natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
En markedsøkonomisk operatør ville ved sin vurdering af interessen i at indgå en kontrakt om lufthavnstjenester og/eller en kontrakt om markedsføringstjenester have valgt en tidshorisont for vurderingen svarende til enten de pågældende aftalers løbetid eller den for hver enkelt kontrakt fastlagte kontraktperiode.
As the aid at issue was granted before the entry into force of the 2011 SGEI Decision, it is impossible to require the entrustment acts concerned to refer to that Decision, without rendering Article 10(b) devoid of any useful effect.
Han ville med andre ord have vurderet de gradvist stigende indtægter og udgifter i kontraktperioden.
Furthermore, in the interests of procedural efficiency, the Commission considers that it can examine the application of the 2011 SGEI Decision to the aid granted before 31 January 2012 without first examining whether this aid was incompatible with Decision 2005/842/EC.
Det synes ikke berettiget at tage udgangspunkt i en længere periode.
The purpose of Article 10(b) of the 2011 SGEI Decision is to extend the scope of the Decision to incompatible aid granted before its entry into force, without excluding aid that might have been found compatible under Decision 2005/842/EC.
På datoerne for aftalernes indgåelse ville en rationel markedsøkonomisk operatør ikke have påregnet en forlængelse af aftalerne efter deres gennemførelse på de samme vilkår eller på bestemte vilkår.
Condition of scope
Dette gælder især i denne sag, da et normalt rationelt forvaltningsorgan ikke kunne være uvidende om, at lavprisselskaber som Ryanair var og er kendt for at udvikle deres aktiviteter meget dynamisk, både hvad angår åbning og indstilling af ruter og stigninger og fald i antallet af flyvninger, for at tilpasse sig markedsudviklingen.
Under the 2011 SGEI Decision, compensation for the provision of public services granted to undertakings entrusted with an SGEI may be regarded as compatible with the internal market if granted to an airport with an average annual traffic of no more than 200 000 passengers during the two financial years preceding that in which the service of general economic interest was assigned.
Det skal ligeledes bemærkes, at det forhold, at Ryanair ikke befløj visse ruter i hele den i aftalerne fra 2008 fastsatte periode, ikke er taget i betragtning i forbindelse med anvendelsen af det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip, da dette element ikke var kendt eller forudsigeligt på tidspunktet for aftalernes indgåelse.
The annual traffic at Angoulême airport did not exceed 200 000 passengers at any point between 2000 and 2012.
I det følgende vil Kommissionen gennemgå de anvendte hypoteser med henblik på at analysere de aftaler fra 2008, der blev indgået med Ryanair/AMS, med hensyn til trafik og gradvist stigende indtægter og udgifter, hvorefter den forelægger resultaterne af analysen.
The measures at issue therefore fall within the scope of the 2011 SGEI Decision and must be assessed in the light of the conditions laid down therein.
Forventet gradvist stigende trafik og forventet antal rotationer
Condition of entrustment (Article 4 of the 2011 SGEI Decision)
Den forventede gradvist stigende trafik er blevet fastlagt ud fra det antal flyvninger på ruten Angoulême-London, der fremgår af kontrakten om lufthavnstjenester og kontrakten om markedsføringstjenester, samt det heraf følgende antal rotationer på årsbasis.
It follows from the Commission’s assessment of compliance with the first and second Altmark criteria that a genuine SGEI was entrusted to the managers of Angoulême airport and that the conditions relating to the existence of an entrustment act were satisfied.
Kommissionen har i øvrigt taget hensyn til kapaciteten på Ryanairs fly, Boeing 737-800 med 189 pladser.
Only airport management tasks related solely to keeping the airport operational and to infrastructure accessibility can be defined as an SGEI.
Kommissionen fremsætter en hypotese om en belægningsgrad på 85 % pr. flyvning.
Condition of compensation (Articles 5 and 6 of the 2011 SGEI Decision)
Denne hypotese tilgodeser Ryanair, da en belægningsgrad på 85 % er højt sat.
Periods 2002-2006 and 2007-2011
Den er i øvrigt en smule højere end gennemsnittet på Ryanairs fly på de af selskabet befløjne ruter og højere end eller lig med den belægningsgrad, som Frankrig foreslår for de forskellige kontrakter i dets rekonstruktion af rentabilitetsanalyserne.
Under Article 5(1) of the 2011 SGEI Decision, the amount of compensation may not exceed what is necessary to cover the net cost incurred in discharging the public service obligations, including a reasonable profit.
