natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
De cypriotiske myndigheder mente ikke, at det var nødvendigt at kommentere genopretningsplanen og bemærkningerne fra Air France Consulting, idet der var blevet udarbejdet en ajourført omstruktureringsplan.
On the issues of aid limited to the minimum and own contribution, they provided additional assets, which Cyprus Airways intended to sell, in order to increase the level of own contribution, namely the remaining own aircraft and two engines.
De understregede på ny Cyprus Airways' store betydning for økonomien og forbindelserne til og fra øen og insisterede på, at urolighederne i Mellemøsten var en ekstraordinær og uforudseelig situation, der havde følger for Cyprus Airways.
In the meantime, the two LHR slots had been sold for a total price that was higher than anticipated, thus increasing further the envisaged own contribution to 41,8 % of the restructuring costs.
De tvivlede på, om konkurrenterne kunne udfylde hullerne i forbindelserne, hvis Cyprus Airways gik konkurs, i lyset af markedets sæsonfølsomhed.
The Cypriot authorities confirmed that the Provident Fund is part of Cyprus Airways but a separate legal entity and that the transfer of the property in Athens meant that Cyprus Airways would no longer have control over it.
De cypriotiske myndigheder anførte efterfølgende i deres brev af 3. august 2014, at regeringen af socioøkonomiske årsager havde besluttet at tildele tidligere ansatte ved Cyprus Airways, som allerede havde opsagt deres stilling eller var blevet afskediget, erstatning.
Thus, higher revenue through the own contribution would mean lower restructuring aid.
Denne afgørelse blev først truffet og erstatning først udbetalt efter opsigelserne og afskedigelserne, og der var således ikke tale om statsstøtte til Cyprus Airways.
The final proposed own contribution was thus as follows:
Alle Cyprus Airways' retlige forpligtelser over for disse ansatte blev fuldt ud opfyldt af virksomheden selv.
Table 5
De cypriotiske myndigheder mente heller ikke, at godkendelsen af støtten skulle gøres betinget.
Updated suggested own contribution after comments by Cyprus
I denne afgørelse vurderes spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt de pågældende foranstaltninger udgør statsstøtte til Cyprus Airways i henhold til traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1, og hvorvidt denne støtte er forenelig med det indre marked.
Transfer agreement concluded in March 2014
Kommissionen bemærker, at støtten under foranstaltning 4 anmeldt sammen med 2013-omstruktureringsplanen i oktober 2013 allerede inkluderer støtten under foranstaltning 1 (udbetalt på forskud i perioden september-december 2012) samt foranstaltning 2 (redningsstøtte anmeldt i december 2012 og delvis tilbagebetalt i perioden januar-juli 2013).
Transfer agreement concluded in June 2014
Begge disse foranstaltninger blev gennemført med henblik på at sikre virksomhedens overlevelse på kort sigt inden udarbejdelsen af en omfattende omstruktureringsplan.
No expert evaluation — estimated:
Da genopretningsplanen fra 2012 ikke er blevet gennemført, mener Kommissionen, at begge disse foranstaltninger indgår i 2013-omstruktureringsplanen, og den vil derfor kun vurdere foranstaltning 1 og 2, i det omfang de udgør statsstøtte i forbindelse med foranstaltning 4, dvs. som en generel omstruktureringsstøtteforanstaltning.
Realised based on evidence provided by the Cypriot authorities: EUR 0,86 million
FOREKOMST AF STATSSTØTTE
Backed by expert evaluation — Transfer agreement concluded in August 2013
Det bestemmes i traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1, 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.
Sale of one Airbus A320
Foranstaltning 1, 2 og 4
No expert evaluation — sale pending
I sin afgørelse af 6. marts 2013 kom Kommissionen til den foreløbige konklusion, at foranstaltning 1, dvs. statens deltagelse i Cyprus Airways' kapitalforhøjelse i 2012, udgjorde statsstøtte.
Sale of two engines
Foranstaltningen omfattede statsmidler og kunne tilregnes staten.
Concluded on 28 April 2014
Den gav Cyprus Airways en selektiv fordel, idet Kommissionen ikke mente, at en privat investor ville have tilført virksomheden kapital på disse betingelser på grund af Cyprus Airways' alvorlige vanskeligheder, de manglende rentabilitetsudsigter på tildelingsdatoen samt den alternative mulighed for at optage et aktionærlån med passende sikkerhedsstillelse.
