natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Ifølge Domstolens faste retspraksis har en medlemsstats forpligtelse til at ophæve den støtte, som Kommissionen anser for at være uforenelig med det indre marked, til formål at genetablere den tidligere situation [92].
The Commission disagrees with the claimants and considers that payment of the compensation awarded to the claimants by the Tribunal, whether through the implementation or execution of the Award, amounts to new aid and is thus subject to the full State aid control mechanism set out in Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty.
I den sammenhæng har Domstolen fastslået, at dette mål er nået, når støttemodtageren har tilbagebetalt de beløb, der er tildelt som ulovlig støtte, hvorved den fordel fortabes, som selskabet har haft i forhold til sine konkurrenter på markedet, og den situation, der herskede på markedet, før støtten blev ydet, genskabes [93].
According to the case-law of the CJEU, aid must be considered to be granted at the time that an unconditional right to receive it is conferred on the beneficiary under the applicable national rules [81].
I overensstemmelse med retspraksis hedder det i artikel 14, stk. 1, i forordning (EF) nr. 659/1999, at »[i] negative beslutninger om ulovlig støtte bestemmer Kommissionen, at den pågældende medlemsstat skal træffe alle nødvendige foranstaltninger til at kræve støtten tilbagebetalt fra støttemodtageren.(…)«.
Neither the adoption of EGO 24 on 2 October 1998, nor the designation of Ștei-Nucet, Bihor county, as a disfavoured region for 10 years (effective on 1 April 1999), nor the grant of permanent investor certificates to S.C.
Sagsøgerne gør gældende, at de havde en berettiget forventning om, at incitamenterne i EGO 24 var lovlige, og at de kunne bruge incitamenterne indtil den fastsatte udløbsdato den 1. april 2009.
European Food SA (on 1 June 2000) and S.C.
Kommissionen bemærker i den forbindelse, at det i artikel 14, stk. 1, i forordning (EF) nr. 659/1999 videre angives, at »Kommissionen kræver ikke tilbagebetaling af støtten, hvis det vil være i modstrid med et generelt princip i [EU]-lovgivningen«.
Multipack (on 17 May 2002) conferred on the claimants an unconditional right to obtain the Raw Material Facility until 1 April 2009.
Domstolen har anerkendt, at princippet om beskyttelse af berettigede forventninger er et sådant generelt princip i EU-lovgivningen.
Rather, a right to that Facility was only obtained by a company eligible for aid under the scheme set up by EGO 24:
Kommissionen mener imidlertid ikke, at sagsøgerne kan gøre en sådan berettiget forventning gældende.
under the initial scheme set up by EGO 24: when the regional development agency approved the company’s production sales documents attesting that an import of raw materials intended for integration into internal production had taken place, giving right to a reimbursement of customs duties paid [82], andafter the Raw Material Facility of EGO 24 was transformed into an exemption from customs duties under EGO 75: when a company eligible for aid under that scheme imported raw materials for integration into internal production and requested the exemption from the border control authorities on the basis of duly justified documents.
Det er veletableret retspraksis, at princippet om beskyttelse af berettigede forventninger ikke kan gøres gældende i forhold til en bestemt bestemmelse i EU-retten, og at adfærden hos den nationale myndighed med ansvar for anvendelse af EU-retten, som handler i strid med den, kan ikke give anledning til berettigede forventninger for en erhvervsdrivende om, at denne vil blive behandlet på en måde, som er i strid med EU-retten [95].
As the Award was rendered and risks being implemented or executed after Romania acceded to the Union, the unconditional right under Romanian domestic law to receive the compensation awarded by the Tribunal, arising from the ratification of the ISCID Convention integrating it in Romania’s domestic legal order and thus giving the Award legal effect in Romania’s domestic legal, was conferred on the claimants only after Romania’s accession to the Union.
En påpasselig erhvervsdrivende må nemlig normalt være i stand til at forvisse sig om, at denne procedure er blevet fulgt [96].
It is also important to note in this regard that the Award grants to the claimants compensation in an amount corresponding to the advantages foreseen under the abolished Raw Materials Facility of the EGO 24 scheme from the moment that that legislation was repealed (22 February 2005) until its alleged scheduled expiry (1 April 2009).
Med hensyn til sagsøgernes påstand om, at de havde en berettiget forventning om, at EGO 24 var lovlig og ville løbe frem til den 1. april 2009, minder Kommissionen om, at det først og fremmest er betalingen af den erstatning, voldgiftsretten tilkendte sagsøgerne, og ikke EGO 24, der danner grundlag for denne afgørelse.
That period comprises a little over 49 months, during the majority of which (27 months) Romania was a full member of the Union directly subjected to the State aid discipline laid down in the Treaty.
