natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Den interesserede tredjepart præciserer for det første, at der for ham ikke hersker tvivl om, at eftergivelsen af skatter og sociale bidrag udgør statsstøtte ydet under anvendelse af statslige midler, som påvirker konkurrencen på markedet og samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
The Cevital group, which includes Groupe Brandt, had a particularly healthy financial situation, as shown by the consolidated accounts for 2013, which were audited by KPMG.
Der hersker heller ikke ifølge ham tvivl om, at de to lån fra FDES repræsenterer statsmidler, der selektivt er tildelt en bestemt virksomhed.
France therefore takes the view that this very robust data would enable the Cevital group to obtain a very favourable rating of at least A, or even AA, had it instructed a ratings agency to that effect.
Den interesserede tredjepart fremfører herefter sin argumentation om den økonomiske fordel, der ligger i de to lån fra FDES.
In any event, France believes that the 2008 Communication demonstrates unequivocally that the rate chosen for the EUR 47,5 million loan corresponds to a category of firm with a financial situation between weak (B) and satisfactory (BB).
Endvidere var sikkerhedsstillelserne for rate B af det samme lån lavere end for et lån fra en privat investor.
There is no question that the financial situation of the Cevital group is not at all comparable to that of a firm rated CCC.
Lånet burde derfor være bevilget til en højere rente.
Second, France points out that private lenders also took part in the financing of Groupe Brandt.
Endelig blev der ydet en måneds frist uden betingelser for tilbagebetalingen af lånets rate B.
These private lenders, Société Générale and Natixis, agreed to lend to Groupe Brandt with margins of [0-5] % and [0-5] %.
Vedrørende lånet på 47,5 mio. EUR udtrykker den interesserede tredjepart forbehold for det hensigtsmæssige i, at en privat investor yder et lån til en virksomhed med en kreditvurdering på CCC på dette beløb og under de omstændigheder.
This is enough to demonstrate as such that the calculation of the ‘market’ interest rate as presented in the opening decision (between 7,03 % in recital 49 and 17,77 % in recital 50) is mistaken.
Endelig erklærer den interesserede tredjepart sig enig i Kommissionens bemærkninger om, at støtteforanstaltningerne påvirker konkurrencen på markedet og samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
Lastly, the interest rates on tranches A and B of the FDES loan were set with reference to the interest rates on tranches A and B of the bank loans granted by Société Générale and Natixis.
Virksomheden burde nemlig have været likvideret, hvis datoen for tilbagebetaling af rate B af lånet på 10 mio. EUR fra FDES ikke var blevet flyttet, og påvirkningen af konkurrencestrukturen på markedet er således ikke ubetydelig.
These two private investors clearly form the point of reference for tranches A and B of the FDES loans.
Denne betragtning er endnu mere tungtvejende, når man ser på støttemodtagerens størrelse og betydning på det franske marked for husholdningsmaskiner.
Tranches A and B of the FDES loan were granted at the same time as the tranches of the loans from these banks and on comparable terms: the terms on which tranches A and B of the FDES loan were granted are therefore undoubtedly in line with market conditions [16].
Den interesserede tredjepart insisterer på, at den støttemodtagende virksomhed allerede i oktober 2008 havde fået bevilget en omstruktureringsstøtte på 31 mio. EUR (godkendt af Kommissionen 25.7.
France recognises that tranche C of the FDES loan was not granted on the same terms as the bank loans.
2012 [17]), og princippet om engangsstøtte, jf. rammebestemmelserne fra 2004, er således ikke overholdt.
None the less, for this tranche too, the bank loans provide an indication of the market rate without the need to go into the detail of the calculation presented by the Commission in recitals 49 and 50 of the opening decision.
Da dette argument kun er gyldigt i tilfælde af økonomisk sammenhæng mellem FagorBrandt og Groupe Brandt, fremhæver den interesserede tredjepart flere punkter: Den nye ejer købte næsten alle materielle og immaterielle aktiver i de virksomheder, der tilhørte FagorBrandt i Frankrig, Groupe Brandt beskæftiger i dag over to tredjedele af medarbejderne fra den gamle struktur, den driver samme økonomiske virksomhed og har en lignende produktion, og endelig har det store flertal af de øverste ledere bevaret deres stillinger.