The Cypriot authorities acknowledged that the envisaged own contribution of 41,8 % is less than the level required by the 2004 Rescue and Restructuring Guidelines (50 % of the restructuring costs for large firms).
Derudover var der stort set ingen eksisterende private aktionærer i Cyprus Airways, som deltog i kapitalforhøjelsen, da der kun blev tilført 106 000 EUR af private aktionærer (sammenholdt med de 13,67 mio. EUR, der oprindelig blev forventet).
However, they argued that the case of Cyprus Airways was one of particular hardship, which should justify a lower own contribution, in particular due to the economic and financial situation of the country and the Turkey overflight ban.
Statens aktiebeholdning i Cyprus Airways blev således forøget fra 69 % til 93,67 %.
They also pointed to the significant reduction of capacity.
Foranstaltningen var derfor ikke i overensstemmelse med det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip.
As regards the ‘one time, last time’ principle, the Cypriot authorities in various submissions have reiterated their arguments as regards the impact of the financial crisis on Greece and Cyprus, the Turkey overflight ban on Cypriot aircraft, the operation of an ‘illegal’ airport in the occupied northern part of Cyprus, the unstable political situation in the Middle East and the fact that the granting of rescue and/or restructuring aid should not be a sufficient ground to prohibit further such aid to the same beneficiary.
Kommissionen er ikke enig med de cypriotiske myndigheder i, at staten handlede som en markedsøkonomisk investor for at beskytte værdien af sine investeringer, da kapitalforhøjelsen på 31,33 mio. EUR alligevel ikke var tilstrækkelig til at sikre virksomhedens overlevelse.
The Cypriot authorities argued that the expansion of Cyprus Airways’ domestic flights in Greece between 2011-2013 was a proof of the fact that the impact of the crisis was difficult to predict and that some Middle East routes, representing a ‘not negligible’ part of the Company’s revenues, had a significant drop in passenger numbers, such as a 94 % drop of passengers from Egypt.
Det forhold, at virksomheden modtog yderligere redningsfinansiering som led i foranstaltning 2 (redningslån) blot nogle måneder senere, vidner herom.
Relevant warnings of the adverse effect of the economic situation in Europe and unrest in the Middle East on Cyprus Airways, already found in the Company’s annual reports of 2007, 2008 and 2009 and mentioned by the Commission in the decision of 6 March 2013, were deemed ‘generic statements’.
Med hensyn til den manglende deltagelse af andre investorer på grund af den pressede økonomiske situation i Cypern på daværende tidspunkt bemærker Kommissionen, at det, hvis denne investering var blevet gjort attraktiv for en markedsinvestor, kunne forventes, at udenlandske investorer havde givet udtryk for interesse.
The Cypriot authorities also pointed out that the total number of passengers in the Cypriot market remained relatively stable during the recent years, but that most passengers now originated from Israel and Russia.
Kommissionen bemærker, at de cypriotiske myndigheder under alle omstændigheder agter at inkludere statens deltagelse i kapitalforhøjelsen i 2012 i den anmeldte omstruktureringsstøtte.
The Turkey overflight ban meant that Cyprus Airways had a disadvantage in operating to the Russian market, due to the additional flight time.
Foranstaltning 1 gjorde det således muligt for Cyprus Airways at fortsætte driften, fordi virksomheden ikke skulle håndtere de konsekvenser, dens ringe finansielle resultater normalt ville have.
Furthermore, they provided evidence that although passenger numbers in the Greek market dropped marginally since 2008, the average fare of Greek flights (including domestic flights) dropped significantly.
Da Cyprus Airways konkurrerer på det liberaliserede EØS-marked for lufttransport med andre EØS-luftfartsselskaber, kunne foranstaltning 1 potentielt fordreje konkurrencevilkårene og påvirke samhandelen med medlemsstaterne.
As regards the EUR 10 million short-term loan, the Cypriot authorities explained that they expected to sell the evening LHR slot for a high price and therefore the granting of the loan would not be necessary.
Foranstaltning 2 blev anmeldt som et redningslån, der skulle ydes i form af et statslån med en rente på 1,76 %, som skulle tilbagebetales senest den 30. juni 2013.
Finally, the Cypriot authorities justified the provision of training aid during 2010-11 by arguing that Cyprus Airways only entered in difficulties in late 2011.
Kommissionen bemærker, at lånet ikke vil blive tilbagebetalt, og at det er blevet anmeldt af de cypriotiske myndigheder i forbindelse med omstruktureringsstøtten (foranstaltning 4).