Kommissionen bemærker i den forbindelse, at EGO 24 blev anmeldt til det rumænske konkurrenceråd på grund af de påtænkte ændringer i EGO 75, og at det rumænske konkurrenceråd i sin afgørelse nr. 244/2000 af 15. maj 2000 konkluderede, at incitamenterne udgjorde uforenelig statsstøtte.
In addition, the Award grants to the claimants compensation for the lost opportunity to stockpile sugar in 2009, assuming that the connected losses were incurred between 31 March 2009 and 1 July 2010.
Det var efter denne afgørelse, den 1. juni 2000, at S.C.
These alleged losses were thus incurred entirely after Romania had acceded to the Union in 2007.
European Food S.A. erhvervede sit PIC-certifikat, som gav virksomheden ret til at modtage statsstøtte under EGO 24-ordningen, som forklaret i betragtning133.
Finally, the Tribunal awarded compensation for lost profits, taking into account claimed losses incurred between 1 January 2005 and 31 August 2011.
Det betyder imidlertid ikke, at støtten blev ydet på den dato, som forklaret i betragtning134.
That period comprises 80 months, during the vast majority of which (56 months) Romania was a full member of the Union directly subjected to the State aid discipline laid down in the Treaty.
På det tidspunkt, hvor S.C.
Finally, the EGO 24 incentive scheme is not mentioned in Annex V, chapter 2, n.1 of the Act of Accession of Romania to the Union which exhaustively lists the State aid measures which would be considered existing aid upon Romania’s accession to the Union [83] [84].
European Food S.A. fik tildelt den ulovlige statsstøtte gennem EGO 24, som under alle omstændigheder er efter den 1. juni 2000, må virksomheden dermed have været bekendt med Rumæniens konkurrenceråds afgørelse af 15. maj 2000, hvor det erklærede, at EGO 24-incitamenterne var uforenelig statsstøtte.
The fact that neither the Act of Accession nor the Treaty were applicable to Romania at the time when Romania allegedly breached its obligations under the BIT by revoking the aid scheme established by EGO 24 or when the claimants brought their claims under the BIT before the Tribunal is irrelevant.
Virksomheden må endvidere have været bekendt med Europaaftalen, som trådte i kraft den 1. januar 1995, og den rumænske lov nr. 143/1999 om statsstøtte, som trådte i kraft den 1. januar 2000.
At neither point did the claimants obtain an unconditional right to the payment of the compensation awarded by the Tribunal, which is the measure under consideration.
Begge forbød Rumænien at yde statsstøtte og bemyndigede det rumænske konkurrenceråd til at godkende ny statsstøtte.
It is only when the Tribunal established that there was a breach of Article 2(3) of the BIT by rendering the Award on 11 December 2013, in conjunction with Romanian domestic law giving legal effect in Romania’s domestic legal order to the Award, that the claimants received an unconditional right to that compensation which they could enforce against Romania.
Uden en sådan godkendelse fra konkurrencerådet og på linje med Domstolens retspraksis, som fandt anvendelse i medfør af artikel 64 i Europaaftalen af 1995, artikel 1 i gennemførelsesbestemmelserne til afgørelse nr. 4/2000 truffet af Associeringsrådet EU-Rumænien og fællesskabsretten, kunne S.C.
That date was after Romania’s accession to the European Union.
European Food S.A. aldrig have haft en berettiget forventning om, at incitamenterne i EGO 24 udgjorde forenelig statsstøtte, uanset den rumænske regerings senere handlinger efter afgørelse nr. 244/2000.
The claimants’ case therefore is not comparable to the Commission’s decision in Case N 380/04 to which they refer.
Den samme argumentation gælder naturligvis Multipack og Starmill, som først fik deres PIC-certifikat den 17. maj 2002, dvs. to år efter afgørelse nr. 244/2000.
Case N 380/04 concerned a contract concluded between the company Latvijas Gāze (‘LG’) and Latvia in 1997.
Sagsøgerne kan dermed heller ikke gøre gældende, at de har en berettiget forventning om, at EGO 24-ordningen udgjorde ulovlig statsstøtte, hvilket Kommissionen finder irrelevant for denne afgørelse.
When a dispute arose between LG and Latvia over the latter’s obligations under the contract, commercial arbitration proceedings were initiated in Stockholm under Uncitral rules.
Derfor skal Rumænien tilbagesøge betalingen af den erstatning, voldgiftsretten tilkendte sagsøgerne, eftersom den udgør ulovlig og uforenelig statsstøtte.
The arbitration tribunal established for those proceedings decided, on 19 June 2003, that Latvia owed LG compensation for the period 10 January 2001 until 10 March 2003.
Renterne betales fra det tidspunkt, hvor den ulovlige støtte var til støttemodtagerens rådighed, og indtil den tilbagebetales.
Latvia did not comply with the arbitral award before it acceded to the Union on 1 May 2004 and notified the envisaged implementation of that award to the Commission after accession.
