natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Vedrørende udbuddet i Cantabria fastholder Astra, at de cantabriske myndigheder i modsætning til, hvad Spanien hævder, havde pligt til at indhente tilladelser fra TV-selskaberne til at gøre deres kanaler tilgængelige for satellitplatformen.
Concerning competition between network operators, Spain expressed the view that terrestrial and satellite television are two completely different markets and that therefore the investigated measures did not distort competition on the affected markets.
Selv om brevene blev sendt til TV-selskaberne i marts 2008, tilbød de cantabriske myndigheder også andre selvstyrende regioner det alternativ, de havde valgt i juli 2008.
Spain maintains that the investigated measures have no effect on the intra-Union market as they are aimed at the residents of a restricted geographical area.
Spørgsmålet om statsstøtte
Since they are local services, the measure is unlikely to affect trade between Member States.
Med hensyn til fordelen for netoperatører, og især Abertis, bemærker Astra, at Abertis som hardwareleverandør fik tildelt omkring […] [35] af aftalerne om digitalisering af de jordbaserede lokaliteter, som var beliggende i de områder, der var omfattet af dækningsudvidelsen.
THE APPLICABILITY OF THE DE MINIMIS RULE
Da Abertis er en platformsoperatør, begunstiger digitaliseringen af nettet denne virksomheds kommercielle udbud til TV-selskaber, eftersom DTT-nettet nu vil nå næsten 100 % af befolkningen uden yderligere omkostninger i modsætning til de 96-98 %, der ville være blevet digitaliseret via en jordbaseret løsning, hvis den anfægtede foranstaltning ikke var iværksat.
The Spanish authorities also expressed the view that the de minimis rule introduced by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1998/2006 [34] on de minimis aid certainly applies to a significant proportion of the funding.
Endvidere ville Abertis drage fordel af, at Astra som den største konkurrerende alternative platformsoperatør ville være forhindret i at få fodfæste på det spanske marked ved at komme ind i område II.
The hardware was purchased independently in each Autonomous Community or local council, and therefore the de minimis provisions should be analysed at that level.
Ifølge Astra fik Abertis desuden andre fordele som følge af foranstaltningerne.
As in these cases the exact amount paid is known, as are the goods and services which were acquired, the aid was sufficiently transparent for the de minimis thresholds to apply.
For det første har et betydeligt antal af Abertis' jordbaserede lokaliteter draget fordel af støtten fra de spanske myndigheder inden for området af de undersøgte foranstaltninger og drives rent faktisk af Abertis.
ONGOING STATE AID
Det gælder især lokaliteter, der er beliggende i det område, hvor RTVE (offentligt TV-selskab) har pligt til at levere sit signal, men hvor de private TV-selskaber ikke har en tilsvarende pligt (ca. 2,5 % af befolkningen).
Concerning the operation and maintenance of the transmission centres, the Spanish central authorities believe that they fall outside the work to extend coverage partially funded by the MITyC.
For det andet påstår Astra, at Abertis indirekte drog fordel af statsstøtten på tilstødende markeder såsom transportmarkedet.
The ministry has no jurisdiction to require councils or the Autonomous Communities to continue operation and maintenance beyond the period included in the tenders for extension of coverage.
Yderligere bemærker klageren, at den undersøgte foranstaltning fører til konkurrencefordrejninger i område III [36].
Therefore it cannot be entirely excluded that operation and maintenance of some centres might be interrupted because of local council budget cuts.
Astra mener, at satellit- og jordbaserede platforme hører til samme marked.
The yearly costs of operation and maintenance were provisionally assessed by the central authorities as amounting to 10 % of the initial investment.
Forskellen mellem pay-per-view og gratis TV ville ikke være relevant for så vidt angår platformskonkurrence.
During the course of the investigation, several Autonomous Communities provided more detailed data on the funds spent for operation and maintenance of the DTT network in Area II.
Allerede i dag konkurrerer jordbaserede platforme og satellitplatforme om udsendelse af betalings-TV, da der allerede er mindst to pay-per-view-kanaler, der tilbyder deres signal gennem DTT-platformen, og en af dem er kun tilgængelig via DTT.
COMMENTS FROM INTERESTED PARTIES
Endvidere har alle nu godkendte TV-selskaber allerede anmodet regeringen om tilladelse til at udsende deres indhold som betalings-TV.
