af aktierne ejes af medarbejderne).
On 13 November 2012 a meeting took place between the Commission, the French authorities and representatives of SNCM.
I 2008 er SNCM's vigtigste datterselskaber Compagnie Méridionale de Navigation (herefter benævnt »CMN«) [42], Compagnie Générale de Tourisme et d'Hôtellerie (CGTH) [43], Aliso Voyage [44], Sud-Cargos [45], Société Aubagnaise de Restauration et d'Approvisionnement (SARA) [46], Ferrytour [47] og Les Comptoirs du Sud [48].
By letters dated 6 December 2012 and 5 February 2013, the French authorities made two separate requests for a decision to re-open the procedure, on the following grounds:
Efter salget af højhastighedsfartøjerne Aliso i september 2004 og Asco [49] i maj 2005, består SNCM's flåde af ti skibe (fem bilfærger [50], fire kombi-skibe (fragt og passagerer) [51] og et højhastighedsfartøj, der primært sejler fra Nice) [52].
by spelling out the criteria for the prudent investor in a market economy test, the General Court had handed down an innovative judgment that necessitated the re-opening of the adversarial procedure.
Syv af disse er regulært ejet af SNCM [53].
By letters dated 15 January and 13 February 2013, the Commission rejected these requests, emphasising that the procedure could be re-opened at the precise point where the illegality had occurred and pointing out that the 2006 opening decision was not unlawful in any way.
I medfør af de gældende EF-regler [54] og efter et EU- udbud [55] iværksat af regionalforvaltningen på Korsika [56], fik SNCM og CMN i fællesskab tildelt public service-kontrakten for sejladsen mellem Marseille og Korsika til gengæld for finansielle kompensationer i 2002-2006.
The French authorities sent the Commission an information note on 16 May 2013.
Da kontrakten udløb ved udgangen af 2006, blev public service-forpligtelserne vedrørende trafikbetjeningen af Korsika efter et nyt EU-udbud [57] overdraget konsortiet SNCM-CMN med virkning fra den 1. maj 2007 til den 31. december 2013 mod en kompensation på ca. 100 mio. EUR om året.
By letter dated 19 June 2013, SNCM also requested a decision to re-open the formal investigation procedure on grounds similar to those put forward by the French authorities.
Sideløbende hermed er der pålagt alle transportvirksomheder, der besejler Korsika fra Toulon og Nice, forpligtelser med hensyn til antallet af overfarter.
The Commission rejected this request by letter dated 10 July 2013.
På disse ruter har indbyggerne på Korsika og visse andre kategorier af passagerer fra 2002 til 2013 nydt godt af særligt fordelagtige vilkår, der er indført i overensstemmelse med Kommissionens beslutninger af henholdsvis 2. juli 2002 [58] og 24. april 2007 [59].
However, the Commission also informed SNCM that it was at liberty to submit any supplementary information for discussion or analysis or any document that it felt appropriate.
KONKURRENCESITUATIONEN
On 27 August 2013, SNCM sent an information note and a new report on the sale of SNCM.
SNCM opererer inden for passager- og godstrafik på især to forskellige markeder:
DESCRIPTION
dels Korsika og Maghreb fra Frankrig, dels lejlighedsvis Italien og Spanien.
THE RECIPIENT OF THE MEASURES COVERED BY THIS DECISION
Besejlingen af Korsika
The recipient of the measures covered by this decision is SNCM, which has several subsidiaries in the maritime sector and operates the maritime transport of passengers, cars and lorries on routes between mainland France and Corsica, Italy (Sardinia) and the Maghreb (Algeria and Tunisia).
Passagertrafik
SNCM is a limited liability company which came into being in 1969 with the merger of Compagnie Générale Transatlantique and Compagnie de Navigation Mixte, both established in 1850.
Passagertrafikken til og fra Korsika er et stærkt sæsonpræget marked.
At that time called Compagnie Générale Transméditerranéenne, it was renamed Société Nationale Maritime Corse-Méditerranée in 1976, after SNCF had acquired a stake in its capital.
Det er karakteriseret ved sæsonmæssige spidsbelastningsperioder med op til ti gange flere passagerer end i den mest »stille« måned i lavsæsonen, hvilket kræver, at operatøren råder over en flåde, der er dimensioneret til at kunne klare sådanne spidsbelastninger.
The company was chosen by the French Government to implement the principle of territorial continuity with Corsica, bringing maritime transport fares into line with SNCF rail transport fares on the basis of an agreement concluded on 31 March 1976 for a term of 25 years.
