natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
De undersøgte kontrakter om offentlig tjeneste har en løbetid på højst et år.
For all practical purposes, a distortion of competition within the meaning of Article 107 of the Treaty is thus assumed as soon as the State grants a financial advantage to an undertaking in a liberalised sector where there is, or could be, competition.
I henhold til artikel 4, stk. 6, i forordningen kan der stilles krav om overholdelse af visse kvalitetsstandarder.
Even a public subsidy granted to an undertaking which provides only local or regional services and does not provide any services outside its State of origin may nonetheless have an effect on trade between Member States where undertakings from other Member States might provide such services.
Kommissionen bemærker, at kravet om kvalitetsstandarder (f.eks. forpligtelse til at levere tjenester i overensstemmelse med den godkendte køreplan, til at garantere et vist sikkerhedsniveau for passagererne samt til at offentliggøre køreplaner og mærke busserne med linjernes navne osv.) var fastlagt i den gældende lovgivning og fremgik af udbudsmaterialet og i kontrakterne om offentlig tjeneste.
Therefore, where a public authority grants a capital increase to an undertaking supplying transport services, the supply of those services may, by virtue of that increase, be maintained or increased with the result that undertakings established in other Member States have less of a chance of providing their transport services in the market in that Member State [34].
I bilaget til forordning (EF) nr. 1370/2007 hedder det, at kompensationen ikke kan være større end et beløb, der udregnes ud fra følgende faktorer:
Therefore, the Commission concludes that the capital increase in favour of DP Ústí is liable to distort competition and affect trade between Member States.
omkostninger pådraget i forbindelse med forpligtelsen til offentlig tjeneste minus billetindtægter, minus alle positive økonomiske virkninger, der er fremkommet inden for det rutenet, der betjenes i henhold til forpligtelsen til offentlig tjeneste, plus en rimelig fortjeneste (punkt 2 i bilaget).
Conclusion
I punkt 6 i bilaget defineres en rimelig fortjeneste som »en forrentning af kapitalen, der er sædvanlig for sektoren i en given medlemsstat, og som tager hensyn til den risiko eller den manglende risiko, som operatøren af offentlig trafikbetjening har som følge af myndighedernes intervention«.
In light of the foregoing, the Commission concludes that the increase of the equity capital of DP Ústí by the Municipality of Ústí nad Labem constitutes State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
For så vidt angår de foranstaltninger, der er nævnt i betragtning 96 i punkt a) og c), blev overkompensation forhindret ved en efterfølgende kontrol af de reelle omkostninger og indtægter.
Additional compensations/other measures granted to DP Ústí and DP Teplice in 2005 and 2006
Under alle omstændigheder kunne kompensationen ikke være højere end operatørens reelle tab.
As explained in recitals 26, 27 and 31, the additional compensations granted to DP Ústí by the Municipality of Ústí nad Labem and the additional compensations and the three trolley-bus leases granted to DP Teplice by the Municipality of Teplice relate exclusively to municipal public transport services within those municipalities, so that those measures are unrelated to and clearly separate from the public service compensations for regional bus transport provided by the Ústí Region examined in the Opening Decision and this Decision.
Kommissionen bemærker, at den rimelige fortjeneste, der indgår i beregningen af det objektive skøn, i den foreliggende sag var på ca. 5 % i de undersøgte kontrakter, og at en sådan fortjeneste betragtes som rimelig inden for den regionale bustransportsektor i Tjekkiet.
Entrusting DP Děčín with the operation of parking meters
Beregningen af den rimelige fortjeneste i de undersøgte kontrakter opfylder derfor kravene i punkt 6 i bilaget til forordning (EF) nr. 1370/2007.
Although the Commission explicitly concluded in the Opening Decision that any potential advantage involved in entrusting DP Děčín with the operation of parking meters cannot distort competition and affect trade between Member States, since it meets the conditions for de minimis aid in line with Regulation (EC) No 69/2001, DPÚK disputed that finding by arguing that the de minimis threshold does not apply in the public transport sector.
I henhold til punkt 4 i bilaget til forordning (EF) nr. 1370/2007 skal omkostninger og indtægter beregnes i overensstemmelse med gældende regnskabsprincipper og beskatningsregler (punkt 4 i bilaget).
In response to that contention, the Commission notes that the operation of parking meters cannot be considered as a transport activity.