General remarks
Astra mener, at de undersøgte foranstaltninger ikke var forholdsmæssige.
Astra reiterates its earlier position that the measures leading to the switch-over to terrestrial digital television were a coordinated plan designed at the level of central government and implemented by the regional authorities.
Selskabet anfører, at overgangen til DTT krævede betydelige tilpasninger i lejlighedskomplekser og investering i kabelføring.
However, even assuming that the state aid for the extension of coverage was designed, organised and implemented at regional level, Astra believes that they would constitute unlawful and incompatible aid.
Undersøgelsens antagelser er i forskellige henseender anderledes end dem, Spanien og Abertis har anlagt, bl.a. vedrørende udgifterne til parabolantenner og behovet for at købe eksterne modtagerbokse til modtagelse af jordsendt digital-TV.
Concerning the tender in Cantabria, Astra insists that contrary to what is claimed by Spain, it was the obligation of the Cantabrian authorities to receive the authorisations from broadcasters to make their channels available to satellite platform.
Resultaterne af undersøgelsen fører til den konklusion, at udvidelsen af dækningen via satellit ikke nødvendigvis var dyrere end anvendelse af jordbaseret teknologi.
Moreover, even though the letters were sent by the broadcasters in March 2008, the Cantabrian authorities offered to other Autonomous Communities the alternative which they had chosen in July 2008.
Astra fremsendte også supplerende dokumenter med det formål at vise, at installations- og driftsomkostninger ved begge teknologier ikke adskiller sig væsentligt.
Presence of state aid
Astra hævder også, at det ikke er en hindring for at udsende free-to-air-kanaler, at betingelserne for adgang til udsendelser via satellit skal sikres.
Concerning the advantage received by network operators and especially Abertis, Astra notes that as hardware supplier Abertis was awarded around […] [35] of the tenders for the digitization of the terrestrial sites located in the extension of coverage areas.
Adgangsstyringssystemer findes overalt i verden, og de er ikke vanskelige at anvende [37].
Since Albertis is a platform operator, the digitization of the network favours its commercial offering to broadcasters since the DTT network will now reach almost 100 % of the population at no additional cost as opposed to the 96/98 % that would have been terrestrially digitized in the absence of the contested measure.
Endvidere blev den adgangsstyringsløsning, som blev foreslået i Cantabria, accepteret af de cantabriske myndigheder, der kunne beslutte, hvilke brugere der skulle aktiveres med henblik på at modtage tjenesten.
Furthermore, Abertis would benefit from the fact that Astra as the main competing alternative platform operator, would be prevented from obtaining a foothold in the Spanish market by entering Area II.
Derfor blev tjenestens geografiske afgrænsning kontrolleret af den cantabriske regering.
Moreover, according to Astra, Abertis received other advantages as a result of the measures.
Der var ikke behov for en særlig tilpasning i den anledning.
Firstly, a significant number of Abertis' terrestrial sites have benefited from the funds provided by the Spanish Authorities in the scope of the investigated measures and are indeed operated by Abertis.
Vedrørende foranstaltningens formålstjenlighed hævder Astra, at satellitteknologien — takket være stordriftsfordele — bliver mere økonomisk attraktiv, jo større den geografiske dækning er.
This is in particular the case of sites that are located in the area where RTVE (public broadcaster) is obliged to provide its signal, but where there is no such obligation for the private broadcasters (around 2,5 % of the population).
Ved at opsplitte foranstaltningen i område II i over 600 lokale og regionale udbud var satellitteknologien allerede blevet meget dårligt stillet i konkurrencen.
Secondly, Astra claims that Abertis benefited indirectly from the state aid in adjacent markets such as the transport market.
Faktisk hævder Astra, at de prøvede at gøre det, før den spanske centralregering havde blandet sig til fordel for den jordbaserede teknologi.
Astra believes that the satellite and terrestrial platforms belong to the same market.
Efter at have udvalgt Astra under det offentlige udbud prøvede de cantabriske myndigheder nemlig oprindelig at overtale andre regioner til også at vælge satellitplatformen, da det ville have reduceret deres egne omkostninger yderligere.
The distinction between pay-per-view and free-to-air television would not be relevant, as far as platform competition is concerned.
Løbende statsstøtte
Already today the terrestrial and satellite platforms compete for the transmission of pay-TV, as there are already at least two pay-per-view channels offering their signal through the DTT platform and one of them is only available on DTT.