Kommissionen mener dog, at denne høje belægningsgrad kan anvendes, selv om den tilgodeser Ryanair, da den vil afspejle markedsføringstjenesternes eventuelle positive indvirkning på passagerantallet på de af de forskellige kontrakter omfattede luftruter, og da der ikke foreligger andre oplysninger, der sætter tal på disse tjenesters forventede indvirkning på belægningsgraden.
In the case at hand, the compensation is limited to the necessary costs of discharging the public service by the procedure for defining the budget allocated to the airport.
Når en kontraktperiode ikke faldt sammen med hele kalenderår, tog Kommissionen højde herfor ved for hvert kontraktår at beregne den forventede trafik ud fra antallet af dage i det pågældende kontraktår.
Point 2.6 of the circular describing this procedure requires Angoulême CCI, for the purposes of preparing the budget, to determine:
passagerafgiften, dvs. et beløb pr. passager og
In addition the arrangements established by SMAC’s statutes for monitoring the implemented budget ex post were such as to prevent any overcompensation.
den afgift, der betales for groundhandlingydelser, som består i et beløb pr. rotation, der er fastsat i kontrakten om lufthavnstjenester.
As a result, the amount of compensation did not exceed what was necessary to cover the costs incurred in discharging the public service obligations.
Punkt 7.3 i kontrakten om lufthavnstjenester indeholder dog bestemmelser om salgsfremmende rabatter i de første tre år.
Furthermore, the existence of separate accounts meant that the activity of managing Angoulême airport could be kept separate from an accounting point of view.
Disse rabatter var på 57,25 % i det første år, hvilket svarede til 1,18 EUR, 48 % i det andet år, hvilket svarede til 1,44 EUR, og 24 % i det tredje år, hvilket svarede til 2,10 EUR.
The CCI-airport accounts had a separate item for the activities of the airport.
Derudover fastsattes landingsafgifterne i punkt 7.2 i samme kontrakt til 252,29 EUR pr. landing.
This was sufficient to ensure that there was no cross-subsidising to the benefit of other activities.
De beløb, der er fastsat i kontrakten, er således blevet brugt i analysen.
The airport’s accounts and budgets were also submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority, which had to deliver an opinion to the authority exercising supervision over Angoulême CCI before the accounts and budgets could be approved, the state being the conceding authority for the airport.
For at beregne summen af ovennævnte tre luftfartsafgifter, som en markedsøkonomisk operatør ville have forventet af kontrakten, har Kommissionen anvendt de prognoser for antallet af rotationer (for landingsafgiften og afgiften for groundhandlingydelser) og den gradvist stigende trafik (for passagerafgiften), der fastsættes i kontrakten, og ganget dem med enhedsbeløbet for afgifterne, jf. ovenfor.
The compensation was therefore actually used for the provision of the service concerned and the public authorities had put a procedure in place to ensure that there was no overcompensation.
Indtægterne fra andre aktiviteter end luftfartsvirksomhed er i princippet stort set proportionale med passagerantallet.
The Commission would none the less point out that this assessment does not apply to the costs incurred in relation to the activity of Ryanair, which was part of the commercial development task.
Aktiviteten på parkeringspladserne samt i restauranterne og de øvrige forretninger i lufthavnen afhænger af antallet af passagerer.
Lastly, the Commission would point out that the information submitted by the French authorities demonstrates that the aid at issue served only to compensate for the airport’s operating deficit during the relevant period and that the airport manager did not make any profit from it.
Dette gælder også lufthavnens forvaltningsorgans indtægter fra disse aktiviteter.
The invitation to tender stated quite clearly that the tenderer should set the remuneration for service provision for non-commercial operation (baseline scenario) and commercial operation (proactive scenario).
I denne sag stammer en stor del af indtægterne fra andre aktiviteter end luftfartsvirksomhed imidlertid fra forbruget blandt den driftsansvarliges og andre virksomheders ansatte, når passagertrafikken i Angoulême lufthavn er begrænset.
The tenderer also had to set the maximum guarantee sought from SMAC for balancing the operating account in the two scenarios.
Med hensyn til dette beløb for gradvist stigende indtægter fra andre aktiviteter end luftfartsvirksomhed finder Kommissionen det sandsynligt, at en rationel markedsøkonomisk operatør ville have beregnet det på tidspunktet for kontrakternes indgåelse med udgangspunkt i lufthavnens samlede indtægter fra andre aktiviteter end luftfartsvirksomhed umiddelbart inden de pågældende kontrakters indgåelse.