Moreover, tranche C of the FDES loan has the same collateral as tranches A and B (of the FDES loan and the bank loans), but it is second rank, which is enough to guarantee tranche C. To compensate for the junior nature of the collateral for tranche C in relation to tranches A and B, it should be noted that tranche C has a significantly higher interest rate than tranches A and B, i.e. a margin of [0-5] % (against [0-5] % and [0-5] % for tranches A and B respectively).
Den interesserede tredjepart anfører, at selv om den økonomiske sammenhæng mellem de to enheder ikke skulle blive anerkendt, er to af de tre foranstaltninger statsstøtte og udgør dermed stadig en krænkelse af princippet om engangsstøtte.
Furthermore, tranche C also has a tighter repayment schedule and a shorter repayment period than the other tranches.
Såfremt Groupe Brandt skulle blive betragtet som en nyoprettet virksomhed, ville statsstøtteforanstaltningerne ligeledes være helt uforenelige med rammebestemmelserne fra 2004.
Lastly, the first due date for tranche C takes precedence over tranches A and B of the FDES loan and of the loan from the private banks in the event of voluntary or mandatory early repayment, which constitutes an element of seniority of tranche C in relation to tranches A and B.
Vedrørende kriteriet om begrænsning af støtten til det absolut nødvendige minimum, minder den interesserede tredjepart om, at den støttemodtagende virksomhed hører under Cevital-koncernen, hvis konsoliderede omsætning beløb sig til 2,4 mia. EUR i 2013.
In conclusion, France considers that the FDES loan of EUR 47,5 million granted by it, including tranche C thereof, has more than enough collateral and an interest rate in line with the principle of the prudent private creditor in a market economy.
Som følge heraf undrer det ham, at Frankrig ikke har forelagt flere oplysninger om Cevitals mulighed for at behandle den støttemodtagende virksomheds vanskeligheder internt.
France takes the view that the information it provided on the social security and tax debts incurred by FagorBrandt during the observation period that followed the opening of the court-supervised administration procedure has been misinterpreted.
Det præciseres i rammebestemmelserne fra 2004, at en omstruktureringsstøtte ikke må anvendes til at holde en virksomhed kunstigt i live.
France explains that, as is always the case for companies in court-supervised administration, FagorBrandt, with the assistance of the official receiver, continued its activity, which implies that all or some of the employees continue to work (and that social security contributions are due) and that this activity is likely to generate tax obligations.
Denne situation kan bl.a. opstå i forbindelse med en sektor præget af en stor strukturel overkapacitet, hvor støttemodtageren kun overlever takket være en række statsstøtteforanstaltninger.
In this case they are social security contributions and tax debts (in particular vocational training, apprenticeship tax, tax on office premises) included in the company's liabilities.
Men den interesserede tredjepart konstaterer, at FagorBrandts udnyttelsesgrad i 2012 var utilstrækkelig (57 %) i forhold til resten af markedet (82 %).
Such claims enjoy the privilege laid down in Article L. 622-17 of the Commercial Code and will therefore be paid before all the other claims, whether or not these are secured by privileges or collateral, except for those claims secured by the privilege provided for in Articles L. 3253-2, L. 3253-4 and L. 7313-8 of the Labour Code, legal fees arising in a proper manner after the issue of the commencement order for the needs of the proceedings and those claims secured by the privilege created by Article L. 611-11 of the Commercial Code.
I den forbindelse forekommer det meget usikkert, at virksomheden skulle blive rentabel igen, både fordi markedet er ekstremt konkurrencepræget, og fordi Cevital-koncernen ikke har erfaringer med denne sektor i Europa.
Article L. 622-17 of the Commercial Code provides that, if the claims are not paid on their due date, they will be paid as a priority before all other claims.
Koncernens ringe erfaring med forskning og udvikling illustrerer vanskelighederne med at skabe reelle synergieffekter.
The application of Article L. 622-17 of the Commercial Code, which, according to France, is current in the case of most court-supervised administration procedures and is intrinsically linked to making it easier for the undertaking to continue its activity, cannot be interpreted as a write-off of claims.
Den interesserede tredjepart undrer sig over, at Frankrig ikke har forelagt en omstruktureringsplan med en præcis tidsplan, selv om der ifølge rammebestemmelserne fra 2004 skal foreligge en omstruktureringsplan inden for en rimelig tidshorisont.
During the observation period, the company continued to pay its social security contributions and taxes but part of those charges was not due on liquidation and was entered in the books as a liability of the company during the observation period.
