natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
I punkt 33 i meddelelsen om tilbundsgående undersøgelser af større investeringsprojekter er det udtrykkeligt fastsat, at støtten skal være lig med forskellen mellem nettoomkostningerne i de to alternative placeringsmuligheder, for at støtten kan siges at stå i et rimeligt forhold til formålet.
It is obvious that the marginal increase in the internal rate of return which, even with the aid, is far below the company’s benchmark, does not permit a conclusion that the aid provided an incentive effect to carry out the investment.
Kommissionen er derfor af den opfattelse, at støtten kun kan anses for proportional op til det støttebeløb, som var nødvendigt til at udløse støttemodtagerens investeringsbeslutning til fordel for den pågældende placering.
It is also clear that the decision to invest into the manufacturing of electric cars was based on the beneficiary’s longer term strategic objective of developing innovative key technologies for the purpose of meeting the mobility standards of the future, and to make them suitable for use in industrial mass production.
Høringsdokumentet fra Kommissionens tjenestegrene fra 2007 om »fælles principper for en økonomisk vurdering af statsstøttes forenelighed efter artikel 87, stk. 3« indeholder, i modsætning til Tysklands opfattelse, heller ingen anden mulighed.
This objective is also demonstrated by the fact that, in 2009, the beneficiary and its owners entered into a strategic alliance with SGL Carbon, a company engaged in the production of carbon fibre material.
I punkt 41 i høringsdokumentet, som under ingen omstændigheder er bindende for Kommissionen, argumenteres der snarere for en tilgang, hvis vigtigste målsætning er at undgå, at den støtte, der ydes til et investeringsprojekt, er større end det nødvendige minimum.
The fact that the incentive effect was not proven in a scenario 1 context, however, does not mean that the incentive effect cannot be proven in a scenario 2 context.
Det er klart angivet, at det i de tilfælde, der er omfattet af den detaljerede vurdering i eksisterende retningslinjer, endvidere skal undersøges, om denne støtteintensitet er for høj, og om samme resultat kunne opnås med mindre støtte.
Indeed, the German authorities later argued that the aid to the beneficiary falls under scenario 2, and presented the Munich location as an alternative location to Leipzig.
Hvis det som i det foreliggende tilfælde er påvist, at der på det tidspunkt, hvor beslutningen til fordel for Leipzig blev truffet (dvs. på det tidspunkt, hvor investeringen blev udløst), kun var en omkostningsforskel på 17 mio. EUR mellem investeringsomkostningerne i Leipzig og München, er det støttebeløb, der overstiger denne forskel, også overflødigt i henhold til det høringsdokument, som Tyskland har anført.
An assessment of the incentive effect in a scenario 2 situation aims at proving that the aid measure provided an incentive for the beneficiary to locate the investment in the target region rather than in another region, because the aid compensates for the net handicaps and costs linked to the location in the assisted region.
Dommen i sagen Freistaat Sachsen mod Kommissionen forpligter heller ikke Kommissionen til at træffe afgørelse på grundlag af dokumentation, som medlemsstaten anser for »formålstjenlig« i henhold til punkt 35 i meddelelsen om tilbundsgående undersøgelser af større investeringsprojekter, som imidlertid ikke kunne have indflydelse på støttemodtagerens beslutning om at gennemføre investeringen det pågældende sted.
As explained above in recital 81, Germany’s proof of the incentive effect in a scenario 2 situation (for the i3 model) is based on documents dating from December 2009, such as the minutes registering the board decision (Vorstandsbeschluss vom 15. Dezember 2009).
Hvad angår de ekstraomkostninger, der er afholdt i forbindelse med den udvidelse af investeringen, som blev gennemført efter den oprindelige investeringsbeslutning fra december 2009, udtrykker Kommission følgende tvivl med hensyn til de nye oplysninger, som Tyskland fremsendte i september 2012 som led i den formelle undersøgelse:
From these documents, it is apparent that initially a number of locations were considered for the investment, but that nearly all (including most importantly, […]) were eliminated from the final comparison based on specific strategic reasons, such as necessity of greenfield investment, distance from site of production of carbon fibre reinforced plastics, language difficulties, lack of know-how protection, too long a distance from the beneficiary’s development centre, production capacity and logistics.