SMAC also included in the invitation to tender a performance incentive clause (50 %/50 %) in the event that SMAC’s contribution was lower than the ceiling set in the bid; this clause is included in the specification.
I denne sag kan en stor del af indtægterne fra andre aktiviteter end luftfartsvirksomhed imidlertid henføres til forbruget blandt den driftsansvarliges og andre virksomheders ansatte, når passagertrafikken i Angoulême lufthavn er begrænset.
Moreover, as pointed out in recital 262 above, the baseline scenario offered by SNC-Lavalin, which was more advantageous than the baseline scenario proposed by APCO, was such as to ensure accessibility and the maintenance of operational conditions at Angoulême airport.
Endelig kan den gradvist stigende sum af indtægter fra andre aktiviteter end luftfartsvirksomhed, som udelukkende stammer fra den erhvervsmæssige trafik, ifølge oplysningerne fra Frankrig anslås til […] EUR om året.
In addition, the compensation is calculated primarily with reference to the deficit actually incurred within a separate account for the airport.
Kommissionen mener, at denne vurdering er fornuftig.
The operator is required to have this separate account certified by an auditor and to submit its annual accounts to SMAC.
Gradvist stigende udgifter
There is also provision for the public balancing contribution paid to SNC-Lavalin to be reduced if the amount required to balance the airport’s accounts proves to be lower than the ceiling set in the accepted bid.
De gradvist stigende udgifter, der på forhånd kunne forventes at være forbundet med de enkelte transaktioner (som i påkommende tilfælde omfatter en kontrakt om lufthavnstjenester og en kontrakt om markedsføringstjenester) af en markedsøkonomisk operatør, som skulle forvalte Angoulême lufthavn i stedet for lufthavnens forvaltningsorganer, tilhører følgende tre kategorier:
This clawback arrangement reduces the risk of overcompensation ex post.
udgifterne til køb af markedsføringstjenester
As regards the regular checks to avoid overcompensation, the provisions of Title III of the tender specification set out the arrangements for monitoring by SMAC to ensure that there is no overcompensation involved in the contribution from SMAC as against the costs of performing the general economic interest tasks entrusted to SNC-Lavalin.
de gradvist stigende investeringsudgifter som følge af de med transaktionen forbundne investeringer
As regards the compensation amount, the Commission would none the less point out that the contractual balance of the contract concluded between SMAC and SNC-Lavalin is based, not on the prior determination of a reasonable profit, but on a flat-rate remuneration.
de gradvist stigende driftsudgifter, dvs. de driftsudgifter (personale, forskellige indkøb), der kan være forbundet med transaktionens gennemførelse.
The Commission also takes note of the airport’s very limited traffic to date, the mechanisms in place to calculate and monitor the compensation, the inclusion of the performance incentive clause referred to above and the fact that SNC-Lavalin’s bid was the lowest in financial terms.
Med hensyn til udgifterne til markedsføringskontrakterne har Kommissionen taget højde for de beløb, der er fastsat i kontrakten om markedsføringstjenester.
In view of these factors, the Commission finds that the compensation granted under the contract between SMAC and SNC-Lavalin can be declared compatible with the internal market on condition that the French authorities ensure that the total amount of compensation paid to SNC-Lavalin over the duration of the contract does not exceed what is necessary to cover the net costs incurred in discharging the public service obligations only, excluding the costs of the airport’s commercial development but including a reasonable rate of return on the capital invested.
Den kontrakt om markedsføringstjenester, der blev indgået med Ryanair, omfatter i punkt 3.1 markedsføringstjenester til en værdi af 400 000 EUR det første år, 300 000 EUR det andet år og 225 000 EUR det tredje år.
In this connection, the French authorities are required to submit to the Commission within four months of the expiry of the contract between SMAC and SNC-Lavalin a report demonstrating that the amount of compensation granted to the latter, including a reasonable rate of return on the capital invested, has complied with Article 5 of the 2011 SGEI over the entire duration of the contract.
Kommissionen har derfor anvendt disse beløb som udgifterne til markedsføringstjenester.
