natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Derfor påvirker selv fordele for indenlandske transaktioner, som udføres af virksomheder, der kun opererer på det portugisiske marked, samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
The scheme follows a ‘top-up’ model, according to which only companies that have a credit limit with a private insurer are eligible for the scheme, while companies to which private credit insurers refuse cover completely are not eligible for the ‘top-up’.
Endvidere er formålet med foranstaltningen at støtte kommercielle handelsaktiviteter, der udføres af virksomheder, som er etableret i Portugal, i modsætning til virksomheder, der er etableret i andre medlemsstater.
The scheme leaves it entirely to the private companies to judge the eligibility for cover.
Foranstaltningen kan derfor fordreje konkurrencen i det indre marked.
In the absence of uniform and objective criteria for determining the risk entailed in the transactions which each exporter or trader carries out, the scheme grants private operators a degree of latitude in judging the creditworthiness of the companies that are eligible to apply for cover.
Konklusion
The Court of Justice has considered that to be considered as non-selective, a measure should be based on a criterion of application which is objective, has no geographic or sectoral connotation, and is in keeping with the objective of the measure [12].
Dette projekt udgør derfor statsstøtte i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF.
In the present case, the absence of objective criteria for the decision to grant private cover leads to potential discrimination between beneficiaries that are in a comparable factual situation [13].
Støtten kan betragtes som forenelig med det indre marked, hvis den opfylder en af undtagelserne i traktaten.
Second, even if the criteria for access to the scheme were to be considered objective, the Court has held that the mere existence of objective criteria does not prejudge the selective nature of the measure where the measure has the effect of advantaging certain undertakings to the detriment of others.
FORENELIGHEDEN AF STØTTEN TIL FORSIKRINGSSELSKABER
Thus, the Court has stated that ‘[t]he fact that the aid is not aimed at one or more specific recipients defined in advance, but that it is subject to a series of objective criteria pursuant to which it may be granted, within the framework of a predetermined overall budget allocation, to an indefinite number of beneficiaries who are not initially individually identified, cannot suffice to call in question the selective nature of the measure and, accordingly, its classification as State aid within the meaning of Article 92 of the Treaty [107(1) TFEU].At the very most, that circumstance means that the measure in question is not an individual aid.
Kommissionen har i sin meddelelse fastsat betingelser, ifølge hvilke støtte til forsikringsselskaber i form af statsstøttede kortfristede eksportkreditordninger anses for forenelige.
It does not, however, preclude that public measure from having to be regarded as a system of aid constituting a selective, and therefore specific, measure if, owing to the criteria governing its application, it procures an advantage for certain undertakings or the production of certain goods, to the exclusion of others [14]’.
På baggrund af den finansielle krise er der i de midlertidige rammebestemmelser fastsat betingelser for anvendelsen af meddelelsen.
Thus, according to the Court of Justice, State interventions should not be judged on their causes or aims, but on their effects [15].
I punkt 2.5 i den ændrede meddelelse [19] er »markedsmæssige risici« defineret som kommercielle og politiske risici på offentlige og ikke-offentlige debitorer, der er etableret i de lande, der er anført i bilaget [20] til meddelelsen.
In the case at hand, the scheme is de facto selective.
Finansielle fordele for eksportkreditforsikringsselskaber, som går ind i eller dækker en transaktion, der betragtes som en markedsmæssig risiko, er normalt forbudt.
Third, in order to be of a general nature, a measure must not only be based on objective and horizontal criteria, but must also not be limited either in time or in its field of application.
De gør det endvidere overflødigt for forsikringsselskaberne at genforsikre sig på det private marked.
The scheme, despite Portugal's insistence on its general character, is limited both in time and in its field of application, including by the very nature of the top-up model, as has been explained above in recital 43.
For så vidt angår lande, der ikke er anført i bilaget til meddelelsen, er sådanne risici »ikke-markedsmæssige« i henhold til meddelelsen, og offentlig støtte til at forsikre dem er ikke omfattet af meddelelsen.
Finally, the criteria under the scheme are not in conformity with the aim and logic of the measure [16].
