natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Den offentlige støtte var begrænset til tabsbeløbet uden nogen ekstra margin til støttemodtageren.
As for the absence of any act effectively entrusting the SGEI to the airport manager, SO.G.A.S. proposed that an agreement be drafted that would eliminate any doubt that the four Altmark [9] conditions were fulfilled in the case of Stretto airport.
Med hensyn til det tredje Altmark-kriterium hævdede Italien, at en offentlig aktionærs handlinger i forbindelse med offentlige tjenester ikke kunne sammenlignes med en privat investors adfærd.
COMMENTS FROM THE ITALIAN AUTHORITIES
Et offentligt organs adfærd kunne begrundes i den offentlige interesse, hvilket hindrede anvendelse af det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip.
In the opening decision the Commission noted that Italy had confirmed that SO.G.A.S. had not been formally entrusted with the provision of an SGEI, so that the compatibility of the disputed measures could not be assessed under the SGEI rules.
I så fald var de offentlige aktionærers adfærd ikke begrundet i kommercielle overvejelser og kunne derfor ikke sammenlignes med en privat investors.
The question whether the airport's activities constitute an SGEI
Italien konkluderede, at det tredje Altmark-kriterium, som forekom at kræve anvendelsen af det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip, ikke var relevant at vurdere i det foreliggende tilfælde.
In the course of the investigation Italy contended that the measures under assessment constituted compensation for the provision of SGEIs by SO.G.A.S.
Italien anførte, at eftersom SO.G.A.S.' aktiviteter udgjorde en tjenesteydelse af almen interesse, kunne kapitaltilførslerne på basis af en efterfølgende evaluering anses for at være en kompensation for leveringen af sådanne tjenester, hvorfor de ikke udgjorde statsstøtte.
In the absence of evidence to the contrary, the Italian authorities argued, an ex post assessment could conclude that in SO.G.A.S.'s case the EU requirements for SGEIs were met.
Italien anførte, at foranstaltningerne, hvis de ansås for at være statsstøtte, under alle omstændigheder burde regnes for at være forenelige efter artikel 2, stk. 1, i beslutning 2005/842/EF.
Italy considered that the line taken by the Commission gave undue weight to the formal rather than the substantive requirements for SGEIs.
Ingen fordrejning af konkurrencen
In support of this claim, Italy provided a cursory assessment of the four Altmark criteria.
Italien henviste til punkt 39 i luftfartsretningslinjerne fra 2005: »Omvendt er der ikke stor sandsynlighed for, at støtte, der ydes til små regionale lufthavne (kategori D), kan fordreje konkurrencen eller berøre samhandelen i et sådant omfang, at det strider mod den fælles interesse«.
Italy contended that SO.G.A.S. had in fact been entrusted with a public service mission.
De italienske myndigheder hævdede endvidere, at lufthavnsaktiviteterne ikke var rentable.
The mission was confirmed, directly and indirectly, by several administrative acts issued by the local authorities.
Dette blev dokumenteret af, at den bredt bekendtgjorte offentlige udbudsprocedure vedrørende den oprindeligt planlagte delvise privatisering af selskabet ikke gav resultat.
Italy provided the minutes of a meeting of the municipal executive of Reggio Calabria that took place on 17 October 2007, at which the executive decided to subsidise the airport manager's losses, and the minutes of meetings of the same body that took place on 16 June 2009 and 31 December 2009, which it said showed that the activities of the the airport did constitute SGEIs.
Idet de potentielle investorer måtte regne med at dække de forventede tab de kommende år som angivet i forretningsplanen, der var vedlagt udbudsmaterialet, og idet det eneste indkomne tilbud ikke blevet anset for økonomisk fordelagtigt, var det klart, at aktiviteten i sagens natur var tabsgivende.
The minutes of the meeting of 17 October 2007 state that ‘the Region of Calabria had taken the view that certain activities of Reggio Calabria airport were necessary for the provision of a service of general economic interest, and had imposed a number of public service obligations on SO.G.A.S. in order to ensure that the public interest was properly served; in such cases, the airport manager could be subsidised by the authorities for the additional costs arising out of the discharge of those obligations, which were such that it could not be ruled out that the overall management of the airport might be considered a service of general economic interest’.
