natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
At man så bort fra disse alternativer skyldes ifølge NEUWOGES politiske forpligtelser.
NEUWOGES presents an ex post cash-flow analysis prepared in 2012 demonstrating that, on the basis of these assumptions, the cash flow that would have been expected to result from the general management contract was EUR […] in nominal terms and EUR […] after discounting [15].
Afslutningsvis fastholder NEUWOGES, at det for NEUWOGES, hvis man besluttede at renovere bygningerne, ville have været en bedre forretning at finansiere disse opgaver på anden vis.
It is NEUWOGES’ submission that this amount constitutes the state aid received by BAVARIA.
Eksempelvis ville det have været muligt at optage et lån, som byen Neubrandenburg kunne have sikret med kaution, sådan at lånebetingelserne havde været bedre end ved handelen med BAVARIA.
A number of variations of this cash-flow analysis are also provided, showing that, even if more optimistic assumptions had been justified (such as an average vacancy rate of […]%, annual rent increases of […]% and an increase in costs of […]%), the overall predicted cash flow would also have been negative.
Statsmidler og muligheden for at tilregne staten foranstaltningerne
The general management contract would have been expected to result in a profit only if allegedly quite unrealistic assumptions had been accepted ([…]% vacancy rate, […]% annual rent increase and […]% increase in costs).
I betragtning af dette ejer forhold udgøres de angivelige tab af manglende statsstøtte på grund af salg og tilbagelejningshandelen.
Rejecting suggestions that these contracts are comparable, NEUWOGES argues that they differ from the general administration contract in the following material respects:
Desuden gør NEUWOGES gældende, at praktisk talt alle indikatorer for, at midlerne kunne tilregnes staten, var til stede i denne sag: Byen Neubrandenburg har en vidtgående indflydelse på NEUWOGES, for NEUWOGES var det af største betydning at tjene byens interesser, den omtalte handel blev indgået af politiske grunde, og det er dokumenteret, at byen Neubrandenburg havde det sidste ord i forbindelse med salg og tilbagelejningshandelen.
Since no evidence was presented that the economic situation and outlook of these cities (in which the properties to which the comparison contracts relate are located) were sufficiently similar to those of Neubrandenburg, it cannot be assumed that the contracts as a whole are comparable.
BAVARIA afviser de argumenter, som NEUWOGES har fremlagt, og forklarer, at de omtalte kontrakter blev gennemført på markedsvilkår og ikke har givet BAVARIA nogen fordele.
The indexation of the leasing payment in the comparison contracts differs significantly from that in the general management contract (i.e. 1,0-1,5 %).
Derfor udgør de heller ikke nogen form for statsstøtte.
None of the individual comparison contracts is suitable for comparison because the circumstances are different in each case ([…]: less onerous maintenance obligations; […]: commercial properties rather than apartments, which had a vacancy rate of 0 % at the conclusion of the contract; […]: the properties were located in a growth region).
BAVARIA forklarer for det første, at de omtalte kontrakter skal betragtes som en økonomisk enhed (afsnit 4.2.1).
Rather than proving the market-conformity of the general management contract, NEUWOGES submits that the comparison contracts demonstrate precisely its non-conformity, since they include less onerous provisions despite relating to property with a better economic outlook.
For det andet var kontrakterne ikke udformet sådan, at en markedsøkonomisk aktør ikke ville have underskrevet dem (afsnit 4.2.2).
Political motivation
For det tredje ville de af NEUWOGES fremførte alternativer ikke have været fordelagtigere for NEUWOGES (afsnit 4.2.3).
NEUWOGES submits that the general management contract, despite clearly being economically disadvantageous, was concluded for political reasons.
Afslutningsvis forklarer BAVARIA, at der ikke blev overført midler, som kan tilregnes staten (afsnit 4.2.4).
After pointing out that the reasons for which a public authority grants state aid are not relevant to the legal assessment, NEUWOGES argues that the political motivation proves precisely that economic considerations were not the deciding factor.
BAVARIA argumenterer for, at de omtalte kontrakter skal betragtes som en enhed og ikke kan betragtes isoleret.
More specifically, NEUWOGES asserts that the general management contract was concluded for the following reasons:
Købet og den efterfølgende tilbagelejning af bygningerne var to dele af en sammenhængende handel.
There was intense political pressure to promote both the modernisation and privatisation of apartments owned by local housing companies in the former East Germany.
BAVARIA understreger, at handelen blev tilbudt som en samlet pakke og også blev anset som sådan af NEUWOGES, hvilket fremgår af den interne protokol, der dokumenterer beslutningsprocessen hos NEUWOGES.