Endelig understreger den interesserede tredjepart den konkurrencefordrejende virkning, som de pågældende foranstaltninger ganske givet vil få.
According to information obtained from the receiver, it should be possible to pay the outstanding taxes on the liquidation of FagorBrandt.
En større afsætning ville give den interesserede tredjepart mulighed for at øge sin udnyttelsesgrad og mindske sine enhedsomkostninger til gavn for forbrugerne.
Therefore, the social security and tax debts were incurred in the usual way under court-supervised administration proceedings, as is the case in the Member States.
De manglende kompenserende foranstaltninger forekommer derfor uberettigede.
France did not provide any compatibility assessment in its response to the opening decision or during the rest of the procedure.
Frankrigs bemærkninger
COMMENTS FROM INTERESTED PARTIES AND OBSERVATIONS BY FRANCE
Baggrund
Comments from interested parties
For det første benægter Frankrig, at der foreligger støtte i form af gældssanering, eller at handelsretten i Nanterre har givet tilladelse til køb af aktiver til en pris under markedsprisen.
The Commission received comments from a single interested party, which submitted them on 19 January 2015 and wished to remain anonymous.
Frankrig minder i den forbindelse om, at den interesserede tredjeparts påstand ikke er underbygget af faktiske oplysninger, og at afgørelsen fra handelsretten i Nanterre ikke indebærer en overførsel af statsmidler.
By way of introduction, the interested party takes the view that the aid measure in question is incompatible with Article 107 TFEU and the 2004 Guidelines.
Vedrørende den støtte Brandt Italia modtog, understreger Frankrig, at Kommissionen pålagde FagorBrandt kompenserende foranstaltninger for at bekræfte denne støttes forenelighed med det indre marked [18].
According to the interested party, everything seems to indicate that, for more than 10 years, the recipient FagorBrandt had not been able to stay in the market without a succession of State aid measures that were incompatible with the internal market, in particular since a judgment of Nanterre Commercial Court resulted in a debt reduction and an acquisition of FagorBrandt's assets by Elco Holding Limited and Fagor Electrodomésticos at a price below the market price in 2002, restructuring aid granted to an Italian subsidiary, and restructuring aid of EUR 31 million granted in 2008.
Det samme gælder for den omstruktureringsstøtte, FagorBrandt fik, og som blev godkendt af Kommissionen, mod at der blev truffet kompenserende foranstaltninger [18] Ibid.
It seems to the interested party that the recipient's financial difficulties are the result of an inability to adopt binding restructuring measures, unlike its competitors.
Mens tredjeparten således bestræber sig på at illustrere, at nærværende foranstaltning indgår i rækken af tidligere offentlige støtteforanstaltninger, henviser han i virkeligheden til foranstaltninger, som ikke udgør statsstøtte, eller som anses for at være uden virkning på det indre marked på grund af kompensatoriske foranstaltninger.
The interested party points out, first, that there is no doubt in its view that the cancellation of the tax and social security debts constitutes State aid granted through State resources that affects competition on the market and trade between Member States.
Vedrørende Cevitals foranstaltninger insisterer Frankrig på, at forretningsplanen blev udarbejdet i forbindelse med en ny produktions- og handelsstrategi, der har til følge og til formål at skabe en anden struktur end FagorBrandt.
Nor, according to the interested party, is there any doubt that the two FDES loans are a State resource allocated selectively to a certain undertaking.
Denne strategi omfatter bl.a. […].
The interested party then sets out its argument on the economic advantage conferred by the two FDES loans.
Frankrig mener, at det takket være troværdigheden af denne forretningsplan har været muligt at overbevise en række private investorer, herunder Natixis og Société Générale, om at finansiere disse projekter.
The interested party emphasises that the EUR 10 million loan had been granted at a time when private investors had refused to grant a loan of more than EUR 5 million to the recipient on such terms.
Frankrig tilføjer, at […] er en levedygtig løsning på det aktuelle problem med den lave kapacitetsudnyttelsesgrad, som tredjeparten har fremhævet.
That fact alone proves that the private investor principle was not complied with.
Frankrig præciserer, at Cevital allerede havde et segment for elektriske husholdningsartikler i sin industriproduktion, idet koncernen oprettede en fabrik til produktion af elektriske husholdningsartikler i Algeriet i 2013.
Moreover, the collateral for tranche B of the same loan was lower than that for a loan granted by a private investor.