Conclusion on the compatibility of the aid between 2002 and 2017
Som det var tilfældet med trafikprognoserne, repræsenterer de forventede udgifter til markedsføring ikke nødvendigvis de beløb, der rent faktisk blev betalt, da visse begivenheder efter kontrakternes indgåelse kan have gjort, at man har fjernet sig fra de oprindeligt fastsatte beløb.
In the light of the above, the Commission concludes that the aid already granted for the management of Angoulême airport since 2002, irrespective of who the managers were, is compatible with the internal market pursuant to Article 106(2) TFEU and the 2011 SGEI Decision.
Det er bl.a. tilfældet, når en kontrakt er blevet opsagt før tid.
However, as far as SNC-Lavalin is concerned, the Commission finds that the compensation granted under the contract between SMAC and SNC-Lavalin can be declared compatible with the internal market on condition that the French authorities demonstrate to the Commission that the total amount of compensation paid to SNC-Lavalin over the entire duration of the contract does not exceed what is necessary to cover the net costs incurred in discharging the public service obligations only, excluding the costs of the airport’s commercial development but including a reasonable rate of return on the capital invested.
Der skal imidlertid ikke tages hensyn til disse begivenheder ved anvendelsen af det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip, da de indtræder efter kontrakternes indgåelse.
ASSESSMENT OF THE AID MEASURES IN FAVOUR OF RYANAIR AND AMS
Der er ikke taget højde for de gradvist stigende investeringsudgifter, da det af ingen oplysninger i sagen fremgår, at en markedsøkonomisk operatør skulle forvente at foretage visse investeringer primært som følge af de kontrakter, der er omfattet af den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure.
Indeed, as it has shown previously in recital 178, the Commission considers that SMAC and CCI-airport jointly operated Angoulême airport between 2007 and 2011.
For at vurdere de gradvist stigende driftsudgifter, der var forventelige ved indgåelsen af aftalerne fra 2008, må Kommissionen tage udgangspunkt i lufthavnens forvaltningsorgans analyseelementer, da den ikke selv er i stand til at vurdere, hvordan en given kontrakt kan påvirke lufthavnens forskellige udgiftsposter.
For the purposes of determining whether the measures of the 2008 agreements constitute State aid, it is necessary to determine whether the beneficiaries, Ryanair and AMS, are undertakings within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU.
Beskrivelse af resultaterne af de kontrakter, der blev indgået med Ryanair og AMS
As such, they are engaged in economic activities.
Efter således at have fastlagt alle de med kontrakten forbundne gradvist stigende indtægter og udgifter, sådan som en markedsøkonomisk operatør ville have gjort det, er Kommissionen i stand til år for år at fastlægge de påregnede gradvist stigende kapitalstrømme (indtægter minus udgifter) for aftalerne fra 2008 i hele deres løbetid.
The 2008 agreements were concluded directly by SMAC.
Disse resultater er beskrevet i det følgende.
In the light of the evidence set out above in recitals 203 to 205 of this Decision, the Commission considers that the resources of SMAC constitute state resources.
Tabel 12
SMAC’s decision authorising signature of the 2008 agreements was approved unanimously by the public bodies that are members of SMAC, which is itself directly or indirectly composed of local authorities and chambers of commerce and industry.
De påregnede gradvist stigende kapitalstrømme for aftalerne fra 2008
The Commission considers that it follows from the characteristics of those bodies that decisions of SMAC concerning airport activities are imputable to the state.
Belægningsgrad
Consequently, the Commission considers that the conclusion of the agreements entails the use of state resources within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU and that the decisions to conclude them are imputable to the state.
Passagerer pr. flyvning
In determining whether a state measure constitutes aid, it is necessary to establish whether the recipient undertaking receives a selective economic advantage which it would not have obtained under normal market conditions.
Passagerer pr. rotation
In this regard, the Commission notes first of all that the measures at issue are selective in that they relate exclusively to Ryanair.
Rotationer fra april til oktober
The 2008 agreements were concluded prior to the publication of the public tariff decisions mentioning a similar measure, which were applicable from 1 March 2009, to all companies wishing to operate out of Angoulême airport.
Samlet antal passagerer
Moreover, the award of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) of 18 June 2012 concerning Ryanair’s termination of the 2008 agreements shows that bilateral negotiations took place between representatives of Ryanair and Angoulême CCI on the conditions for Ryanair’s activities at Angoulême airport.
Afgift pr. passager
The negotiations took place in September 2009, when Ryanair’s representatives informed the representatives of CCI-airport of the financial difficulties encountered by the airline on the London Stansted-Angoulême route.