Endvidere skal det offentligt støttede eksportkreditforsikringsselskab så vidt muligt afpasse de opkrævede præmier for sådanne ikke-markedsmæssige risici efter de præmier, der forlanges af private eksportkreditforsikringsselskaber for risici af samme art, og give en beskrivelse af de vilkår, hvorpå det offentlige eksportkreditforsikringsselskab vil forsikre sådanne risici.
Even if the scheme were to be applied in an objective manner by the private insurers, only companies which saw their cover reduced during the crisis would be eligible under the scheme.
For at fremskynde proceduren blev den dokumentation, som medlemsstaterne skal fremlægge for at godtgøre manglende adgang til dækning, forenklet i de midlertidige rammebestemmelser med virkning indtil 2010.
Companies for which private insurers have cancelled credit limits completely are excluded from the scheme.
Med henblik herpå skulle medlemsstaterne fremlægge dokumentation fra et stort internationalt anerkendt privat eksportkreditforsikringsselskab og et nationalt kreditforsikringsselskab eller fra mindst fire veletablerede eksportører på det indenlandske marked.
Therefore, despite the aim of the scheme to address an alleged unavailability of cover on the private market, it does not cover the companies which are most severely affected by the reduction of the private insurance capacity in the market.
De midlertidige rammebestemmelser blev forlænget indtil den 31. december 2011 [21].
In that respect, the design of the measure is not appropriate to address the identified market failure
Manglende adgang til dækning
On the basis of the foregoing considerations, the advantages conferred on the exporters and trading companies subscribing to the scheme are of a selective nature.
Portugal fremlagde nogle breve fra eksportører, som viser, at de var blevet nægtet dækning af en række transaktioner.
Effect on trade and distortion of competition
Kommissionen har dog ikke fundet tilstrækkeligt bevis for den manglende adgang til dækning i brevene fra de portugisiske myndigheder.
Concerning the effect on trade, the scheme covers export transactions and domestic transactions in tradable goods.
De grunde, der er anført i disse afslag, er enten fortrolige eller angiver udtrykkeligt, at afslaget skyldes kundens dårlige likviditet og finansielle stilling, hvilket er normal forretningspraksis på et velfungerende forsikringsmarked.
By covering domestic transactions, the scheme may potentially affect trade between Member States to the extent that it could appreciably distort trade flows, for instance by diverting economic activities from exports into domestic transactions.
Portugal fremlagde i forbindelse med sit svar på Kommissionens beslutning af 27. oktober 2010 om at indlede den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure oplysninger, som viser et fald i antallet af virksomheder, der tegner forsikring (der er et fald på 29,41 % i slutningen af 2009 sammenlignet med det foregående år, og et yderligere fald på 12,53 % indtil september 2010), og et fald i værdien af den forsikrede portefølje (et fald på 32,84 % i slutningen af 2009 sammenlignet med det foregående år og et yderligere fald på 22,36 % indtil september 2010).
As regards the distortion of competition, according to the case law of the Court of Justice, the mere fact that the competitive position of an undertaking is strengthened compared to other competing undertakings, by giving it an economic benefit which it would not otherwise have received in the normal course of its business, points to a possible distortion of competition [17].
Det fremgår imidlertid af et af de to breve fra private forsikringsselskaber, som Portugal fremlagde, og som påpeger den manglende adgang til dækning på det private marked, (brevet fra CESCE dateret den 22. november 2010), at virksomhedernes finansieringsbehov også faldt på grund af den faldende efterspørgsel.
As the scheme applies to exports, including for other Member States, the measure clearly affects trade flows between Member States, as it facilitates the exercise of an export activity by beneficiaries.
Det påståede fald i de forsikrede mængder er ikke tilstrækkeligt bevis på manglende adgang til dækning på markedet.
The scheme also affects trade insofar as it covers domestic transactions.
Hvis der reelt ikke er adgang til dækning på det private marked, og der så bliver adgang til dækning, når staten yder delvis dækning, kunne det være et tegn på, at forsikringsselskaberne har modtaget statsstøtte.
It is well-established case-law that where aid granted by a Member State strengthens the position of a company compared with other competing companies in intra-Union trade, the latter should be considered affected by that aid.
Da markedet hovedsagelig tilpasser sig efter mængder og ikke efter priser, jf. betragtning 35, gør adgangen til kredit i kraft af statsstøtten det muligt for aktører, som allerede er til stede på markedet, at fastholde deres position.