Astra gentager, at en del af de anfægtede foranstaltninger svarer til løbende statsstøtte, da de selvstyrende regioners regeringer vil finansiere drifts- og vedligeholdelsesomkostningerne til de lokale net i område II.
Moreover, according to Astra, all currently authorized broadcasters have already requested a license from the Government to broadcast their content in the pay modality.
Med hensyn til de årlige drifts- og vedligeholdelsesomkostninger til satellitløsningen anslår Astra, at de ville beløbe sig til 100000 EUR pr. kanal om året, selv om der kunne være opnået reduktioner, hvis mere end én region havde valgt satellitløsningen.
Astra considers that the investigated measures were not proportional.
BEMÆRKNINGER FRA ABERTIS
It indicates that the switch to DTT required significant adaptations in apartment buildings and investment in cabling.
Abertis driver telekommunikationsinfrastruktur og leverer netudstyr.
Moreover, to support its argument that the extension of coverage via satellite would not have been more expensive than via the terrestrial platform, Astra referred to its internal cost study submitted together with the complaint, carried out in November 2008.
Selskabet ejer bl.a. selskaberne Retevisión S.A. og Tradia S.A., der leder og driver telekommunikationsnet og -infrastrukturer.
The study compared the costs of extension of coverage using both technologies — terrestrial and satellite.
Først og fremmest bemærker Abertis, at de undersøgte foranstaltninger ikke udgør statsstøtte, jf. artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF.
The assumptions of the study differ from the ones carried out by Spain and Abertis in various respects, among others concerning the costs of satellite dishes and the need to purchase external set-top boxes for the reception of digital terrestrial TV.
De regionale myndigheder erhvervede blot varer og tjenesteydelser på markedsbetingelser via åbne udbud, og de er fortsat ejere af det udstyr, der blev installeret i transmissionscentrene i område II.
The findings of the study lead to the conclusion that the extension of coverage via satellite was not necessarily more expensive than using terrestrial technology.
Af den grund blev hverken midler eller digitalt udstyr, som blev købt for disse midler, nogensinde overført til en eventuel ekstern modtager.
Astra also submitted additional documents aimed to show that the installation and operation costs of both technologies do not differ significantly.
Abertis finder endvidere, at de anfægtede foranstaltninger ikke giver netoperatørerne nogen nævneværdig økonomisk fordel.
Astra also claims that ensuring the conditionality of access to satellite broadcasts is not an obstacle to broadcasting free-to-air channels.
Abertis hævder, at det ikke driver nogen af de lokale net i område II (selv ikke, hvor det ejer de tilknyttede transmissionscentre), og at selskabet derfor ikke kan opnå nogen direkte fordel.
Conditional access systems are present all over the world and they are not difficult to use [37].
For det andet handlede Abertis kun som hardwareleverandør i område II.
Moreover, the solution proposed in Cantabria for conditional access was accepted by the Cantabrian authorities, who could decide which users to activate in order to receive the service.
For det tredje var der heller ingen fordel i tilfælde, hvor Abertis solgte det digitale udstyr, der blev brugt til at opgradere et transmissionscenter, og udstyret senere blev installeret i et transmissionscenter, som tilhørte Abertis.
Therefore the territorial limitation of the service was controlled by the Cantabrian government.
Det skyldes, at Abertis kun udlejer transmissionscentrene til de lokale netoperatører på markedsbetingelser, og lejen til Abertis blev ikke påvirket af digitaliseringsprocessen.
There was no need for a specific adaptation to this effect.
For det fjerde fastholder Abertis, at den gradvise stigning på 1-2 % i et DTT-nets dækning ikke omsættes i nogen økonomisk fordel for Abertis som platformsoperatør i område I. Endelig påvirker digitaliseringen af område II ikke den pris, Abertis kan forlange af TV-selskaber for sine transmissionstjenester, især eftersom Abertis' engrospriser reguleres af den spanske tilsynsmyndighed, Comisión del Mercado de Telecomunicaciones (i det følgende benævnt »CMT«).
Concerning the appropriateness of the measure, Astra claims that thanks to economies of scale, the larger the geographical coverage, the more economically attractive satellite technology becomes.
Vedrørende de lokale netoperatører i område II (byråd) mener Abertis ikke, at der kan være tale om nogen økonomisk fordel, da de ikke betragtes som virksomheder, jf. artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF, og under alle omstændigheder udfører en offentlig tjeneste.