By modernising and privatising apartments, the city of Neubrandenburg hoped to counteract the ongoing decrease in population numbers.
Derfor skal kriteriet om den markedsøkonomiske aktør — ifølge BAVARIA — anvendes på den samlede handel og ikke på enkeltdelene.
Concluding the general management contract, in combination with the global lump-sum contract, maintained a high level of investment in Neubrandenburg, a fall in which would have had significant consequences for the local unemployment rate.
Transaktionen gav ikke BAVARIA en fordel
Alternatives
Ifølge BAVARIA er muligheden for, at der er tale om en fordel allerede udelukket af den kendsgerning, at NEUWOGES gennemførte en udbudsprocedure (også selv om den var begrænset) for at sondere markedet.
NEUWOGES finally submits that a MEO would have preferred alternatives to the contracts at issue.
Der var ingen grund til at betvivle, at NEUWOGES havde udvalgt det økonomisk bedste tilbud.
First, NEUWOGES submits that an outright sale would have been preferable, since it would have generated a profit, whereas the general management contract could from the start have been expected to result in losses.
For at fastslå om en markedsøkonomisk aktør uafhængigt af udbudsproceduren ville have gennemført handelen, skal der tages hensyn til NEUWOGES' særlige situation.
It claims that the property (buildings and land) could have been sold at or above the price determined in the valuations.
NEUWOGES havde optaget et lån og skulle renovere lejlighederne for (med fortsat billig leje) at privatisere disse og modtage AHG-støtten.
It is further claimed that even if a buyer had simply bought the land and demolished the buildings, such a sale would have been more profitable.
Derfor ville en markedsøkonomisk aktør i samme situation ifølge BAVARIA også have gennemført handelen.
This assessment would remain the same even if the debt write-off pursuant to the Inherited Debt Support Law were taken into account, since NEUWOGES could have attempted to fulfil its obligations by privatising other buildings and, even without the debt-write off, a sale would have been more profitable than the sale-and-lease-back transaction.
Med hensyn til GVV-bestemmelserne og de risici, som er forbundet med den forventede udvikling for boligmarkedet i Neubrandenburg (som for eksempel flere tomme lejligheder end prognosticeret osv.), argumenterer BAVARIA, at risikoen for ikke at kunne opnå den ønskede leje og udlejningskvote ikke blev påtvunget NEUWOGES, men derimod forblev hos NEUWOGES.
NEUWOGES claims that the reasons for not choosing any of these alternatives are to be found in NEUWOGES’ political commitments.
NEUWOGES havde også lidt konsekvenserne af en markedsudvikling, der lå under forventningerne, hvis handelen med BAVARIA ikke var blevet indgået.
Second, NEUWOGES further argues that a MEO would also have preferred financing a more limited modernisation itself, continuing to rent without any modernisation, or demolishing the buildings.
Med hensyn til de enkelte GVV-bestemmelser gør BAVARIA gældende, at den til beregningen af leasingafgiften anvendte gennemsnitlige husleje pr. m2 ligger et stykke under de værdier, som man ville kunne forvente i henhold til de tilsvarende officielle gennemsnitlige huslejer for Neubrandenburg.
Again, the reasons for not choosing these alternatives lie in NEUWOGES’ political commitments.
Endvidere understreger BAVARIA, at der i offentliggørelsen af de samme officielle gennemsnitlige huslejer forventes stigende huslejer for tiden efter den 1. januar 2000, så en huslejestigning på […] % pr. år var ikke urealistisk.
Finally, NEUWOGES maintains that, if a decision to modernise had been taken, it would have been more profitable for NEUWOGES to finance these works by other means.
Med hensyn til EBV'en understreger BAVARIA, at de vurderinger af handelsprisen, som blev fremlagt i 1997 og 2007, ikke kan sammenlignes direkte med denne EBV, da vurderingen omhandlede et direkte salg, hvorimod denne EBV godt nok indeholdt et salg af bygningerne, men også en kontrakt om leje af grundene.
For instance, a loan could have been taken up for which a guarantee from the City of Neubrandenburg could have been secured, rendering the loan conditions more favourable than those of the BAVARIA deal.
Da NEWOGES fortsat var ejer af grunden, kunne der ikke tages hensyn til værdierne af grundene i vurderingerne.
State resources and imputability
Vurderingerne af handelsværdien er ifølge BAVARIA i hvert fald ikke af særlig betydning, da de kun indeholder genstandenes teoretiske værdi og ikke den værdi, som faktisk kunne opnås på markedet.
NEUWOGES is of the opinion that the alleged advantage was granted through state resources and is imputable to the State.