Af hensyn til gennemsigtigheden bør der desuden ske en regnskabsmæssig udskilning (punkt 5 i bilaget).
Although DP Děčín is a provider of passenger bus services and active in the transport sector, the fact that it operated parking meters as a secondary activity does not mean that the operation of the parking meters should qualify as a transport activity excluded from the de minimis threshold.
De tjekkiske myndigheder bekræftede, at beregningen af omkostninger og indtægter foregik i overensstemmelse med gældende regnskabsprincipper og beskatningsregler, og at den lovgivning, der gælder for alle operatører vedrørende regnskabsstandarder og nationale konkurrenceregler, indeholder bestemmelser om, at virksomheder skal føre særskilte regnskaber for de forskellige aktiviteter, hvilket betyder, at betingelsen om regnskabsmæssig udskilning også var opfyldt.
The Commission therefore maintains its conclusion that payments received by DP Děčín for the operation of parking meters fall within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 69/2001.
De tjekkiske myndigheder bekræftede, at de kontraktlige betalinger til regionale busselskaber i Ústí-regionen på grundlag af kontrakter om offentlig tjeneste fremgik særskilt i regnskaberne adskilt fra de øvrige aktiviteter, der foregik på et rent forretningsmæssigt grundlag, hvilket forhindrede enhver form for krydssubsidiering.
COMPATIBILITY OF THE AID
Endelig hedder det i punkt 7 i bilaget til forordning (EF) nr. 1370/2007, at kompensationsmetoden skal tilstræbe, at operatøren af offentlig trafikbetjening når frem til eller fortsætter med en effektiv drift, der kan vurderes objektivt.
Article 93 of the Treaty provides that ‘[a]ids shall be compatible with the Treaties if they meet the needs of coordination of transport or if they represent reimbursement for the discharge of certain obligations inherent in the notion of a public service.’
Derudover stilles der krav om levering af personbefordring af tilfredsstillende kvalitet.
That Article constitutes a lex specialis in relation to Articles 106 and 107 of the Treaty.
De leverede tjenesters kvalitetsstandarder sikres gennem kvalitetskrav i de kontrakter om offentlig tjeneste, der indgås med operatørerne.
According to the case-law of the Court of Justice [35], aid to land transport may be declared compatible on the basis of Article 93 of the Treaty only in well-defined cases which do not jeopardise the general interests of the Union.
Kompensationsmetoden er derfor i overensstemmelse med punkt 7 i bilaget til forordning (EF) nr. 1370/2007.
The Commission has concluded that the measures listed in recital 96 under (a), (c) and (e) constitute aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
Kommissionen konkluderer på den baggrund, at alle betingelserne i bilaget til forordning (EF) nr. 1370/2007 er opfyldt.
As regards the compatibility of those measures with the internal market, the Commission will examine the measures listed in recital 96 under (a) and (c) together, as they both concern compensation granted by the Ústí Region for discharging public service obligations, while the measure under (e) concerns an increase in the capital of DP Ústí by the Municipality of Ústí nad Labem.
Kommissionen finder derfor, at den kompensation, der blev ydet til visse regionale busselskaber, og som er nævnt i betragtning 96 i punkt a) og c), er i overensstemmelse med forordning (EF) nr. 1370/2007, og at støtten dermed, jf. artikel 9 i denne forordning, skal betragtes som forenelig med det indre marked og fritaget fra forudgående underretning.
Compensations for discharging public service obligations granted for providing transport services (measures referred to in recital 96 under (a) and (c))
Egenkapitaltilførsel til DP Ústí (foranstaltning nævnt i betragtning 96 i punkt e))
Since the public service compensation in the measures listed in recital 96 under (a) and (c) results from the conclusion of public service contracts between the Ústí Region and the selected operators, rather than from the unilateral imposition of public service obligations, the Czech authorities cannot rely on the exemption from prior notification to the Commission provided by Article 17(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 1191/69.
Ifølge de tjekkiske myndigheder er Ústí nad Labem kommunes tilførsel af egenkapital til DP Ústí på 160000000 CZK i 2006 forenelig med det indre marked, da den modsvarer behovet for en samordning af transportvæsenet, jf. artikel 3, stk. 1, litra b), i forordning (EØF) nr. 1107/70 [45].
It follows from the Combus judgment that the notion of ‘public service compensation’ within the meaning of that provision must be interpreted in a very narrow manner [36].