In this regard, the fact that an economic sector has been liberalised at the level of the Union could serve to determine that the aid has a real or potential effect on the competition and affects trade between the Member States.
Tilpasning af præmierne til de præmier, der forlanges af private kreditforsikringsselskaber
Additionally, it is not necessary that the beneficiary company itself be involved in the trade within the Union.
De præmier, der forlanges under ordningen, udgør 60 % af den præmie, som et privat forsikringsselskab forlanger for at dække den samme kunde.
Aid granted by a Member State to a company may contribute to maintaining or increasing the activity in the domestic market, with the result that companies established in another Member States have fewer opportunities to penetrate the market of the Member State in question.
I modsætning til det, Portugal har påstået, kan den risiko, der overføres til staten med ordningen, endvidere ikke betragtes som højere end den risiko, der dækkes af det private forsikringsselskab isoleret set.
Furthermore, the strengthening of an undertaking which, until then, was not involved in intra-Union trade may place that undertaking in a position that enables it to penetrate the market of another Member State [18].
Der erindres om, at risikoen for misligholdelse vokser med det forsikrede beløb.
In the present case, the measure benefits companies active in various sectors open to trade within the European Union.
De portugisiske myndigheder finder, at den risiko, der er forbundet med flere transaktioner, er mindre, fordi en eksportør, der opnåede begrænset dækning, først ville forsikre de mest risikofyldte købere;
The measure may, therefore, distort competition in the internal market.
med øget dækning ville eksportøren gradvist forsikre mindre risikofyldte købere.
Conclusion
Dette argument kan derfor ikke accepteres.
In the context of the financial crisis, the Temporary Framework sets out the conditions of application of the Communication.
Som følge af den øgede risiko, foranstaltningen dækker, udsætter staten sig for et større forventet endeligt tab end det private forsikringsselskab, da det bevilgede og prissatte den oprindelige dækning uden hensyntagen til andre faktorer.
Point 2.5 of the Communication as amended [19] defines ‘marketable risks’ as the commercial and political risks relating to public and non-public debtors established in the countries listed in the Annex [20] to the Communication.
I forbindelse med en ordning med supplerende dækning, hvor beslutningen om at udvide dækningen først træffes, efter at præmien for den oprindelige kreditforsikringsramme er blevet fastsat, skal prisen for den supplerende dækning derfor afspejle en højere risiko for eventuel overforsikring.
Financial advantages in favour of export credit insurers that enter or cover a transaction qualified as a marketable risk are normally prohibited.
De portugisiske myndigheders argument om, at virksomhederne foretager en negativ udvælgelse, som indebærer, at de mere risikofyldte transaktioner dækkes af private forsikringer, er ikke underbygget af konkrete oplysninger eller kendt markedspraksis.
Point 3.1 of the Communication states that factors that may distort competition between private and public or publicly supported export-credit insurers insuring marketable risks include de jure and de facto State guarantees of borrowing and losses.
Den mest almindelige form for privat kortfristet kreditforsikring (generalpolice) kræver, at hele porteføljen af det krediterede salg er dækket af policen.
Such guarantees enable insurers to borrow at rates lower than the normal market rates or make it possible for them to borrow money at all.
Den forsikrede virksomhed er derfor udelukket fra at forsikre sine risici selektivt.
Furthermore, they obviate the need for insurers to reinsure themselves on the private market,
Det er Kommissionens opfattelse, at prisen for supplerende forsikring burde have taget hensyn til den højere risiko, man udsætter sig for.
As far as countries not listed in the Annex to the Communication are concerned, such risks are ‘non-marketable’ within the meaning of the Communication and public support for insuring them is not covered by the Communication.
Prisfastsættelsen burde derfor have været højere end den pris, som private forsikringsselskaber forlanger for basisdækningen.
Point 4.2 of the Communication provides that ‘marketable risks’ cannot be covered by export credit insurance with aid from the Member States.
I det foreliggende tilfælde er de præmier, der forlanges under ordningen, lavere end de nuværende præmier på eksportkreditforsikringsmarkedet, hvilket bekræftes af Portugal i dets svar på Kommissionens beslutning af 27. oktober 2010 om at indlede den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure.
However, point 4.4 of the Communication provides that under certain conditions, these risks can be temporarily covered by public or publicly-supported export credit insurers.