By splitting the measure in Area II into more than 600 local and regional tenders, satellite technology had already been put at a significant competitive disadvantage.
Abertis gav også udtryk for det synspunkt, at den undersøgte foranstaltning ikke medførte nogen økonomisk fordel for TV-selskaberne.
However, even if the Spanish government had not been able to impose or suggest the need to take into account cross-regional synergies as a condition for the granting of the funds, the regions could have taken this possibility into account in order to ensure that they were choosing the most cost-efficient solution for their taxpayers.
Den digitale overgang i område II øgede ikke antallet af TV-seere sammenlignet med antallet af seere, der havde adgang til analog TV-spredning, før overgangsprocessen mod digital TV-spredning startede i 2005.
In fact, Astra argues that they tried to do so before the Spanish central government's intervention in favour of the terrestrial technology.
Endvidere mener Abertis, at de anfægtede foranstaltninger ikke påvirkede konkurrencen mellem netoperatører nævneværdigt.
Indeed, after having selected Astra in the public tender, the Cantabrian authorities initially tried to convince other regions to also select the satellite platform, as this would have reduced further their own costs.
Den kendsgerning, at hverken Astra eller andre private operatører havde vist interesse for at levere transmissionstjenester i område II i de seneste 20 år, bekræfter, at der ikke var noget marked, og at et statsligt indgreb var nødvendigt for at fremme leveringen af tjenesterne.
Ongoing state aid
Især er der ingen konkurrencefordrejning mellem satellit og DTT, da det er to adskilte markeder.
Astra repeats that part of the contested measures amount to ongoing state aid, as the autonomous community governments will finance the costs of operation and maintenance of the local networks in Area II on an ongoing basis.
Desuden ændrede digitaliseringen af de jordbaserede net i område II ikke på nogen måde konkurrencestrukturen på de relevante markeder, men var blot en nødvendig teknisk opgradering af den eksisterende analoge platform.
Concerning the annual operation and maintenance costs for the satellite solution, Astra estimates that they would amount to EUR 100,000 per channel per year, although reductions could have been achieved had more than one region chosen the satellite solution.
Abertis hævder, at TV-spredningstjenesterne, som blev ydet via net i område II, er begrænset til visse isolerede områder og derfor ikke påvirker samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
COMMENTS FROM ABERTIS
I tilfælde af at Kommissionen finder, at de relevante offentlige myndigheder eller tilknyttede myndigheder er virksomheder, jf. artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF, mener Abertis, at midlerne til dækning af den digitale overgang i område II var kompensation for levering af en offentlig tjenesteydelse.
Abertis is a telecommunications infrastructure operator and network equipment supplier.
I den forbindelse mener Abertis, at de anfægtede foranstaltninger opfylder betingelserne i retspraksis fra Altmark-sagen, og at der ikke er tale om statsstøtte.
It owns, among other companies, Retevisión S.A. and TradiaS.A., which manage and operate telecommunication networks and infrastructures.
Eksisterende støtte
First of all, Abertis notes that the investigated measures do not constitute state aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU.
Ifølge Abertis begyndte implementeringen af sendenet i område II i en ikkeliberaliseret radio-/TV-sektor i 1982.
The regional authorities simply acquired goods and services on market terms by way of open tenders and they remain the owners of the equipment installed in the transmission centres in Area II.
På det tidspunkt havde den spanske stat et lovligt monopol på markedet for jordbaseret TV-spredning.
For this reason, neither any funds nor any digital equipment acquired with those funds were ever transferred to any external recipient.
Der bruges nu offentlige midler til at finansiere installation, vedligeholdelse og drift af de lokale net i område II, som blev etableret før liberaliseringen af sektoren.
Abertis considers, in addition, that the contested measures did not confer any appreciable economic advantage on the network operators.
Derfor er den undersøgte foranstaltning løbende eksisterende støtte.
Abertis claims that it does not operate any of the local networks located in Area II (even where it owns the related transmission centres) and that therefore it cannot obtain any direct advantage.
Forenelighed
Secondly, in Area II Abertis only acted as a hardware provider.
Abertis hævder, at en potentiel statsstøtte ville være forenelig i medfør af bestemmelserne i artikel 106 i TEUF, da den opfylder alle betingelserne i artikel 86, stk. 2-beslutningen.