Endvidere skulle der i forbindelse med beslutningen om produktion af i8-modellen ikke vælges mellem investeringer i Leipzig eller et andet sted (scenario 2), men derimod tages stilling til, om i8-modellen skulle produceres eller ej (scenario 1).
By the time the location decision was adopted, the alternatives had been narrowed down to two locations which received serious consideration: Leipzig and Munich.
Nærmere bestemt var investeringsbeslutningen i betragtning af det lave antal køretøj, der skal fremstilles, i økonomisk henseende kun hensigtsmæssig, hvis i8-modellen blev fremstillet på de produktionssteder, der blev opført i Leipzig.
The decisive documents submitted to the board BMW AG in December 2009 state that — calculated over a […]-year life cycle — the project would have been EUR 17 million less costly in Munich than in Leipzig, without the aid.
Tyskland anførte faktisk i et svar på an anmodning om oplysninger, at dette ikke ændrede de oprindeligt planlagte investeringer, og så vidt Kommissionen ved, blev der ikke anmodet om yderligere støtte til eventuelle yderligere investeringsomkostninger i forbindelse med produktionen af i8-modellen.
Another element which was taken into account by the company while deciding on the location of the investment was the long-term strategic possibility to extend the production capacity in the future.
Kommissionen er af den opfattelse, at med hensyn til den andel af støtten, som vedrører investeringsomkostninger, der ikke var omfattet af anmeldelsen, kan hverken tilskyndelsesvirkningen eller proportionaliteten godtgøres.
Leipzig offered the possibility to double the production capacity from [10000-50000] items per year to [50000-90000] items per year, whereas such extension was not considered feasible in Munich.
På grundlag af ovenstående kan Kommissionen ikke bekræfte, at den regionale investeringsstøtte på 45257273 EUR (tilbagediskonteret værdi) er proportional.
According to the documents submitted by Germany, this strategic factor was not quantified in monetary terms by the company.
Den konkluderer, at den andel af den anmeldte støtte, der overstiger 17 mio. EUR (dvs. 28257273 EUR) er midler, som blev stillet til rådighed for støttemodtageren, uden at virkeliggørelsen af et mål i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 3, i TEUF blev fremmet.
The documents also show that the availability of State aid in the amount of EUR 50 million was analysed in preparation of the decision on the investment/location.
Endvidere er Kommissionen af den opfattelse, at det yderligere beløb på 28257273 EUR havde negative virkninger og ville fordreje konkurrencevilkårene kraftigt, især da konkurrenter som følge heraf kunne afholde sig fra at investere i lignende produkter, hvilket ville bidrage til at fortrænge private investorer fra det relevante marked.
The Commission is of the opinion that Germany successfully proved, on the basis of these genuine, contemporary documents, that the availability of State aid triggered the decision to locate the investment into the production of the i3 model in Leipzig rather than in Munich.
I henhold til meddelelsen om tilbundsgående undersøgelser af større investeringsprojekter skal medlemsstaten godtgøre, at investeringsprojektet bidrager til den pågældende regions udvikling, og Kommissionen kan kun godkende støtte, hvis dens positive virkninger ud over tilskyndelsesvirkningen for investeringen og støttens proportionalitet vejer tungere end dens negative virkninger.
In a scenario 2 situation, paragraph 33 of the IDAC states that the aid measure is ‘considered to be proportionate if it equals the difference between the net costs of the beneficiary company to invest in the assisted region and the net costs to invest in the alternative region(s)’.
Kommissionen konstaterer, at Tyskland har godtgjort, at støtten på 17 mio. EUR har positive virkninger på den regionale udvikling.
As explained above, in the documents dating from December 2009, Germany demonstrated that the cost difference between the two locations (i.e. Leipzig and Munich) amounted to EUR 17 million, as was identified at the time when the investment/location decision was taken and calculated over a […]-year life cycle.
Støttens negative virkninger for konkurrencen
This cost difference was calculated by the company on the basis of product investment costs, structural investment, planning and start-up costs, production costs, costs of supply, fixed costs, ‘inbound/outbound’ costs, such as logistics costs and international tariffs for shipments.
I henhold til punkt 40 i meddelelsen om tilbundsgående undersøgelser af større investeringsprojekter har støtten ved en analyse på grundlag af scenario 2, hvorefter investeringen ville være blevet foretaget også uden støtte, og støtten opfylder proportionalitetskravet, ingen virkninger på konkurrencen, da de eksisterende faktorer, f.eks. støttemodtagerens store markedsandel, er de samme.