I henhold til denne undtagelse er støtte til samordning af transportvæsenet forenelig med det indre marked, »når støtten ydes til virksomheder, der i modsætning til andre virksomheder har udgifter til de af dem benyttede infrastrukturer; derved skal størrelsen af støtten bedømmes under hensyntagen til de infrastrukturomkostninger, som de konkurrerende transportformer ikke har.«
The exemption from notification provided by Article 17(2) covers only compensation for public service obligations imposed unilaterally on an undertaking, pursuant to Article 2 of that Regulation, which is calculated using the method described in Articles 10 to 13 of that Regulation (the common compensation procedure), and not to public service contracts as defined by Article 14 of that Regulation.
Forordning (EØF) nr. 1107/70 blev ophævet og erstattet af forordning (EF) nr. 1370/2007, hvilket betyder, at foreneligheden af støtte til opførelse af transportinfrastruktur nu kan undersøges direkte i henhold til artikel 93 i traktaten.
By contrast, compensation paid pursuant to a public service contract as defined by Article 14 of Regulation (EEC) No 1191/69 which constitutes State aid should have been notified to the Commission before it was put into effect.
Kommissionen finder, at Ústí nad Labem kommunes kapitaltilførsel til DP Ústí til finansiering af opførelsen af en trolleybuslinje indebærer samordning af transportvæsenet i henhold til denne bestemmelse, fordi målet er at flytte transportaktiviteter fra én transportform til en anden.
Failure to do so results in that compensation being deemed illegally implemented aid [37].
I overensstemmelse med Kommissionens beslutningspraksis [46] er støtte til virksomheder til samordning af transport forenelig med det indre marked i henhold til artikel 93 i TEUF, hvis følgende betingelser er opfyldt:
Accordingly, the Commission considers that the examination of the compatibility of the public service compensations should be conducted under Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 [38].
Støtten bidrager til et mål af fælles interesse.
It is settled case-law that the rules, principles and criteria of assessment of the compatibility of State aid in force on the date on which the Commission takes its decision may, as a rule, be regarded as better adapted to the context of competition [39].
Støtten er nødvendig og står i et rimeligt forhold til formålet.
Regulation (EEC) No 1191/69 is no longer applicable to passenger road transport services as a result of its repeal by Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 on 3 December 2009.
Benyttelsen af infrastrukturen er åben for alle brugere på ikkediskriminerende vilkår.
Thus, any compatibility assessment of the measure must therefore be made on the basis of the rules in force at the time the Commission takes its decision as to whether the aid should be recovered as a result of its being incompatible with the internal market [40], in this case, Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007, which governs the award of public service contracts in the field of public passenger transport by road and by rail.
Støtten fører ikke til konkurrencefordrejninger, der strider mod den fælles interesse.
According to Article 9(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 ‘[p]ublic service compensation for the operation of public passenger transport services or for complying with tariff obligations established through general rules paid in accordance with this Regulation shall be compatible with the [internal] market.
Kommissionen minder om, at transportsektoren er ramt af de negative konsekvenser af, at de forskellige transportformer ikke betaler de reelle omkostninger, de har for samfundet.
Thus, for the compensation resulting from those contracts to be considered in compliance with Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 and thus compatible with the internal market and exempt from prior notification to the Commission, that compensation must comply with the provisions of Article 4 of the Regulation and the Annex thereto.
Konkurrencen mellem de forskellige transportformer er dermed fordrejet, hvilket medfører markedssvigt.
Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 establishes the mandatory content of public service contracts and sets out general rules:
Kommissionen mener derfor, at det kan være nødvendigt, at staten griber ind og samordner foranstaltninger i transportsektoren.
Article 4(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 requires that the public service obligation be clearly defined.
Den undersøgte kapitaltilførsel blev udelukkende foretaget for at finansiere DP Ústís opførelse af en trolleybuslinje (på strækningen Ústí nad Labem-Střekov) med det formål at forbedre strømmen af trafik mellem de to geografiske punkter og nedbringe miljøforureningen.
Moreover, to fall within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007, the public service obligations laid down by those contracts have to comply with the definition laid down in Article 2(e) thereof [42].
Støttens nødvendighed og forholdsmæssighed
The Commission therefore finds that Article 4(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 has been complied with as regards the measures listed in recital 96 under (a) and (c).