Endvidere bør prisen også tage hensyn til størrelsen af risikoen for ordningen.
In particular it states that risks incurred in respect of debtors established in countries listed in the Annex to the Communication are considered temporarily non-marketable only if it can be demonstrated that private insurance cover for the risks generally viewed as marketable is unavailable.
Derfor bør prisfastsættelsen reelt være højere end markedsprisen.
Member States which wish to invoke that escape clause must provide a market report and produce evidence from two major, internationally recognised export credit insurers as well as a national credit insurer, both demonstrating the unavailability of cover for the risks in the private insurance market.
I lyset af ovenstående er den ordning, der gælder for forsikringsselskaber, uforenelig med meddelelsen og de midlertidige rammebestemmelser.
Moreover, the publicly-supported export credit insurer must, as far as possible, align its premium rates for such non-marketable risks with the rates charged elsewhere by private export credit insurers for the type of risk in question and provide a description of the conditions which the public export credit insurer intends to apply in respect of such risks.
FORENELIGHEDEN AF STØTTEN TIL EKSPORTØRER OG INDENLANDSKE HANDELSVIRKSOMHEDER
In order to speed up the procedure, the Temporary Framework simplified, until 31 December 2010, the proof that Member States need to produce to demonstrate the unavailability of cover.
Foreneligheden af foranstaltningen vedrørende kortfristet eksportkreditforsikring
To that end, Member States had to submit evidence supplied by a large internationally recognised private export credit insurer and a national credit insurer or by at least four well-established exporters in the domestic market.
I henhold til artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c), der finder anvendelse under normale markedsvilkår, og artikel 107, stk. 3, litra b), i TEUF, der finder anvendelse i perioder med en alvorlig forstyrrelse i økonomien, kan støtte på visse betingelser være forenelig med det indre marked.
The Temporary Framework was prolonged until 31 December 2011 [21].
Kommissionen erindrer om, at artikel 107, stk. 3, litra b), i TEUF ifølge retspraksis skal anvendes indskrænkende, og at den skal modvirke en forstyrrelse i hele en medlemsstats økonomi [22].
Unavailability of cover
I overensstemmelse med principperne i de midlertidige rammebestemmelser (punkt 5.1), som forlænget indtil den 31. december 2012, skal støtteforanstaltninger, for at de kan anses for forenelige, opfylde følgende kriterier:
Portugal submitted a number of letters from exporters which show that they have been refused cover for a number of transactions.
Relevans
Nevertheless, the Commission has not found sufficient proof of the unavailability of cover in the letters provided by the Portuguese authorities.
Støtten skal være klart målrettet for effektivt at kunne afhjælpe en alvorlig forstyrrelse i økonomien.
The reasons provided in those letters for refusal are either confidential or explicitly state that refusal is due to the customer's poor liquidity and financial position, which is a normal business practice in a properly functioning insurance market.
Dette ville ikke være tilfældet, hvis foranstaltningen ikke var egnet til at afhjælpe forstyrrelsen.
Portugal provided data, in its reply to the Commission decision of 27 October 2010 initiating the formal investigation procedure, that shows a decline in the number of firms taking up insurance (there is a 29,41 % decline up to the end of 2009 compared with the previous year, and of another 12,53 % up to September 2010), as well as a decline in the value of the insured portfolio (32,84 % decline at the end of 2009 compared with the previous year, and of another 22,36 % until September 2010).
Nødvendighed
However, of the two letters from private insurers provided by Portugal pointing to the unavailability of cover in the private market, one of them (from CESCE, dated 22 November 2010) states that the financing needs of firms have also diminished due to the decrease of the buying markets.
Støtten skal både med hensyn til beløb og form være nødvendig for at nå det fastsatte mål.
Therefore, the alleged reduction of insured volumes is not sufficient proof of the unavailability of cover on the market.
Den må derfor ikke overstige det minimum, der er nødvendigt for at nå målet, og skal ydes i den form, der er bedst egnet til at afhjælpe forstyrrelsen.
Moreover, if indeed cover is unavailable in the private market and it then becomes available when the State grants a partial coverage, it could constitute a sign that the insurers have received State aid.