BAVARIA gør desuden gældende, at det er relevant at inddrage støtten til afvikling af gammel gæld, som var en følge af handelen.
First, NEUWOGES submits that the City of Neubrandenburg, which was its sole shareholder and dominated its supervisory board, had a dominating influence on NEUWOGES.
Et af målene for NEUWOGES med at indgå de omtalte kontrakter var at opnå AHG-støtten.
Based on this control, the losses allegedly resulting from the sale-and-lease-back transaction constitute foregone state resources.
Uanset de præcise betingelser for EBV'en og GVV'en har de fordele, som NEUWOGES har opnået med denne GPV, ifølge BAVARIA også betydning.
Second, NEUWOGES argues that, in this case, virtually all the indicators of imputability are present.
BAVARIA bekræfter, at NEWOGES forlangte, at deres datterselskab BRG overtog renoveringen af lejlighederne, velvidende, at NEUWOGES ville modtage alt overskud fra BRG (men dog også hæftede for dækningen af eventuelle tab).
It points out that the City of Neubrandenburg has far-reaching control over NEUWOGES, that serving the city’s interests is of the utmost importance for NEUWOGES, that the transaction in question was concluded for political reasons, and that the evidence indicates that the City of Neubrandenburg had the final say on the sale-and-lease-back transaction.
På baggrund af dette skal overskuddet fra kontrakten med BRG, som havde et omfang på […] EUR, betragtes som en relevant fordel for NEUWOGES.
BAVARIA rejects NEUWOGES’ submissions, arguing instead that the contracts at issue were normal market transactions not conferring an advantage and accordingly not constituting state aid.
Om salg og tilbagelejningsmodellens generelle logik forklarer BAVARIA slutteligt, at NEUWOGES selvfølgelig skulle betale den oprindelige investering fra BAVARIA tilbage med renter.
BAVARIA first asserts that the contracts at issue have to be seen as an economic unit (section 4.2.1); second, that the contracts as a whole were not such that no MEO would have agreed to them (section 4.2.2); third, BAVARIA asserts that the alternatives put forward by NEUWOGES would not have been more advantageous to NEUWOGES (section 4.2.3); finally, BAVARIA submits that no imputable transfer of state resources was involved (section 4.2.4).
BAVARIA henviser til protokollen for NEUWOGES interne beslutningsproces for at påvise, at NEUWOGES var helt bevist om den kendsgerning, at den oprindelige investering fra BAVARIA skulle tjenes ind med leasingafgiften.
BAVARIA argues that the contracts at issue have to be seen as a unit and cannot be assessed in isolation from each other.
Med hensyn til de af NEUWOGES anførte alternativer, som efter deres mening ville have været økonomisk mere fordelagtige, gør BAVARIA gældende, at disse alternative enten ikke var tilgængelige eller ikke ville have været mere fordelagtige.
The sale and subsequent lease-back of the buildings constitute two interdependent parts of one transaction.
Hvad angår det første angivelige alternativ, som var et direkte salg til lejerne, mener BAVARIA, at det var meget usandsynligt, at NEUWOGES kunne have solgt ikke-renoverede lejligheder, og at virksomheden heller ikke havde midlerne til at finansiere de nødvendige renoveringer.
BAVARIA stresses that the transaction was advertised as a package and perceived as such by NEUWOGES, as evidenced by the internal minutes documenting its decision-making process.
For det andet forklarer BAVARIA med hensyn til finansieringen af renoveringerne med et lån, at NEUWOGES ville have haft de samme risici og udgifter som ved handelen med BAVARIA.
In consequence — according to BAVARIA — the MEO test has to be applied to the transaction as a whole, not to each individual contract.
Yderligere ville et direkte salg af renoverede boliger til lejerne eller til en erhvervskunde ikke have været attraktivt, fordi NEUWOGES så skulle have indbetalt en betydelig procentsats af den højere pris til ETF.
The transaction did not confer an advantage upon NEUWOGES
BAVARIA gør slutteligt gældende, at handelen ikke omfatter statsmidler og ikke kan tilregnes staten.
According to BAVARIA, the possible existence of an advantage is already excluded by the fact that NEUWOGES undertook a bidding process (albeit a limited one) in order to survey the market.
NEUWOGES er en normal privat virksomhed, som hverken direkte eller indirekte modtager statsmidler.
It is asserted that there is no reason to doubt that NEUWOGES chose the economically most advantageous offer available.
Den generelle kontrol med bestyrelsen, hvori flertallet er kommunalt ansatte, er ikke tilstrækkeligt til at tilregne staten transaktionen.