This was in contradiction with their previous submissions (see recital 68 above).
Foranstaltning 4 blev anmeldt som omstruktureringsstøtte.
COMMENTS BY INTERESTED PARTIES
Alle komponenterne involverede rent faktisk statsmidler og kunne tilregnes staten, enten i form af en kapitalforhøjelse, en konvertering af gæld til egenkapital eller gennem direkte dækning af en del af pensionsfondens underskud.
During the two formal investigation procedures, comments were submitted by Air France Consulting, three competitors (Ryanair, International Airlines Group and a third competitor who did not wish its identity to be disclosed), trade unions of Cyprus Airways and the beneficiary.
Foranstaltning 4 giver Cyprus Airways en selektiv fordel, da en markedsøkonomisk investor ikke ville have stillet denne finansiering til rådighed for en virksomhed i den pågældende finansielle situation (med akkumulerede tab på 99,7 mio. EUR, højt overgearet og uden kapitalgrundlag).
Air France Consulting, who prepared the turnaround plan, clarified that the plan provided a turnaround in one year and full financial recovery of Cyprus Airways within two years and that the required capital could be provided through financial restructuring, as opposed to cash.
Af de årsager, der er anført i betragtning 106 ovenfor, kan foranstaltningen endelig påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne og fordreje konkurrencevilkårene.
It also stated its belief in the credibility of the turnaround plan and argued that the plan was based on Cyprus Airways developing operations out of Athens on international European routes.
Kommissionen konkluderer følgelig, at foranstaltning 4 udgør statsstøtte i den betydning, der anvendes i traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1, til Cyprus Airways.
Further, it stated that decisions taken by Cyprus Airways in 2013 (reducing the fleet to 6 aircraft, making redundant 490 staff) would only make the Company’s financial situation more fragile.
Med hensyn til tildelingsdatoen bemærker Kommissionen, at foranstaltning 4 er blevet tildelt i rater.
The three competitors disagreed with the arguments by the Cypriot authorities as regards the significance of Cyprus Airways for the infrastructure and development of Cyprus and declared themselves ready to expand routes to/from Cyprus.
Rate a), der beløb sig til 31,33 mio. EUR (statens deltagelse i aktiekapitalforhøjelsen i 2012), blev tildelt som følger:
As regards the existence of aid and compatibility, competitors agreed with the Commission that the participation of the State to the Company’s share capital increase was not what a market economy investor would have done.
Tabel 6
Competitors also questioned the restoration of the viability of the Company, expressing doubts as to the effectiveness of the maintained network and fleet and whether the assumptions of the plan and the envisaged profitability were realistic, especially with regard to the fuel savings and the additional revenue through a fare increase.
Tildelingsdatoer for statens deltagelse i kapitalforhøjelsen i 2012
They also pointed to increased competition risks for profitable routes envisaged to be maintained by Cyprus Airways, in addition to Tel Aviv and Moscow.
Tildelingsdato
Competitors also doubted the existence of truly exceptional and unforeseeable circumstances that would justify an exception to the ‘one time, last time’ principle.
12. september 2012
In addition, the competitor who did not wish to disclose its identity considered that the profitability of the routes proposed as compensatory measures should be measured on a net profit level, that is to say including allocated fixed costs, and not only on a gross level, that is to say only including variable cost.
20. september 2012
Finally, Ryanair questioned whether the Company could achieve the envisaged reduction in staff due to trade union resistance and suggested that, if the restructuring aid to Cyprus Airways was found compatible, this could be on the condition that the Company abandons routes that remained unprofitable three years after the approval.
26. september 2012
Ryanair also argued that it and other companies have been subject to the same conditions in relation to the unrest in the Middle East and the economic crisis in Greece and Cyprus.
11. oktober 2012
Despite that, Ryanair claimed that other companies have managed to adapt and grow in the new environment, citing as an example its own growth in the Greek and Cypriot market in recent years.
28. december 2012
Further, in its submission of 6 June 2014, Ryanair pointed to a press article of 19 May 2014 indicating that the Cypriot government had pledged EUR 4 million to be provided to Cyprus Airways’ staff that have been made redundant and claimed this constitutes further State aid to Cyprus Airways.
I alt: 31,33
Cyprus Airways and its trade unions supported the arguments of the Cypriot authorities and reiterated their belief in the viability of the Company and its role for the economy and connectivity of Cyprus.