Med andre ord, hvis et mindre støttebeløb eller en foranstaltning med mindre fordrejende virkning var tilstrækkeligt til at afhjælpe en alvorlig forstyrrelse i hele økonomien, ville den pågældende foranstaltning ikke være nødvendig.
As that market adjusts mainly by quantity not by prices, as explained in recital 35, the availability of credit deriving from the state aid allows the operators already present on the market to maintain their position.
Proportionalitet
Alignment of premium rates with rates charged by private credit insurers
De positive virkninger af foranstaltningerne skal fuldt ud afvejes mod konkurrencefordrejningerne, for at fordrejningerne kan begrænses til det minimum, der er nødvendigt for at nå formålene med foranstaltningerne.
The rates charged under the scheme represent 60 % of the rate charged by a private insurer to cover the same client.
Artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF forbyder alle offentlige foranstaltninger, der kan fordreje samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
Further, contrary to the allegations of Portugal, the risk transferred to the State under the scheme can be considered higher than the risk covered by the private insurer on a stand-alone basis.
Enhver undtagelse fra artikel 107, stk. 3, litra b), i TEUF, som tillader statsstøtte, skal sikre, at denne støtte ikke går ud over, hvad der er nødvendigt for at nå det fastsatte mål.
It should be recalled that the risk of default increases when the insured amount increases.
Som der er redegjort for i betragtning 46 udelukker den måde, hvorpå ordningen er udformet, de virksomheder, der er hårdest ramt af krisen, og er derfor ikke egnet til at afhjælpe det påståede markedssvigt i form af manglende adgang til privat forsikringsdækning.
Thus, with a larger amount of insurance cover the exporter would accept to conclude more commercial transactions with a given buyer.
Nødvendighed og proportionalitet:
The total volume of transactions could exceed the capacity to repay of the buyer.
tilpasning af præmierne til de præmier, der forlanges af private kreditforsikringsselskaber
The Portuguese authorities consider that the risk of additional transactions is lower, considering that an exporter which obtained limited cover would first insure the riskiest buyers;
Selv om de oplysninger, Portugal har fremlagt, peger på problemer på det private marked for eksportkreditforsikring, jf. betragtning 62, er der ikke dokumentation for manglende adgang til forsikringsdækning.
with increased cover, the exporter would progressively insure buyers that are less risky.
Det kan derfor ikke fastslås, at der er behov for statsligt indgreb.
However, that argument overlooks the fact that credit limits are granted per buyer, and therefore the exporter does not have the choice to exclusively use the entirety of the limit granted for the least credit-worthy buyers.
Som der er redegjort for i betragtning 21 og 64, udgør de præmier, der forlanges under ordningen, 60 % af de præmier, som private forsikringsselskaber forlanger for at dække den samme kunde.
Moreover, the argument of the Portuguese authorities that the additional transactions insured are of lower risk than the transactions insured by the private insurer would lead to the conclusion that the private insurers accept, for a given level of premium, a higher risk, while they refuse to cover transactions with lower risk for the same level of premium.
Målet om at tilvejebringe den påståede manglende forsikringsdækning kunne også nås gennem en ordning, hvor prisen fastsættes på en sådan måde, at den afspejler den underliggende risiko, som stater påtager sig.
In other words, the argument of the Portuguese authorities would point to an irrational behaviour of private insurers, who would agree to insure a riskier part of the portfolio instead of the less risky part.
Derfor står prisfastsættelsen af ordningen, der er baseret på en præmie, som er lavere end den præmie, som markedet ville forlange for tilsvarende risici, ikke i forhold til ordningens mål.
Therefore that argument cannot be accepted.
I betragtning af ovenstående kan eksportkreditdelen af ordningen ikke anses for at være forenelig støtte til eksportører i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 3, litra b), i TEUF og de midlertidige rammebestemmelser.
As a result of the increased risk covered by the measure, the State assumes exposure to a higher expected ultimate loss than the private insurer, when granting and pricing the initial cover on a stand-alone basis.
Med hensyn til artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c), er alle argumenter vedrørende relevans, nødvendighed og proportionalitet lige relevante i forbindelse med forenelighedsanalysen i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 3, litra b).
Therefore, in the case of a top-up scheme where the decision to extend the cover is taken only after the premium for the initial credit insurance limit has been set, the price of the top-up must reflect a higher risk of possible excess cover.