Halvdelen af årsomsætningen ligger i juli og august.
The French Government had already entrusted Compagnie Générale Transatlantique with the operation of services to Corsica through an earlier agreement of 23 December 1948.
Der er desuden stor forskel på passagermængden henholdsvis til og fra øen, selv i højsæsonen:
At the time of the notification of the recapitalisation in 2002, 20 % of SNCM was held by SNCF and 80 % by CGMF.
i juli er afgangene fra fastlandet f.eks. fuldt besat, mens der næsten ingen passagerer er på tilbageturen.
As a result of the sale of the equity capital in SNCM on 30 May 2006 (see recital 18 of this decision), BCP and VT hold 38 % and 28 % respectively of SNCM’s capital, while CGMF retains 25 % (9 % of the capital is reserved to employees).
Det betyder, at skibenes gennemsnitlige belægningsgrad på årsbasis er forholdsvis lav.
In 2008, the main subsidiaries of SNCM were Compagnie Méridionale de Navigation (‘CMN’) [42], Compagnie Générale de Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie (‘CGTH’) [43], Aliso Voyage [44], Sud-Cargos [45], Société Aubagnaise de Restauration et d’Approvisionnement (‘SARA’) [46], Ferrytour [47] and Les Comptoirs du Sud [48].
SNCM har traditionelt været den operatør, der sikrede trafikforbindelsen mellem Korsika og det franske fastland.
Following the disposal of the high-speed vessels Aliso in September 2004 and Asco [49] in May 2005, the SNCM fleet comprises 10 vessels (5 car ferries [50], 4 mixed vessels (freight and passenger) [51] and a high-speed vessel operating principally from Nice [52]), 7 of which it holds in its own name [53].
Rent skematisk ligger to tredjedele af selskabets aktivitet på trafikken mellem Marseille og Korsika i forbindelse med varetagelsen af public service-forpligtelsen;
For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that regular shipping services between the ports of mainland France and Corsica have since 1948 been operated as a public service.
den sidste tredjedel af aktiviteten udgøres af trafikforbindelser mellem andre havne (Nice-Korsika, Toulon-Korsika og internationale forbindelser til Sardinien og Maghreb).
SNCM and CMN were the concession-holders between 1976 and 2001 under a framework agreement initially concluded for 25 years.
SNCM havde længe monopol inden for sin hovedaktivitet.
In accordance with the Community rules in force [54] and following the European invitation to tender [55] organised by the Corsican regional authorities [56], SNCM and CMN jointly secured the public service delegation to operate services between Marseille and Corsica in exchange for financial compensation from 2002 to 2006.
Siden 1996 har rederiet imidlertid været udsat for en konkurrence, som har udviklet sig meget hurtigt.
Since the public service delegation was to expire at the end of 2006, the public shipping service referred to above, which was the object of a new Europe-wide invitation to tender [57], was awarded to the SNCM-CMN joint venture from 1 May 2007 to 31 December 2013 for a subsidy of approximately EUR 100 million per annum.
Rederiet CFF er således i dag den dominerende aktør inden for skibsforbindelserne mellem fastlandet og Korsika, og dets markedsandel er fortsat stigende.
Similarly, obligations relating to the frequency of services are imposed on all operators providing services to the island from Toulon or Nice.
Selv om CFF kun har været til stede på dette marked siden 1996, er dets passagertrafik vokset med 44 % om året mellem 2000 og 2005, og stigningen fortsætter.
On those routes, Corsican residents and other categories of passengers were entitled from 2002 to 2013 to social aid established pursuant to Commission decisions of 2 July 2002 [58] and 24 April 2007 [59].
I 2008 tager næsten […] [60] % af skibspassagererne mellem fastlandet og Korsika en CFF-færge, mens kun […] [60] Fortrolige oplysninger.
COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
% sejler med SNCM, og CMN befordrer den resterende del, der udgør […] [60] Fortrolige oplysninger.
SNCM operates mainly in two separate markets, passenger traffic and freight traffic.
Den stilling, CFF har opnået på markedet siden 2000, kan også aflæses ud af antallet af passagerer i højsæsonen mellem Korsika og det franske fastland.
It operates services to Corsica and the Maghreb from France and, to a lesser extent, services to Italy and Spain.
Figur 1
Services to Corsica
Antallet af passagerer i højsæsonen (maj-september) mellem det franske fastland og Korsika — 2000-2007
Passenger transport