Det forhold, at tilbudsgiverne ikke var indstillet på at dække potentielle fremtidige tab af ubegrænset omfang, men kun op til forud fastsatte grænser, beviste desuden, at det ikke var en attraktiv forretning for investorerne, hvilket igen betød, at foranstaltningerne ikke kunne påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
In more general terms, the Region of Calabria was party to a Protocol for the development of Lamezia Terme, Crotone and Reggio Calabria airports, which made it clear that airport services were public services essential to the economic and social development of the region, and consequently that they could be financed by means of EU, national or regional funds.
DE ITALIENSKE MYNDIGHEDERS KOMMENTARER TIL DE INTERESSEREDE PARTERS BEMÆRKNINGER
Italy also emphasised that on 28 December 2008 the airport manager asked the shareholders to cover its losses specifically by virtue of its public service obligation, and argued that no private operator would provide the service of management of the airport on purely commercial terms.
Ved brev af 27. april 2012 sendte de italienske myndigheder på vegne af regionen Calabrien Kommissionen deres kommentarer til SO.G.A.S.' bemærkninger.
The first test in Altmark was therefore satisfied.
Italien støttede SO.G.A.S.' argumenter, herunder SO.G.A.S.' påstand om, at de omhandlede foranstaltninger vedrørte en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse, hvilket efter Italiens mening betød, at de ikke kunne anses for at udgøre statsstøtte.
The parameters on the basis of which the compensation was calculated could easily be inferred from SO.G.A.S.'s balance sheet, which provided a transparent statement of the operating costs.
Italien hævdede også, at foranstaltningerne ikke fordrejede konkurrencen eller påvirkede samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
Public financing was limited to the amount of the losses, with no extra margin given to the recipient.
VURDERING AF STØTTEN
With regard to the third Altmark test, Italy contended that in the case of public services the actions of a public shareholder were not comparable to those of a private investor.
Forekomsten af statsstøtte
The conduct of a public body could be justified by objectives in the public interest which prevented the application of the market economy investor principle.
Efter EUF-traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1, og medmindre andet er anført i TEUF, »er statsstøtte eller støtte, som ydes ved hjælp af statsmidler under enhver tænkelig form, og som fordrejer eller truer med at fordreje konkurrencevilkårene ved at begunstige visse virksomheder eller visse produktioner, uforenelig med det indre marked, i det omfang den påvirker samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne«.
In this case the conduct of the public shareholders was not motivated by commercial considerations, and consequently could not be compared to that of a market investor.
Betingelserne i artikel 107, stk. 1, er kumulative.
Italy concluded that the third Altmark test, which appeared to require the application of the market economy investor principle, was not relevant in the case under scrutiny.
De omhandlede foranstaltninger vil kun udgøre statsstøtte efter EUF-traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1, hvis alle de nævnte betingelser er opfyldt.
Italy said that since SO.G.A.S.'s activities constituted a service of general interest, the capital injections could be considered compensation for the provision of such services, on the basis of an ex post assessment, and therefore did not constitute State aid.
Den økonomiske støtte skal således:
Italy stated that, were the measures be considered State aid, they should in any event be held compatible under Article 2(1) of Decision 2005/842/EC.
være ydet af staten eller med statsmidler
No distortion of competition
begunstige visse virksomheder eller visse produktioner
Italy referred to paragraph 39 of the 2005 aviation guidelines, which stated that ‘funding granted to small regional airports (category D) is unlikely to distort competition or affect trade to an extent contrary to the common interest’.
fordreje eller true med at fordreje konkurrencevilkårene
The Italian authorities further argued that the airport's activities were not profitable.
påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
This was evidenced by the fact that, although the initial intention to partially privatise the company had been widely advertised, the procedure had ultimately been unsuccessful.
I sin dom i sagen om Leipzig-Halle-lufthavnen [10] bekræftede Retten, at anlæg og drift af en civil lufthavn udgør en økonomisk aktivitet.
Given that potential investors had to undertake to cover the losses expected in the following years, as stated in the business plan published in the tender, and given that the sole offer received was not considered economically advantageous, it was clear that the activity was by its nature loss-making.
Den eneste undtagelse gælder visse aktiviteter, der i reglen falder ind under offentlig myndighedsudøvelse og derfor ikke kan anses for at være økonomiske aktiviteter.
In addition, the fact that bidders were not prepared to cover potential future losses to an unlimited extent, but only up to pre-established limits, proved that there was no market attractive to investors, and this in turn meant that the measures could have no impact on trade between Member States.
Den statslige finansiering af sådanne aktiviteter falder uden for statsstøttereglernes anvendelsesområde.