Kommissionen bemærker, at DPÚK i sine bemærkninger hævdede, at selskabet havde foreslået myndighederne et betydeligt billigere alternativ til miljøvenlig lokal trafik på strækningen Ústí nad Labem-Střekov (baseret på CNG-busser i stedet for DP Ústís trolleybusser), men at dette alternativ blev afvist.
In addition, the maximum level of compensation was established in advance and limited by the objective estimate of the provable loss so as to avoid overcompensation.
De tjekkiske myndigheder har imidlertid ikke nogen officielle oplysninger om, at DPÚK formelt havde stillet forslag om et alternativt projekt med henblik på mere miljøvenlig transport i kommunen.
As such, the measures listed in recital 96 under (a) and (c) comply with Article 4(1)(b) of the Regulation.
Det projekt, der var vedhæftet DPÚK's bemærkninger, er dateret juni 2001 og var således ikke relevant på tidspunktet for den undersøgte kapitaltilførsel.
Article 4(1)(c) and Article 4(2) of the Regulation contain arrangements with regards to the allocation of costs and revenues.
De tjekkiske myndigheder hævder desuden, at strækningen Ústí nad Labem-Střekov var en integreret del af det trolleybussystem, der gradvist er blevet opført siden 1984 og har været i drift siden 1988.
The Commission notes that the economically substantiated costs declared by the operator were determined in line with Article 4(1)(c) and that the public service contracts related to measures listed in recital 96 under (a) and (c) stipulate that the revenues from the sale of tickets are kept by the operator.
Strækningen Ústí nad Labem-Střekov blev således opført som en integreret del af det eksisterende trolleybussystem, som er opført, ejet og drevet af DP Ústí.
The requirement of Article 4(2) is therefore also met.
Der er desuden ikke nogen klar dokumentation for, at der var et rimeligt og tilgængeligt alternativ på tidspunktet for kapitaltilførslen.
Article 4(3) of the Regulation requires that the duration of public service contracts be limited to 10 years for bus and coach services.
Kommissionen mener derfor ikke, at alternative løsninger til denne specifikke del af nettet fra konkurrerende udbydere var et rimeligt alternativ, som Ústí nad Labem kommune skulle tage i betragtning.
The public services contracts under consideration cover periods of no more than a year.
For så vidt angår foranstaltningens proportionalitet, har Kommissionen før godkendt investeringsstøtte til transportinfrastruktur med en støtteintensitet på op til 50 % [48].
Article 4(6) of the Regulation contains the requirement to comply with certain quality standards.
De samlede omkostninger til opførelsen af trolleybuslinjen beløb sig til ca. 179,3 mio. CZK, heraf blev omkring 160 mio. CZK finansieret gennem kapitaltilførslen.
In the light of those observations, the Commission concludes that all mandatory provisions of Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 were respected as regards the public service contracts concluded in relation to the measures listed in recital 96 under (a) and (c).
Kommissionen mener ikke desto mindre, at kapitaltilførslen står i rimeligt forhold til det angivne mål af fælles interesse af følgende årsager:
The Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 provides that the compensation may not exceed an amount corresponding to the financial amount composed of the following factors:
I modsætning til støtte i form af et direkte tilskud, blev den pågældende støtte ydet gennem en kapitaltilførsel.
costs incurred in relation to the public service obligation minus ticket revenue, minus any positive financial effects generated within the network operated under the public service obligation, plus a reasonable profit (point 2 of the Annex).
Det betyder, at det reelle beløb, der er involveret i transaktionen, er betydeligt lavere end værdien af kapitaltilførslen, eftersom Ústí nad Labem kommune er eneaktionær i DP Ústí både før og efter kapitaltilførslen.
Point 6 of the Annex defines a reasonable profit as ‘a rate of return on capital that is normal for the sector in a given Member State and that takes account of the risk, or absence of risk, incurred by the public service operator by virtue of public authority intervention’.
Som indehaver af 100 % af aktierne i DP Ústí bevarer Ústí nad Labem kommune et indirekte ejerskab over den trolleybuslinje, der er finansieret gennem kapitaltilførslen, og vil kunne opnå fortjeneste af driften heraf eller af et eventuelt salg, eftersom DP Ústís værdi vil være steget som følge af investeringen.
As regards the measures listed in recital 96 under (a) and (c), overcompensation was prevented by an ex post verification of the actual costs incurred and revenues received.