BAVARIA considers that, in order to determine whether, regardless of the bidding process, a MEO would have engaged in the transaction, the particular situation of NEUWOGES has to be taken into account.
Argumentet fra NEUWOGES om, at byen Neubrandenburg skulle have presset NEUWOGES til at indgå handelen af politiske grunde, er ikke troværdigt.
This included the need to take up capital as well as to modernise the apartments in order to privatise them (while maintaining moderate rents) and obtain the debt write-off pursuant to the Inherited Debt Support Law.
BYEN NEUBRANDENBURG
In the light of these factors, BAVARIA asserts that a MEO finding itself in the same circumstance would also have engaged in the transaction.
Byen Neubrandenburg, som ejer NEUWOGES, gør gældende, at de omtalte kontrakter omfatter statsstøtte.
Regarding the provisions in the general management contract and the risks associated with a worse-than-expected development of the real-estate market in Neubrandenburg (such as a higher-than-expected vacancy rate, etc.), BAVARIA argues that the risk of not being able to achieve the desired rent and occupancy rate was not imposed on NEUWOGES, but rather remained with NEUWOGES If NEUWOGES had not undertaken the transaction with BAVARIA, it would also have had to bear the consequences of a worse-than-expected development of the market.
Byen tilslutter sig de af NEUWOGES fremførte argumenter og tager selv stilling til en række punkter.
With respect to the individual provisions of the general management contract, BAVARIA submits that the average rent per m2 underlying the calculation of the leasing payment was actually slightly lower than what could have been expected in the light of the relevant rent table for Neubrandenburg.
Spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt der er tale om fordel
BAVARIA further stresses that the same rent table assumed increasing rents for the period after 1 January 2000, with the result that expecting a rent increase of […]% per year was not unrealistic.
Neubrandenburg er for det første af den opfattelse, at EBV'en og GVV'en skal vurderes adskilt, da kontrakternes parter havde adskilt dem omhyggeligt i både retlig og erhvervsmæssig forstand.
Moving on to the land-lease and sale contract, BAVARIA stresses that no direct comparison can be made with the 1997 and 2007 valuations, since these valuations concerned an outright sale, whereas the land-lease and sale contract, while constituting a sale of the buildings, involved only the creation of a ground lease on the land.
For det andet henviser Neubrandenburg til de af NEUWOGES fremførte argumenter om det prognosticerede faldende befolkningstal, som en markedsøkonomisk aktør ville have taget højde for.
As the ownership of the land remained with NEUWOGES, the value of the land as stated in the valuations could not be considered.
Neubrandenburg understreger desuden, at det høje antal tomme lejligheder klart ville have været til at forudsige for en markedsøkonomisk aktør.
BAVARIA further maintains that, in any event, the valuations have no continuing significance since they determined only the theoretical value of the property, not the actual market value.
For det tredje er Neubrandenburg af den opfattelse, at den renovering, som BAVARIA havde bestilt, var så simpel i sin art, at der ikke kunne forventes en høj udlejningskvote og signifikante huslejestigning.
BAVARIA further submits that the debt write-off obtained through the transaction has to be considered.
Neubrandenburg afviser desuden de andre argumenter fra BAVARIA.
It submits that securing this write-off pursuant to the Inherited Debt Support Law was one of NEUWOGES’ goals in entering into the transaction at issue.
Især er Neubrandenburg fortaler for det standpunkt, at udbudsproceduren ikke kan være tegn på, at tilbuddet fra BAVARIA var det bedste tilgængelige tilbud på markedet.
BAVARIA also submits that, apart from the precise conditions of the land-lease and sale contract and the general management contract, the advantages obtained by NEUWOGES through the global lump-sum contract must be considered.
En markedsøkonomisk aktør ville i hvert fald ikke have accepteret tilbuddet fra BAVARIA, selv hvis det faktisk havde været det bedste på markedet.
BAVARIA maintains that NEUWOGES insisted on charging its subsidiary BRG with the modernisation of the properties, bearing in mind that NEUWOGES would receive all profits made by BRG (but was also liable to cover any losses).
Med hensyn til de påståede alternativer tilslutter Neubrandenburg sig i det væsentlige argumenterne fra NEUWOGES.
In this light, the profits generated from the contract with BRG, EUR […], have to be considered a relevant benefit for NEUWOGES.
Med hensyn til vurderingerne af handelsprisen og argumentet fra BAVARIA om, at priserne ikke ville kunne opnås, forklarer Neubrandenburg, at vurderingerne skal anvendes som parameter for markedsprisen på det pågældende tidspunkt, da det ikke længere ville kunne fastslås, hvilken pris NEUWOGES faktisk ville have kunne få på markedet i 1998.