Thirdly, even in cases where the digital equipment used to upgrade a transmission centre was sold by Abertis and this equipment was later installed in a transmission centre belonging to Abertis, there was no benefit.
Skulle dette ikke være tilfældet, ville en potentiel støtte under alle omstændigheder være forenelig med artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c), i TEUF.
This is because Abertis simply rents those transmission centres to the local network operators on market terms and the amount of the rent paid to Abertis was not affected by the digitisation process.
For det første er målet med de foranstaltninger, de spanske myndigheder har indført, at fremskynde den digitale overgangsproces i Spanien, hvilket er anerkendt i Kommissionens praksis for statsstøttebeslutninger som et mål af fælles interesse.
Fourthly, Abertis insists that the incremental increase of 1-2 % in the coverage of a DTT network does not translate into any economic benefit for Abertis as a platform operator in Area I. Finally, the digitisation of Area II does not affect the price that Abertis is able to charge to broadcasters for its transmission services, especially given that Abertis' wholesale pricing is regulated by the Comision del Mercado de Telecomunicaciones, the Spanish regulatory authority (hereinafter ‘CMT’).
For det andet var støtten et hensigtsmæssigt instrument, da DTT er en mere egnet teknologi til at sikre en dækningsudvidelse [38].
Concerning the local network operators in Area II (town councils), Abertis considers that there cannot be any economic advantage as they do not qualify as undertakings within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU and in any event perform a public service.
Bortset fra økonomiske årsager bemærker Abertis også, at TV-selskaberne er tilbageholdende med at bruge satellitplatforme på grund af begrænsningerne for TV-selskaberne, når de køber indholdsrettigheder til deres ukodede programmer.
Abertis also expressed the view that the investigated measure did not entail any economic advantage for the broadcasters.
I de fleste tilfælde får de kun ret til at sende indholdet via en bestemt platform, nemlig DTT, da denne teknologi giver mulighed for målrettet transmission og geografiske begrænsninger.
The digital switchover in Area II did not increase the number of television viewers when compared to the number of viewers who had access to analogue television before the process of transition to digital broadcasting started in 2005.
Vedrørende foranstaltningens teknologiske neutralitet bemærker Abertis, at jordbaseret teknologi ikke var den eneste løsning, den spanske regering så på.
Moreover, Abertis considers that the contested measures did not have any appreciable effect on competition between the network operators.
Desuden blev satellitplatformen i sidste ende betragtet som det mest hensigtsmæssige teknologiske valg til at levere digitale TV-tjenester i område III.
The fact that neither Astra nor any other private operator showed any interest in providing transmission services in Area II for the last 20 years, confirms that there was no market and that state intervention was required to facilitate the provision of services.
Hvad vigtigere er, hævder Abertis, at DTT anses for at være den mest egnede og billigste platform til at levere digitale TV-tjenester i område II med henblik på at opnå den samme dækning, som fandtes før den analoge afvikling, hvilket bekræftes af de fremsendte omkostningsundersøgelser [39].
In particular, there is no distortion of competition between satellite and DTT, as they are two separate markets.
BEMÆRKNINGER FRA RADIODIFUSIÓN
Moreover, the digitisation of the terrestrial networks in Area II did not change in any way the competitive structure of the relevant markets but simply represented a necessary technical upgrade of the existing analogue platform.
På markedet for audiovisuelle signaltransmissionstjenester er Radiodifusión en relativt ny leverandør, der blev registreret i CMT's operatørregister i november 2005.
Abertis claims that the broadcasting services provided over the networks in Area II are limited to certain isolated areas and therefore do not have an effect on trade between Member States.
Radiodifusión er generelt enig i afgørelsen om indledning af undersøgelsesproceduren og støtter Kommissionen i dens synspunkter, men fremsætter nogle supplerende bemærkninger, der følger nedenfor.
In the event the Commission considers that the relevant public authorities or their affiliates are undertakings within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU, Abertis considers that the funds to cover the digital switchover in Area II were compensation for the provision of a public service.
Selskabet er enigt i, at statsstøtten ikke opfylder Altmark-kravene og medfører en betydelig overførsel af statslige ressourcer.
In this respect Abertis believes that the contested measures respect the conditions set out in the Altmarkcase-law and that there is no state aid involved.
Den undersøgte statsstøtteordning gavnede netoperatører, som allerede drev virksomhed i landdistrikter.
Existing aid