The Commission therefore considers that Germany proved that aid of EUR 17 million is the minimum amount necessary to change the location decision of the aid beneficiary, and thus proportionate to the regional development objective pursued by the aid.
Støttens negative virkninger for samhandelen
The Commission considers, in this context, that the strategic extension possibility which is not available in Munich should not be taken into account for the proportionality test of the notified aid, since it becomes relevant only in the very long-term, beyond the 7-year life cycle of the investment project at hand.
Regionalstøtte har virkninger på samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne, da den får virksomheder til at gennemføre investeringer i støtteberettigede områder i visse medlemsstater og ikke andre steder i andre medlemsstater.
Germany later argued that the entire initially notified amount of EUR 50 million State aid is proportionate because an additional EUR 29 million in costs must be added to the EUR 17 million identified in December 2009 as the disadvantage of locating the investment in Leipzig.
Investeringsprojektet i Leipzig medførte imidlertid ikke, at en investering blev trukket ud af et andet støtteberettiget område i en anden medlemsstat eller af et lige så ugunstigt stillet område i Tyskland.
The additional EUR 29 million costs arose before the end of 2012, i.e. after the location and investment decision were taken and works on the project had started.
Den alternative placering i […] blev i en tidlig planlægningsfase udelukket ud fra kvalitative og strategiske overvejelser.
Germany justifies this amount by arguing that the proportionality of the aid does not need to be demonstrated on the basis of the same documents which proved the incentive effect.
Støtten er således ikke i strid med samhørighedsmålene i TEUF.
According to Germany, the Commission should also take into consideration other cost information, relating to costs incurred in the assisted region after the decision about the investment location had been made.
Endvidere er investeringsprojektet ikke forbundet med flytning af et eksisterende anlæg til Leipzig, således at punkt 54 i meddelelsen om tilbundsgående undersøgelser af større investeringsprojekter ikke finder anvendelse.
The Commission notes that the documents submitted by Germany in September 2012 and listing the additional are neither genuine nor contemporary to any investment decision, as they were established only in September 2012.
Afvejning af støttens positive og negative virkninger
The Commission rejects the argument of the German authorities that proportionality should not be decided exclusively on the basis of documents reflecting the situation at the time of the relevant location/investment decision for the following reasons.
Undersøgelsen har bekræftet, at støtte på 17 mio. EUR har medført, at et investeringsprojekt gennemføres i et ugunstigt stillet område, som er berettiget til regionalstøtte i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c), i TEUF.
However, the wording of paragraph 35 cannot be interpreted as allowing the incentive effect and proportionality of the aid to be proven on the basis of documents containing wholly different figures regarding the net handicaps and costs linked to locating the investment in the assisted region.
Da der skabes 800 direkte arbejdspladser i kraft af investeringen, yder den et vigtigt bidrag til den regionale udvikling.
In particular, it does not allow the use of documents detailing costs that emerged several years after the relevant investment/location decision was taken.
Da beslutningen om at placere investeringen i Leipzig ikke medfører, at en region med et lige så højt eller højere støtteloft stilles ugunstigt, er den ikke i strid med samhørighedsmålene.
It is also true that there is no explicit provision in the IDAC specifying the point in time which should be considered for the assessment of proportionality.
Efter Kommissionens opfattelse vil samhørigheden i EU have større gavn af, at en investering placeres i en ringere stillet region end i en bedre stillet region.
Similarly, there is no such explicit provision relating to the precise point in time that must be taken into account for the assessment of incentive effect.
På baggrund af ovenstående betragtninger finder Kommissionen, at støttens positive virkninger på 17 mio. EUR overstiger de negative virkninger for samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne samt eventuelle sociale og økonomiske virkninger på den alternative placering, som ligger i en bedre stillet region.
However, it is obvious that the relevant figures for determining the incentive effect of the aid over the investment/location decision must be available and relied upon before that decision is made.
I overensstemmelse med punkt 68 i RAG og i betragtning af den tilbundsgående undersøgelse, der blev foretaget på grundlag af meddelelsen om tilbundsgående undersøgelser af større investeringsprojekter, fastslår Kommissionen, at Tyskland har godtgjort, at støtten på 17 mio. EUR yder et positivt bidrag til den regionale udvikling.