ITALY'S OBSERVATIONS ON THE COMMENTS SUBMITTED BY INTERESTED PARTIES
Der er derfor ingen tvivl om, at SO.G.A.S. er en virksomhed, for så vidt angår statsstøttereglerne, idet selskabet forvalter Stretto lufthavn og tilbyder de erhvervsdrivende (især luftfartsselskaber), der driver virksomhed i lufthavnen, lufthavnstjenester mod betaling.
By letter dated 27 April 2012, the Italian authorities, on behalf of the Region of Calabria, sent the Commission observations on SO.G.A.S.'s comments.
Statsmidler
Italy supported SO.G.A.S.'s arguments, including SO.G.A.S.'s contention that the measures under assessment related to an SGEI, which in Italy's view meant that they could not be considered State aid.
Begrebet statsstøtte gælder enhver fordel, der tildeles direkte eller indirekte ved hjælp af statsmidler af staten selv eller gennem ethvert mellemliggende organ, der handler i henhold til de beføjelser, som er overdraget til dem af staten.
Italy also argued that the measures did not distort competition or affect trade between Member States.
Det gælder dermed også alle de fordele, som regionale eller lokale organer i medlemsstaterne tildeler, uanset disses status og beskrivelse [11].
ASSESSMENT OF THE AID
I betragtning 27 og 28 til indledningsafgørelsen bemærkede Kommissionen, at de omhandlede foranstaltninger bestod i en overførsel af midler til SO.G.A.S. fra flere regionale og lokale myndigheder, nemlig regionen Calabrien, provinsen Reggio Calabria, Messina kommune og Reggio Calabria kommune.
The existence of aid
Kommissionen mente derfor, at de omhandlede foranstaltninger involverede statslige midler og kunne tilregnes staten.
Article 107(1) of the TFEU states that except where otherwise provided in the TFEU ‘any aid granted by a Member State or through State resources in any form whatsoever which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the provision of certain goods, in so far as it affects trade between Member States, shall be incompatible with the internal market.’
Kommissionen mente også, at de italienske handelskamres midler var statslige midler.
The criteria laid down in Article 107(1) are cumulative:
Handelskamrene var offentlige organer reguleret af offentlig ret, ifølge hvilken de var en del af den offentlige forvaltning og havde fået betroet at varetage offentlige funktioner, og Kommissionen mente derfor, at deres beslutninger kunne tilregnes staten.
the measures under scrutiny will constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU only if all the abovementioned conditions are fulfilled.
På det grundlag var midlerne fra handelskammeret i Messina statslige, og overførslen af dem kunne tilregnes staten.
Thus the financial support must
I løbet af undersøgelsesproceduren bestred hverken Italien eller interesserede parter denne indledende konstatering.
be granted by the State or through State resources,
Kommissionen bekræfter derfor, at alle de omhandlede foranstaltninger blev ydet med statslige midler og kan tilregnes staten.
favour certain undertakings or the production of certain goods,
Selektiv økonomisk fordel
distort or threaten to distort competition, and
Den offentlige støtte er selektiv, da den kun kommer en enkelt virksomhed til gode, nemlig SO.G.A.S.
affect trade between Member States.
Den dækker de tab, som SO.G.A.S. har lidt ved udførelsen af sin normale virksomhed.
In its judgment in the Leipzig-Halle airport case [10], the General Court held that the construction and operation of a civil airport constituted an economic activity.
For så vidt som anlæg og drift af lufthavnsinfrastruktur er en økonomisk aktivitet, mener Kommissionen, at offentlig støtte ydet til SO.G.A.S. som forvalter af en sådan infrastruktur til dækning af omkostninger, som lufthavnsselskabet normalt ville skulle bære selv, giver SO.G.A.S. en økonomisk fordel, da den styrker selskabets stilling i markedet og forhindrer markedskræfterne i at få deres normale virkning [12].
The only exception is for certain activities which as a rule fall within the exercise of public powers and so cannot be considered economic activities.
Selv om Italien i den indledende fase anførte, at lufthavnen ikke formelt havde fået betroet leveringen af en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse, bemærker Kommissionen, at Italien efter vedtagelsen af indledningsafgørelsen genovervejede sin indstilling og derefter hævdede, at den omhandlede offentlige støtte faktisk udgjorde offentlig kompensation for opfyldelsen af forpligtelsen til offentlig tjeneste [13].