Cevital var således ikke, som den interesserede tredjepart anfører, udelukkende til stede inden for montering.
The loan should therefore have been granted at a higher interest rate.
Koncernen har desuden en stor forhandlingsstyrke med hensyn til indkøb af råmaterialer.
Lastly, the repayment of tranche B of the loan was deferred by one month without conditions.
Der er derfor ifølge Frankrig en stærk komplementaritet mellem Cevitals virksomhed og overtagelsen af stærke varemærker.
With regard to the EUR 47,5 million loan, the interested party expressed its reservations about the advisability for a private investor to grant a loan to a company with a CCC rating for that amount and under those circumstances.
Kvalificering af foranstaltningerne
Lastly, the interested party agreed with the Commission's observations that the aid measures affect competition in the market and trade between Member States.
Frankrig minder om, at de skyldige skatter og sociale bidrag, der opstod i forbindelse med den retslige rekonstruktion, skyldes en almindelig mekanisme i denne type procedurer.
The company would have had to be liquidated had the repayment date for tranche B of the EUR 10 million FDES loan not been deferred, the result being that the impact on the competitive structure of the market is non-negligible.
I øvrigt benægter Frankrig, at Groupe Brandt betaler skyldige skatter og sociale bidrag i rater.
This consideration becomes all the more important if one takes into account the size and importance of the recipient on the French household appliance market.
Vedrørende lånet fra FDES på 10 mio. EUR anfører Frankrig igen, at det blev bevilget samtidig med lånet fra banken Thémis, og at man havde benyttet denne banks betingelser som reference.
The interested party stresses that the recipient company had already been granted restructuring aid of EUR 31 million in 2008 (authorised by the Commission on 25 July 2012 [17]), with the result that the ‘one time, last time’ principle set out in the 2004 Guidelines is not respected.
Rate A af FDES-lånet blev bevilget på lige fod med dette private lån med hensyn til prissætning, afdrag og sikkerhedsstillelse.
Since this argument is valid only in the event of economic continuity between FagorBrandt and Groupe Brandt, the interested party stresses a number of points: the new owner acquired almost all the tangible and intangible fixed assets of the companies belonging to FagorBrandt in France; Groupe Brandt today employs more than two thirds of the workers of the old structure; it engages in the same economic activity and similar production, and, lastly, most of the senior management remained in their posts.
Rate B er ligeledes ifølge Frankrig bevilget på lige fod med det samme lån med hensyn til prissætning, afdragsbetingelser in fine til gengæld for supplerende sikkerhedsstillelser.
The interested party points out that, in the event that economic continuity between the two entities was not recognised, two of the three measures constituting State aid would still infringe the ‘one time, last time’ principle.
Frankrig mener, at den midlertidige udsættelse af tilbagebetalingen af lånet, som tredjeparten har fremhævet, udgør en almindelig praksis i forbindelse med sædvanlige relationer mellem private aktører.
Likewise, were Groupe Brandt to be considered a newly created firm, the State aid measures would be strictly incompatible with the 2004 Guidelines.
For så vidt angår lånet på 47,5 mio. EUR, mener Frankrig, at dette beløb ikke er for højt, da Cevital-koncernens økonomiske situation er solid (tæt på kreditvurderingen AA, snarere end CCC som anført af tredjeparten).
With regard to the criterion of the limitation of the aid to the strict minimum, the interested party notes that the recipient firm belongs to the Cevital group, whose consolidated turnover was EUR 2,4 billion in 2013.
Frankrig insisterer på, at det er vigtigt at erstatte dette lån i forbindelse med alle de beløb, de private investorer, herunder Société Générale og Natixis, har udbetalt.
Accordingly, it is surprised that France did not provide more information on the possibility for Cevital to address the recipient's difficulties in house.
Frankrig understreger troværdigheden og omfanget af sikkerhedsstillelserne.
The 2004 Guidelines spell out that restructuring aid must not be used to keep firms artificially alive.
Endelig minder Frankrig om, at det er overflødigt at fremlægge et eksempel på tilbud fra en finansiel institution, eftersom private investorer i det foreliggende tilfælde faktisk har tilført kapital.
This situation may arise in the context of a sector affected by substantial structural overcapacity where the recipient stays afloat thanks only to a series of State aid measures.