Rate b), der beløb sig til 34,5 mio. EUR (redningslånet), blev tildelt som følger:
COMMENTS BY CYPRUS ON THE COMMENTS BY INTERESTED PARTIES
Tabel 7
The Cypriot authorities considered it unnecessary to comment on the turnaround plan and the comments by Air France Consulting, given the existence of an updated restructuring plan.
Tildelingsdatoer for statens redningslån i 2013
They repeated the important role of Cyprus Airways for the economy and connectivity of the island and insisted that the unrest in the Middle East was an exceptional and unforeseeable situation having an impact on Cyprus Airways.
22. januar 2013
They doubted that competitors could fill in any gaps in connectivity resulting from a possible bankruptcy of Cyprus Airways, given the seasonality of the market.
29. januar 2013
As regards the compatibility of the measures with the 2004 Rescue and Restructuring Guidelines, the Cypriot authorities insisted that the 2013 restructuring plan was founded on realistic assumptions and was not underestimating any negative effects stemming from the small fleet or difficulties in realising cost initiatives.
28. februar 2013
Finally, the Cypriot authorities stated in their submission of 9 September 2013 that no ex gratia payments would be granted to employees made redundant.
2. maj 2013
Subsequently, in their submission of 3 August 2014, the Cypriot authorities explained that the Government has, for socioeconomic reasons, decided to compensate directly former Cyprus Airways employees that had already resigned or had been made redundant.
26. juli 2013
The decision was taken and compensations were paid only after the resignations or redundancies had been finalised and thus would not constitute State aid to Cyprus Airways.
I alt: 34,5
All legal obligations of Cyprus Airways towards those employees were honoured fully by the Company itself.
Med hensyn til de øvrige rater i foranstaltning 4, dvs. c) indfrielsen af statsgarantien og den efterfølgende konvertering af gælden på 28,5 mio. EUR til egenkapital og d) dækningen af pensionsfondens underskud på 8,6 mio. EUR, har Kommissionen ingen dokumentation for, at de allerede er blevet tildelt.
The Cypriot authorities also did not consider that the approval of the aid should be subject to any conditions.
Kommissionen noterer sig de cypriotiske myndigheders præcisering i september 2013 af, at afskediget personale ikke var blevet og ikke ville blive tildelt kulanceerstatning.
This Decision will assess whether the measures under scrutiny constitute State aid to Cyprus Airways within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty and whether such aid may be compatible with the internal market.
Næsten et år senere anførte de cypriotiske myndigheder i deres brev fra august 2014, at den cypriotiske regering i maj/august 2014 af socioøkonomiske årsager havde besluttet at tildele tidligere ansatte ved Cyprus Airways, som allerede havde opsagt deres stilling eller var blevet afskediget, direkte erstatning.
The Commission notes that the aid provided by measure 4 notified together with the 2013 restructuring plan in October 2013 already includes the aid provided by measure 1 (disbursed as advanced payments between September and December 2012), as well as measure 2 (rescue aid notified in December 2012 and partially disbursed between January and July 2013).
Afgørelsen blev først truffet og erstatningen først udbetalt efter opsigelserne og afskedigelserne.
Both these measures were implemented with a view to ensure short-term survival of the Company before a comprehensive restructuring plan could be prepared.
I henhold til de cypriotiske myndigheder blev opsigelserne og afskedigelserne af Cypern Airways' personale i henhold til 2013-omstruktureringsplanen gennemført uden tildeling af yderligere erstatning fra den cypriotiske regering.
Since the turnaround plan of 2012 was not implemented, the Commission considers both these measures as part of the 2013 restructuring plan and it will thus only assess measures 1 and 2, to the extent they constitute State aid, in the context of measure 4, that is to say as one overall restructuring aid measure.
Regeringen har derimod efterfølgende besluttet at kompensere Cypern Airways' tidligere ansatte direkte.
EXISTENCE OF STATE AID
De cypriotiske myndigheders oprindelige hensigt om at tildele ansatte, der skulle afskediges, kulanceerstatning, blev opgivet, og Kommissionen mener således, at det ikke er nødvendigt at konkludere, om foranstaltning 3 udgør statsstøtte.
Article 107(1) of the Treaty provides that 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 production of certain goods shall, in so far as it affects trade between Member States, be incompatible with the internal market.
Kommissionen konkluderer følgelig, at foranstaltning 5 udgør statsstøtte i den betydning, der findes i traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1, til Cyprus Airways.