The State financing of such activities falls outside the scope of the State aid rules.
I sin Altmark-dom fastlagde Domstolen følgende kriterier for, hvorvidt kompensation for levering af en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse var en fordel i henhold til artikel 107 i TEUF [14]:
There is no doubt, therefore, that SO.G.A.S. is an undertaking for the purpose of State aid law, in that it manages Stretto airport and offers airport services against remuneration to the economic operators (notably airlines) active in the airport.
Den modtagende virksomhed skal faktisk være pålagt at opfylde forpligtelser til offentlig tjeneste, og disse forpligtelser skal være klart defineret (første Altmark-kriterium).
State resources
De kriterier, der er grundlaget for beregningen af kompensationen, skal være fastlagt på forhånd på en objektiv og gennemsigtig måde (andet Altmark-kriterium).
The concept of State aid applies to any advantage granted directly or indirectly, financed from public resources and granted by the State itself or by an intermediary body acting by virtue of powers conferred on it by the State.
Kompensationen må ikke overstige, hvad der er nødvendigt for helt eller delvis at dække de udgifter, der er afholdt ved opfyldelsen af forpligtelserne til offentlig tjeneste, idet der skal tages hensyn til de hermed forbundne indtægter og til en rimelig fortjeneste ved opfyldelsen af forpligtelserne (tredje Altmark-kriterium).
Thus it applies to all advantages granted by regional or local bodies of Member States, whatever their status and description [11].
Når udvælgelsen af den virksomhed, der skal overdrages en forpligtelse til offentlig tjeneste, i et konkret tilfælde ikke gennemføres inden for rammerne af en procedure for tildeling af offentlige kontrakter, som giver mulighed for at udvælge den ansøger, der kan levere de pågældende ydelser til de laveste omkostninger for samfundet, skal størrelsen af den nødvendige kompensation fastlægges på grundlag af en analyse af de omkostninger, som en gennemsnitsvirksomhed, der er veldrevet og tilstrækkeligt udstyret med transportmidler til at kunne opfylde de stillede krav til den offentlige tjeneste, ville have ved at opfylde forpligtelserne, idet der skal tages hensyn til de hermed forbundne indtægter og til en rimelig fortjeneste ved opfyldelsen af forpligtelserne (fjerde Altmark-kriterium).
In paragraphs 27 and 28 of the opening decision the Commission noted that the measures under assessment consisted in a transfer of funds to SO.G.A.S. from several regional and local authorities, namely the Region of Calabria, the Province of Reggio Calabria, the Municipality of Messina and the Municipality of Reggio Calabria.
Første Altmark-kriterium
The Commission therefore took the view that the disputed measures involved State resources and were imputable to the State.
Kravet i det første Altmark-kriterium falder sammen med det krav, der er fastlagt i EUF-traktatens artikel 106, stk. 2, om, at tjenesteydelsen skal være klart overdraget og defineret [15].
The Commission also considered the resources of the Italian chambers of commerce to be State resources.
Først og fremmest gælder EUF-traktatens artikel 106, stk. 2, kun »visse virksomheder, der har fået overdraget at udføre« tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse.
The chambers of commerce were public bodies, governed by public law, according to which they formed part of the public administration and were entrusted with public functions, and the Commission accordingly considered that their decisions were imputable to Italy.
Domstolen har konsekvent understreget behovet for en akt, der beviser denne overdragelse [16].
On that basis the resources of Messina Chamber of Commerce constituted State resources, and their transfer could be imputed to the State.
En overdragelsesakt er nødvendigt for at definere de forpligtelser, som virksomheden henholdsvis staten påtager sig.
In the course of the investigation neither Italy nor any interested party contested this preliminary finding.
I mangel af et sådant officielt dokument er virksomhedens specifikke opgaver ikke kendt, og det kan ikke fastslås, hvad der vil være en rimelig kompensation [17].
The Commission therefore confirms that all the measures under assessment were granted through State resources and are imputable to the State.
Behovet for en klar definition af tjenesteydelsen af almindelig økonomisk interesse ligger derfor i og er uløseligt knyttet til overdragelsen og falder således direkte ind under EUF-traktatens artikel 106, stk. 2.
Selective economic advantage
Når en tjenesteydelse overdrages til en virksomhed, er det logisk nok også nødvendigt at definere den.
The public funding is selective, as it benefits a single undertaking, SO.G.A.S.