This is why paragraph 26 of the IDAC, which describes the types of documents suitable for proving incentive effect, refers to ‘documents (…) submitted to an investment committee [emphasis added] (…) that elaborate on various investment scenarios (…)’.
Kommissionen konkluderer, at støtte på op til 17 mio. EUR er nødvendig for at udløse en tilskyndelsesvirkning for investeringen i Leipzig, og at fordelene ved støtteforanstaltningen overstiger den deraf følgende konkurrencefordrejning og påvirkning af samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
It is exactly this type of documents, which were submitted to the board of the beneficiary and contained the various investment scenarios and the relevant figures for each of them that the Commission examined in this case.
Mulighed for ydelse af støtte op til anmeldelsestærsklen i henhold til den generelle gruppefritagelsesforordning
Those documents demonstrate that the disadvantages linked to the location of the investment in Leipzig were estimated at EUR 17 million before the decision to select that location was made.
Kommissionen afviser Tysklands påstand om, at dens beføjelse til at undersøge den omhandlede støtteforanstaltnings forenelighed med det indre marked i henhold til meddelelsen om tilbundsgående undersøgelser af større investeringsprojekter er begrænset til den andel af det anmeldte støttebeløb, der ligger over anmeldelsestærsklen i henhold til artikel 6, stk. 2, i den generelle gruppefritagelsesforordning.
Further, the inherent logic of a scenario 2 analysis is that from an ex ante perspective, i.e. before the decision about the investment location is made, the extra costs that would be incurred by investing at the target location where, in the absence of the aid, the investment would not take place, have to be compensated by State aid.
Kommissionen er forpligtet til på grundlag af en mere udførlig vurdering i henhold til meddelelsen om tilbundsgående undersøgelser af større investeringsprojekter at undersøge tilskyndelsesvirkningen og proportionaliteten af støtteforanstaltninger, som den tilbundsgående undersøgelse finder anvendelse på, dvs. anmeldelsespligtig regionalstøtte til store investeringsprojekter, som opfylder de relevante betingelser i RAG.
The principle of proportionality, however, also implies that aid in excess of what is necessary to trigger the decision to locate the investment in the assisted area must be considered superfluous, because it constitutes free money to the beneficiary which serves no purpose that would be compatible with the State aid rules.
Med hensyn til Tysklands mulighed for at yde BMW AG støtte, hvis beløb ikke overstiger anmeldelsestærsklen i henhold til artikel 6, stk. 2, i den generelle gruppefritagelsesforordning — i dette tilfælde ville det være 22,5 mio. EUR — bemærkes, at det kun fremgår af fodnoten til punkt 56 i meddelelsen om tilbundsgående undersøgelser af større investeringsprojekter, at medlemsstaterne fortsat har denne mulighed.
Paragraph 33 of the IDAC provides explicitly that for the aid to be proportionate, it must equal the difference between the net costs at the alternative locations.
KONKLUSION
Paragraph 41 of the consultation paper, which in any event is not binding on the Commission, rather supports an approach which focuses on avoiding that aid in excess of the necessary amount is granted for an investment project.
Kommissionen konkluderer, at den regionale investeringsstøtte, som Tyskland påtænker at yde til BMW AG, er forenelig med det indre marked efter artikel 107, stk. 3, litra a), i TEUF op til 17 mio. EUR.
It clearly states that in cases that fall under the detailed assessment of existing guidelines, it has to be verified whether the aid intensity is too high and the same result could not be obtained with less aid.
Der er intet, der tyder på, at nogen af de andre undtagelsesbestemmelser med hensyn til forbuddet mod statsstøtte i artikel 107 i TEUF finder anvendelse i det foreliggende tilfælde, og Tyskland har heller ikke gjort sådanne undtagelsesbestemmelser gældende.
If it is proven, like in the current case, that there was only a difference of EUR 17 million between the investment costs in Leipzig and in Munich when the decision to invest in Leipzig was made, (i.e. when the investment was triggered) then aid in excess of that amount is superfluous also under the consultation paper invoked by Germany.