Finansieringen i form af en kapitaltilførsel sikrer derfor, at den reelle støtteintensitet er lavere end ved en simpel sammenligning af kapitaltilførslen og projektets samlede omkostninger.
In the event the actual losses were lower than the objective estimate of the provable loss, the operators were compensated only to the amount of the actual losses.
For så vidt angår tilskyndelsesvirkningen, er det — som følge af det beløb, der skal investeres i projektet — usandsynligt, at DP Ústí ville kunne foretage investeringerne uden ekstra kapital.
In the event actual losses were higher, the compensation was limited to the amount of the preliminary objective estimate of the provable loss, with provision possible for unforeseeable costs.
Kommissionen bemærker i denne henseende, at opførelsen af andre, mindre betydelige dele af trolleybusnettet i Ústí nad Labem blev finansieret på anden vis (f.eks. banklån på henholdsvis 5 mio. CZK og 35 mio. CZK i 2004 og 2005 eller 40 mio. CZK i 2007 — se afsnit 7.1.2 ovenfor).
In any event, the compensation could not be higher than the actual losses incurred by the operator.
Trolleybusstrækningen Ústí nad Labem-Střekov var imidlertid den sidste tilbageværende del af trolleybusnettet, der har været under opførelse i Ústí nad Labem siden 1984.
As regards the ‘reasonable profit’, its calculation under the Road Transport Act [43] is linked to the necessity of investments of bus operators into their rolling stock.
Kommissionen bemærker desuden, at midlerne fra egenkapitaltilførslen på 160 mio. CZK var øremærket til finansiering af opførelsen af trolleybuslinjen på strækningen Ústí nad Labem-Střekov.
More specifically, it is defined as ‘the sum which — after taxation […] — does not exceed 1/8th of the price of the buses normally used for the public line passenger transport providing the traffic services in the framework of the fulfilment of the public service obligation, reduced by the sum of the total real depreciation of those buses, and the sum spent for investments related to the operation of the public line passenger transport, provided that the relevant authority expressed its approval for the investment for the purpose of its incorporation into the calculation of the provable loss’.
Midlerne fra kapitaltilførslen står på en særskilt konto, hvorfra DP Ústí betaler for opførelsen af trolleybuslinjen.
The Commission notes that in the present case the reasonable profit included in the calculations of the objective estimate of the provable loss was around 5 % in the contracts under consideration and that such profit is considered reasonable for the regional bus transport sector of the Czech Republic [44].
Midlerne kan dermed ikke anvendes til eventuel krydssubsidiering af DP Ústís transportaktiviteter.
Therefore, the calculation of the reasonable profit in the contracts under consideration complies with the requirements of point 6 of the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007.
Endelig blev de resterende omkostninger til opførelsen af trolleybuslinjen på 19,3 mio. CZK finansieret af DP Ústís egne midler.
Point 4 of the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 requires that costs and revenues be calculated in accordance with the accounting and tax rules in force (point 4 of that Annex).
Støtten begrænser sig således til det minimumsbeløb, der er nødvendigt for at dække behovet for finansiering af projektet.
Furthermore, for transparency reasons, there should be a separation of accounts (point 5 of that Annex).
Kommissionen mener derfor, at kapitaltilførslen står i rimeligt forhold til det angivne mål af fælles interesse.
The Czech authorities confirmed that the calculation of costs and revenue was carried out in accordance with the tax and accounting rules in force and that the legal framework applicable to all operators in terms of accounting standards and national rules on competition required the undertaking to keep separate accounts for its different activities, so that the requirement of account separation was also respected.
Benyttelsen af infrastrukturen er åben for alle brugere på ikkediskriminerende vilkår
The Czech authorities confirmed that the contractual payments made to regional bus transport operators in the Ústí Region on the basis of the public service contracts were entered in the accounts separately from the other activities carried out on a purely commercial basis, thereby avoiding any form of cross-subsidisation.
Som en del af det offentlige transportsystem vil benyttelsen af trolleybusserne være åben for alle passagerer på ikkediskriminerende vilkår.
Finally, point 7 of the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 requires the method of the compensation to promote the maintenance or development of an effective management by the public service operator, which can be the subject of an objective assessment.
Støtten må ikke føre til konkurrencefordrejninger, der strider mod den fælles interesse
It also requires promoting the provision of passenger transport services of a sufficiently high standard.