Så langt tilbage som i meddelelsen fra 2001 om tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse henledte Kommissionen opmærksomheden på forbindelsen mellem definitionen af overdragelsen af opgaven og nødvendigheden og proportionaliteten af kompensationen for at levere den pågældende tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse i henhold til EUF-traktatens artikel 106, stk. 2 [18].
It covers the losses incurred by SO.G.A.S. in conducting its ordinary business.
I punkt 22 i meddelelsen anførte Kommissionen: »For at undtagelsen i artikel 86, stk. 2, kan finde anvendelse, skal public service-opgaven under alle omstændigheder være klart defineret og udtrykkeligt overdraget ved en offentlig myndighedsakt […] Dette krav er nødvendigt for at sikre juridisk klarhed og gennemsigtighed i forhold til borgerne, ligesom det er en nødvendig forudsætning for, at Kommissionen kan foretage en proportionalitetsundersøgelse.« Overdragelse og definition er dermed logiske forudsætninger for enhver meningsfyldt vurdering af enhver kompensations proportionalitet.
In so far as the construction and operation of airport infrastructure is an economic activity, the Commission takes the view that public financing granted to SO.G.A.S., a manager of such infrastructure, which covers costs that the airport manager would normally have to bear itself, confers an economic advantage on SO.G.A.S., as it reinforces its market position and prevents market forces from having their normal effect [12].
EU's domstole og retter har konsekvent understreget behovet for en klar definition af forpligtelser til offentlig tjeneste med henblik på anvendelsen af både Altmark-undtagelsen og EUF-traktatens artikel 106, stk. 2 [19].
Although at the preliminary stage Italy stated that the airport had not been formally entrusted with the provision of an SGEI, the Commission notes that following the adoption of the opening decision Italy reconsidered its position, and claimed that the disputed public financing did in fact represent public compensation for the discharge of public service obligations [13].
Fællesskabets rammebestemmelser for statsstøtte i form af kompensation for offentlig tjeneste fra 2005 [20] bekræfter denne tilgang.
In its judgment in Altmark the Court of Justice set out the following tests for determining whether compensation for the provision of an SGEI conferred an advantage caught by Article 107 TFEU [14]:
Det følger af punkt 8 i rammebestemmelserne, at kompensation for offentlig tjeneste, som udgør støtte efter EUF-traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1, kan erklæres for forenelig med det indre marked, hvis betingelserne i rammebestemmelserne er opfyldt.
the recipient undertaking must actually have public service obligations to discharge, and the obligations must be clearly defined (‘the first Altmark test’);
Disse betingelser er navnlig overdragelsen af tjenesteydelsen af almindelig økonomisk interesse ved en eller flere officielle akter, hvor bl.a. præciseres den nøjagtige art og varighed af forpligtelserne til offentlig tjeneste, parametrene for beregning, kontrol og revision af kompensationen samt forholdsreglerne til undgåelse af og for tilbagebetaling af overkompensation (punkt 12 i rammebestemmelserne).
the parameters on the basis of which the compensation is calculated must be established in advance in an objective and transparent manner (‘the second Altmark test’);
I Kommissionens meddelelse fra 2011 om anvendelsen af Den Europæiske Unions statsstøtteregler på kompensation for levering af tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse [21] står der også, at tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse og forpligtelser til offentlig tjeneste skal fastlægges klart på forhånd.
the compensation cannot exceed what is necessary to cover all or part of the costs incurred in the discharge of public service obligations, taking into account the relevant receipts and a reasonable profit for discharging those obligations (‘the third Altmark test’);
I punkt 51 i meddelelsen fastlægges følgende:
where the undertaking which is to discharge public service obligations, in a specific case, is not chosen pursuant to a public procurement procedure which would allow for the selection of the tenderer capable of providing those services at the least cost to the community, the level of compensation needed must be determined on the basis of an analysis of the costs which a typical undertaking, well run and adequately provided with means of transport so as to be able to meet the necessary public service requirements, would have incurred in discharging those obligations, taking into account the relevant receipts and a reasonable profit for discharging the obligations (‘the fourth Altmark test’).
De pågældende virksomheder skal derfor af staten have fået overdraget en særlig opgave.
The first Altmark test
Ifølge den første betingelse i Altmark-dommen skal virksomheden faktisk være pålagt en forpligtelse til offentlig tjeneste.
The requirement of the first Altmark test coincides with the requirement laid down in Article 106(2) TFEU that the service must be clearly entrusted and defined [15].