The measure involved State resources and was imputable to the State.
De cypriotiske myndigheder gjorde ikke indsigelse mod denne konklusion.
It provided a selective advantage to Cyprus Airways, because the Commission considered that a private investor would not have provided capital to the Company under such conditions, given the serious difficulties of Cyprus Airways, the absence of viability prospects at the date of granting as well as the alternative of a shareholder loan including appropriate securities.
Cyprus Airways fik tildelt støtten til 303 uddannelsesprojekter i 2010 og 2011.
In addition, practically no existing private shareholder of Cyprus Airways participated in the capital increase since only EUR 106 thousand were collected from private shareholders (compared to EUR 13,67 million originally expected).
De cypriotiske myndigheder har imidlertid ikke angivet tildelingsdatoen for de enkelte projekter.
The shareholding of the State in Cyprus Airways thus increased from 69 % to 93,67 %.
Konklusion om forekomsten af statsstøtte
The measure was therefore not in line with the market economy investor principle.
I lyset af ovenstående mener Kommissionen ikke, at det er nødvendigt at vurdere, om foranstaltning 3 udgør statsstøtte.
The Commission does not agree with the position of the Cypriot authorities that the State acted as a market economy investor in order to protect the value of its investment, because the capital increase of EUR 31,33 million was anyway not sufficient to allow the survival of the Company.
Kommissionen finder, at foranstaltning 1, 2, 4 og 5 udgør statsstøtte i henhold til traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1.
This was proven by the fact that the Company received additional rescue funding as part of measure 2 (rescue aid) only a few months later.
Den statsstøtte, der indgår i foranstaltning 1, 2 og 4, beløber sig til 102,9 mio. EUR i alt.
As regards the absence of participation of other investors due to the stressed situation of the Cypriot economy at that time, the Commission notes that if such an investment had been attractive for a market investor, one can expect that foreign investors would have expressed an interest.
De første to afdrag, dvs. 65,83 mio. EUR, er allerede blevet tildelt på forskellige datoer mellem den 12. september 2012 og den 26. juli 2013.
At any rate, the Commission takes note of the intention of the Cypriot authorities to include the participation of the State to the 2012 share capital increase in the notified restructuring aid.
Statsstøtten under foranstaltning 5 er 269 317,94 EUR og blev tildelt i 2010-2011.
Measure 1 thus enabled Cyprus Airways to continue operating because the Company did not have to face the consequences normally following from its poor financial results.
ULOVLIG STØTTE
Since Cyprus Airways competes in the liberalised EEA market for air transport with other EEA airlines, measure 1 had the potential to distort competition and affect trade between Member States.
Foranstaltning 1, 2, og 4 udgør således statsstøtte og blev ydet i strid med anmeldelsesforpligtelsen og standstillforpligtelsen i traktatens artikel 108, stk. 3.
Measure 2 was notified as a rescue aid loan provided in the form of a government loan, which would bear an interest of 1,76 % and should be repaid by 30 June 2013.
Det samme gør sig gældende for foranstaltning 5.
The Commission considered in its decision of 6 March 2013 that no prudent creditor would have provided a loan with such interest rate to a firm in difficulty.
Alle disse støtteforanstaltninger udgør derfor ulovlig statsstøtte.
In addition, the Cypriot authorities have not demonstrated how Cyprus Airways would be able to repay the loan after six months.
STØTTENS FORENELIGHED
Since all other criteria under Article 107(1) of the Treaty are fulfilled (as further explained in the decision of 6 March 2013, to which the present decision refers on that point), measure 2 constitutes State aid.
Da nogle af foranstaltningerne udgør statsstøtte i henhold til traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1, skal deres forenelighed med det indre marked vurderes på baggrund af undtagelserne i denne artikels stk. 2 og 3.
The Cypriot authorities acknowledge that the loan constitutes rescue aid in their reply to the decision of 6 March 2013.
Ifølge Domstolens retspraksis er det medlemsstatens ansvar at anføre mulige grunde til foreneligheden med det indre marked og vise, at betingelserne for en sådan forenelighed er opfyldt.
The Commission notes that the loan will not be repaid and has been notified by the Cypriot authorities in the context of the restructuring aid (measure 4).
De cypriotiske myndigheder mente oprindelig, at foranstaltning 1 ikke omfattede statsstøtte, og anmeldte foranstaltning 2 som redningsstøtte.
Measure 4 was notified as restructuring aid.