Landingsafgift pr. rotation
The discussions show that the airport manager and Ryanair viewed their relations as being exclusive, since the former ruled out contacting another airline.
Afgift til groundhandling pr. rotation
Secondly, in order to determine whether the agreements concluded conferred an economic advantage on Ryanair, the Commission must assess whether a hypothetical market economy operator (MEO) acting in the stead of SMAC and CCI-airport and guided by prospects of profitability would have concluded similar agreements.
Samlet passagerafgift
In order to apply this principle, taking into account the facts of this case, the Commission considers that the following questions must first be answered:
Samlet landingsafgift
Should the marketing services agreement and the airport services agreement, which were signed at the same time, be analysed separately or together?
Groundhandling og modtagelse
After answering these questions, the next step for the Commission is to apply the MEO principle to the various measures at issue.
heraf personaleomkostninger
Joint analysis of the Marketing Services Agreement and the Airport Services Agreement
Indtægter
In its decision to open the procedure, the Commission considered as a preliminary point that the airport services agreement and the marketing services agreement concluded between SMAC and Ryanair and AMS should be analysed jointly for the purposes of the application of the market economy operator principle.
Udgifter
It is worth recalling in this connection that, according to the Court of First Instance, it is necessary to envisage the commercial transaction as a whole in order to determine whether a public entity has acted as a rational operator in a market economy.
Resultat
The Commission must therefore, when assessing the measures at issue, examine all the relevant features of the measures and their context.
Kommissionen bemærker, at alle de årlige gradvist stigende kapitalstrømme for aftalerne fra 2008 er negative, jf. tabel 12, og dette til trods for, at de hypoteser, Kommissionen har anvendt, tilgodeser Ryanair, navnlig med hensyn til gradvist stigende trafik og gradvist stigende udgifter.
In its comments, France supported the approach adopted by the Commission in its opening decision, which consisted in joint analysis of the airport services agreement and the marketing services agreement, which were concluded at the same time.
Når finansiel støtte, som ydes af en medlemsstat, styrker en virksomheds stilling i forhold til andre konkurrerende virksomheders i samhandelen inden for Fællesskabet, skal sidstnævnte anses for at være berørt af støtten.
AMS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ryanair and its directors are senior Ryanair executives.
Ifølge fast retspraksis er det tilstrækkeligt, at støttemodtageren er i konkurrence med andre virksomheder på konkurrenceudsatte markeder, for at en støtteforanstaltning kan betragtes som konkurrenceforvridende.
Thus, Ryanair and AMS constitute a single economic entity in the sense that AMS acts in accordance with the interests of Ryanair and under its control, and the profits it generates are destined for Ryanair, in the form of dividends or an increase in the value of the company.
Siden tredje del af lovgivningen om luftfartens liberalisering trådte i kraft den 1. januar 1993, har luftfartsselskaberne frit kunnet beflyve ruter i Fællesskabet og udnytte tilladelsen til ubegrænset cabotagetrafik.
Moreover, as will be explained in detail below, the marketing services agreement is linked to Ryanair’s operation of the route out of Angoulême airport.
Domstolen fastslår imidlertid, at »når der er tale om en virksomhed inden for en sektor […], hvor der består en effektiv konkurrence mellem producenterne fra de forskellige medlemsstater, kan enhver støtte fra de offentlige myndigheder til en sådan virksomhed påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne og begrænse konkurrencen i det omfang, virksomhedens kunstige opretholdelse på markedet forhindrer konkurrenterne i at forøge deres markedsandele og begrænser deres mulighed for at øge deres eksport«.
The marketing services agreement states that it stems from Ryanair’s commitment to operate this route and it was also concluded at the same time as the airport services agreement between SMAC and Ryanair relating to the route.
I den foreliggende sag må det antages, at de pågældende foranstaltninger har sænket driftsomkostningerne for en luftrute og har kunnet incitere operatørerne til at overføre en rute fra én lufthavn til en anden.
Consequently, the mere fact that SMAC concluded the marketing services agreements with AMS and not with Ryanair cannot prevent a marketing services agreement and an airport services agreement concluded at the same time from being considered as forming a single transaction.
Kommissionen mener derfor, at de pågældende foranstaltninger forvrider konkurrencevilkårene og påvirker samhandelen i EU.
Moreover, the Commission recalls that the marketing services agreement is linked to Ryanair’s operation of air services to Angoulême airport.