VURDERING AF STØTTEFORANSTALTNINGERNE
The interested party notes that in 2012 FagorBrandt had a low utilisation rate (57 %) in relation to the rest of the market (82 %).
Kommissionen stiller spørgsmålstegn ved kvalificeringen og foreneligheden af tre foranstaltninger: i) et lån fra FDES på 10 mio. EUR, ii) et lån fra FDES på 47,5 mio. EUR og iii) en eftergivelse af skyldige skatter og sociale bidrag.
In this context, the recipient's return to viability seems very uncertain because, on the one hand, the market is extremely competitive and, on the other, the Cevital group has no experience of this sector in Europe.
Vurdering af, om der foreligger statsstøtte efter artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF
The same group's lack of experience in research and development illustrates the difficulty of creating genuine synergies.
Kommissionen skal vurdere, om de omhandlede foranstaltninger eventuelt udgør statsstøtte i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF.
The interested party is surprised that France did not submit a restructuring plan with a specific timetable, whereas the 2004 Guidelines state that the restructuring plan must intervene within a reasonable timescale.
Det hedder i artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF, at »… 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, [er] uforenelig med det indre marked, i det omfang den påvirker samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne«.
Lastly, the interested party highlights the distortion of competition that the measures in question will inevitably produce.
På baggrund af denne bestemmelse forudsætter kvalificeringen af en foranstaltning som statsstøtte, at følgende kumulative betingelser er opfyldt, nemlig i) at foranstaltningen er iværksat ved hjælp af statsmidler, ii) at foranstaltningen er selektiv, iii) at foranstaltningen giver en økonomisk fordel til modtageren, og iv) at foranstaltningen fordrejer eller truer med at fordreje konkurrencevilkårene og kan påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
The interested party has undertaken a costly restructuring programme financed by its own contribution.
Statsmidler og kriteriet for tilregnelse
This effort would bear greater rewards if the recipient firm did not have significant market share thanks to public support.
Med hensyn til FDES-lånene blev disse ydet ved økonomi- og finansministerens bekendtgørelse og forvaltet af generaldirektøren i finansministeriet.
Larger sales volumes would enable the interested party to increase its utilisation rate and reduce its unit costs to the benefit of consumers.
Midlerne hertil stammer fra en særlig konto i finansministeriet, og indfrielsen af hovedstolen og betalingen af renterne sker til den franske stats budget.
The absence of compensatory measures does not, therefore, seem justified.
Lånene underskrives, udbetales og forvaltes af Natixis på vegne af den franske stat på grundlag af en aftale indgået mellem Natixis og Frankrig.
Observations by France
En eftergivelse af skatter og sociale afgifter indebærer i sagens natur anvendelse af statsmidler.
Background
Eftergivelsen indebærer, at Frankrig giver afkald på indtægter og vil derfor have en direkte indvirkning på statens budget.
First, France denies the existence of aid in the form of a debt reduction or authorisation to acquire assets at a price below the market price by Nanterre Commercial Court.
Som følge heraf konkluderer Kommissionen, at de omhandlede foranstaltninger involverer statsmidler og kan tilregnes Frankrig.
It points out here that this allegation by the interested party is not supported by any facts, and that the decision taken by Nanterre Commercial Court does not involve a transfer of State resources.
Selektivitet
With regard to the aid received by Brandt Italia, France stresses that the Commission has imposed compensatory measures on FagorBrandt to confirm the compatibility of this aid with the internal market [18].
Kommissionen konstaterer, at de omhandlede lån blev bevilget til FagorBrandt og det selskab, som overtog FagorBrandts aktiver, Groupe Brandt.
The same applies to the restructuring aid received by FagorBrandt, which was approved by the Commission provided that compensatory measures were granted [18] Ibid.
Selv om FDES har til formål at yde lån til økonomisk og social udvikling på vilkår, som er bestemt i cirkulæret af 26. november 2004 [19] om statens indsats for at forebygge og afhjælpe virksomheders vanskeligheder, bliver de enkelte FDES-lån faktisk altid underkastet en undersøgelse.
Thus, by trying to demonstrate that the measure is along the lines of previous public support, the interested party in fact refers to measures that do not constitute State aid, or which are deemed to be without effect on the internal market because of the compensatory measures.
Kriteriet om selektivitet er derfor opfyldt.
With regard to intervention by Cevital, France stresses that the business plan was prepared as part of a new industrial and commercial strategy intended to create a structure different from that of FagorBrandt.