As regards the overall logic of the sale-and-lease-back model, BAVARIA submits, finally, that it is only natural that NEUWOGES has to repay BAVARIA’s initial investment plus interest.
Byen Neubrandenburg er af den opfattelse, at handelen kan tilregnes dem, da de havde udøvet en tilstrækkelig kontrol over NEUWOGES i almindelighed og særligt med hensyn til salg og tilbagelejningshandelen.
Indeed, BAVARIA refers to the minutes of NEUWOGES’ internal decision-making process to show that the latter was perfectly aware that the purpose of the leasing payment was to pay back BAVARIA’s initial investment.
Som den eneste andelshaver havde byen efter eget udsagn fuldstændig kontrol over NEUWOGES.
With respect to the alternatives that NEUWOGES puts forward and believes would have been economically more advantageous, BAVARIA submits that these alternatives were either not actually available or not more advantageous.
Virksomhedsledelsen i NEUWOGES var derfor bundet af byens anvisninger.
First, with respect to the alleged option of selling directly to the tenants, BAVARIA argues that it is very unlikely that NEUWOGES would have succeeded in selling unmodernised flats, but that it was at the same time lacking the funds to finance the necessary modernisation.
Derudover var otte af de ti medlemmer i bestyrelsen i NEUWOGES repræsentanter fra byen, således at de rådede over endnu en kontrolmekanisme.
Second, as regards financing the modernisation with a loan, BAVARIA claims that NEUWOGES would have had all the same risks and costs it had under the BAVARIA deal.
Byen Neubrandenburg var kommunalretligt forpligtet til at sikre, at de kunne udøve en passende indflydelse på NEUWOGES.
Additionally, selling modernised apartments, either directly to the tenants or to a commercial buyer, would not have been attractive, since NEUWOGES would have had to pass on a significant percentage of the higher price to the inherited debt relief fund.
Med hensyn til den omtalte handel forklarer byen Neubrandenburg, at de ikke kun havde mulighed for at udøve kontrol, men også faktisk havde gjort det i forbindelse med denne handel.
BAVARIA finally submits that the transaction does not involve state resources and is not imputable to the State.
Neubrandenburg er af den opfattelse, at det blandt andet af bestyrelsens protokoller fremgår, at repræsentanterne for byen havde tætte forbindelser til bestyrelsen, og at en afgørelse fra den var nødvendig, før handelen kunne indgås.
In particular, it argues that NEUWOGES is a normal company governed by private law that does not receive any state funds, directly or indirectly.
Med henblik på handelens betingelser forklarer Neubrandenburg, at byen havde krævet, at de kommunalpolitiske interesser blev varetaget.
The general control exercised by the supervisory board, which is dominated by representatives of the City of Neubrandenburg, is insufficient to impute the transaction to the State.
Sammenfattende konkluderer byen Neubrandenburg, at byens kontrol med salg og tilbagelejningshandelen samt dens ansvar herfor er påvist gennem disse forhold, og handelen kan derfor tilregnes byen.
NEUWOGES’ argument, according to which the City of Neubrandenburg urged NEUWOGES to conclude this transaction for political reasons, is not plausible.
DELSTATEN BERLIN
CITY OF NEUBRANDENBURG
Delstaten Berlin, som er tæt forbundet med BAVARIA [19], gør gældende, at de omtalte kontrakter ikke omfatter statsstøtte, da BAVARIA ikke opnåede nogen form for fordel.
The City of Neubrandenburg, the owner of NEUWOGES, submits that the contracts at issue involve state aid.
Berlin argumenterer først, at de omtalte kontrakter skal betragtes som én handel, da de er dele af én salg og tilbagelejningshandel, som komplementerer hinanden.
While the city endorses the arguments put forward by NEUWOGES, it presents its own reasoning with regard to a number of points.
NEUWOGES behandlede dem også som sådan.
Advantage
Med hensyn til kriteriet om den markedsøkonomiske aktør henviser Berlin til, at BAVARIA med hensyn til NEUWOGES' økonomiske situation på det relevante tidspunkt (1997/1998) og den tilstræbte handel (privatisering i overensstemmelse med AHG-støtteforudsætningerne, renovering af deres boligbeholdning, bibeholdelse af forvaltningsopgaverne for genstandene, opretholdelse af sociale huslejer) havde givet mulighed for en afbalanceret løsning.
First, Neubrandenburg maintains that the land-lease and sale contract and the general management contract must be assessed separately, since the contracting parties carefully kept them apart, both in a legal and an economic sense.