Den andel af støtten, der udgør 28257273 EUR, som Tyskland har anmeldt til fordel for BMW AG, er derfor uforenelig med det indre marked —
Nor does the Freistaat Sachsen v Commission judgment compel the Commission to take its decision on the basis of documents that the Member State considers to be ‘appropriate’ within the meaning of paragraph 35 of the IDAC but which could not have determined the decision of the aid beneficiary to carry out the investment in a particular location.
VEDTAGET DENNE AFGØRELSE:
Regarding the additional costs which arose in connection with the extension of the investment that took place after the initial investment decision was taken in December 2009, the Commission would like to express the following concerns regarding the new pieces of information which were submitted by Germany in September 2012, in the context of the formal investigation.
Artikel 1
Additional costs relating to the production capability for the i8 model were not within the scope of the investment decided in 2009, as the decision to produce the i8 was made only in early 2011.
Den statsstøtte på 45257273 EUR, som Tyskland påtænker at yde til BMW AG til investeringen i Leipzig, er kun forenelig med det indre marked, hvis den er begrænset til 17 mio. EUR (i 2009-priser); det overskydende beløb (28257273 EUR) er uforeneligt med det indre marked.
The relevant decision of the board is a separate decision from the location/investment decision concerning the production of the i3 model.
Der må kun ydes støtte på op til 17 mio. EUR.
Also, the decision to produce the i8 model did not require a choice to invest in Leipzig or in an alternative location (scenario 2), but only a decision whether to produce the i8 model or not (scenario 1).
Artikel 2
In fact, in view of the small number of cars to be produced, the investment decision made economic sense only when the production relied on the production facilities being erected in Leipzig.
Senest to måneder efter ydelsen af støtten sender Tyskland Kommissionen et eksemplar af de for støtteforanstaltningen relevante dokumenter og senest seks måneder efter udbetalingen af den sidste støttetranche en detaljeret endelig rapport baseret på den anmeldte udbetalingsplan.
Indeed, Germany stated in a response to an information request that the originally planned investment volume will not be affected and the Commission has no knowledge of additional aid having been requested for any additional investment cost relating to the production of the i8 model.
Artikel 3
The Commission takes the view that no incentive effect or proportionality can be proven regarding the portion of the aid that covers investment costs which had not been included in the notification.
Denne afgørelse er rettet til Forbundsrepublikken Tyskland.
The Commission is thus unable to confirm the proportionality of regional investment aid in the amount of EUR 45257273 (in discounted value).
Udfærdiget i Bruxelles, den 9. juli 2014.
It concludes that the portion of the notified aid amount in excess of the EUR 17 million, (i.e. EUR 28257273) constitutes resources put at the disposal of the beneficiary which does not serve the achievement of any of the objectives enumerated in Article 107(3) of the Treaty.
På Kommissionens vegne
Moreover, it considers that the grant of this additional aid amount of EUR 28257273 would have negative, i.e. highly distortive effects on competition, as it might, in particular, discourage competitors to invest in similar products, thus contributing to the crowding out of private investment in the relevant market.
Næstformand
Under the IDAC, the Member State needs to substantiate the contribution of the aided investment project to the development of the region, and the Commission can only approve the aid if, in addition to providing incentive for the investment and being proportional, its positive effects outweigh its negative effects.
EUT C 363 af 13.12.2011, s. 20.
The Commission considers that Germany has successfully demonstrated that aid in the amount of EUR 17 million will have a positive contribution to regional development.
EUT C 54 af 4.3.2006, s. 13.
Negative effects of the aid on competition
I forbindelse med den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure erfarede Kommissionen, at støttemodtageren i samme periode havde gennemført endnu et meget stort investeringsprojekt samme sted.
According to paragraph 40 of the IDAC, in a scenario 2 analysis, where the investment would have gone ahead even without the aid, and the aid is proportionate, the aid has no effect on competition, as the pre-existing factors, such as the high market share of the beneficiary, remain the same.
Efterfølgende indgav Tyskland en forudgående anmeldelse (SA.
The Commission was able to confirm the incentive effect of the aid and the proportionality of the aid in the amount of EUR 17 million.
37291 (13/PN) af støtte, der skulle anmeldes individuelt, til det ovennævnte andet projekt; anmeldelsen blev imidlertid ikke formelt fremsendt til Kommissionen.
If the aid is limited to this amount, it has no negative effects on competition.