Ifølge artikel 14, stk. 3, i forordning (EF) nr. 659/1999 skal tilbagebetalingen ske omgående og i overensstemmelse med gældende procedurer i den pågældende medlemsstats nationale ret, forudsat at disse giver mulighed for omgående og effektiv gennemførelse af Kommissionens beslutning.
In its decision, the Commission observed that the compensation obligation arose on the basis of the 1997 contract, that the compensation awarded by the arbitration tribunal related in its entirety to a period before Latvia’s accession, and that the arbitral award itself was issued before Latvia’s accession to the Union.
Til det formål og i tilfælde af søgsmål ved de nationale domstole træffer de pågældende medlemsstater alle nødvendige foranstaltninger, som er til rådighed i deres respektive retssystemer, herunder også foreløbige foranstaltninger, dog med forbehold af fællesskabsretten.
On this basis, the Commission concluded that ‘the payment […] of the damages awarded by the Tribunal […] constitute a mere act of implementation of a measure that crystallised entirely before accession’ and that implementing the 2003 arbitral award could not be regarded as constituting ‘new aid’.
Kommissionen bemærker endvidere, at den af retten udpegede eksekutor den 5. januar 2015 beslaglagde 36484232 RON (ca. 8,1 mio. EUR [98]) fra Rumæniens finansministerium og derefter overførte 34004232 RON (ca. 7,56 mio. EUR) i lige store dele til tre af de fem sagsøgere og beholdt resten til dækning af sagsomkostninger.
Furthermore, the Commission’s decision in Case N 380/04 itself points out that it did not prejudge the analysis of possible future payments under the contract that related to periods after accession, thus narrowly limiting the approach chosen to the specific facts notified by Latvia.
Mellem den 5. februar og den 25. februar 2015 beslaglagde eksekutoren 9197482 RON (ca. 2 mio. EUR [99]) fra Rumæniens finansministeriums bankkonti.
By contrast, in the present case the compensation obligation arises from the Award, which was rendered in 2013, the compensation awarded to the claimants by the Tribunal relates for the most part to the period after Romania acceded to the Union and the Award itself was issued almost seven years after Romania acceded to the Union.
Endvidere bemærker Kommissionen, at de rumænske myndigheder frivilligt har overført 472788675 RON (ca. 106,5 mio. EUR [100]) (inklusive omkostninger til den af retten udpegede eksekutor på 6028608 RON) til en spærret konto i de fem sagsøgeres navn.
Finally, the decision in Case N 380/04 differs most starkly to the present case in that there was no indication in the former case that by implementing or executing the 2003 arbitral award LG would obtain unlawful State aid which Latvia had promised to grant contrary to its State aid obligations as a candidate country acceding to the Union.
VEDTAGET DENNE AFGØRELSE:
The Commission therefore finds that the payment of the compensation awarded by the Tribunal to the claimants constitutes new aid and that that measure can only be put into effect if and after the Commission has authorised it under the State aid rules.
Artikel 1
Illegality under Article 108(3) of the Treaty
Rumænien udbetaler ikke den i artikel 1 omhandlede uforenelige støtte og tilbagesøger eventuel i artikel 1 omhandlet uforenelig støtte, som allerede er blevet udbetalt til en af enhederne i den økonomiske enhed, som har modtaget støtten ved delvis gennemførelse eller fuldbyrdelse af voldgiftskendelsen af 11. december 2013, samt støtte udbetalt til en af enhederne i den økonomiske enhed, som har modtaget støtten ved yderligere gennemførelse af voldgiftskendelsen af 11. december 2013, som Kommissionen ikke er bekendt med, eller som er udbetalt efter datoen for denne afgørelse.
Since that partial implementation of the Award was not notified to the Commission by Romania, the measure has unlawfully been put into effect in violation of Article 108(3) of the Treaty.
Multipack, European Drinks S.A., Rieni Drinks S.A., Scandic Distilleries S.A., Transilvania General Import-Export S.R.L. og West Leasing S.R.L hæfter solidarisk for tilbagebetalingen af statsstøtte, som en af dem måtte have modtaget.
Any further payment of the compensation awarded by the Tribunal, whether by implementation or execution of the Award, that the Commission is either unaware of or that might occur after the adoption of this Decision would, for the same reasons, also constitute a violation of Romania’s obligation to comply with Article 108(3) of the Treaty.
De beløb, der tilbagesøges, er de beløb, der følger af gennemførelsen eller fuldbyrdelsen af kendelsen af 11. december 2013 (hovedstol og rente).
Compatibility with the internal market
De beløb, der tilbagesøges, tilskrives rente fra den dato, hvor de blev stillet til rådighed for støttemodtagerne, indtil de er tilbagebetalt.
At the outset, the Commission recalls that when assessing the compatibility of a measure with the internal market under Articles 107(2) and 107(3) of the Treaty, the burden of proof is the principal responsibility of the Member State [85].
Rumænien skal oplyse de nøjagtige datoer, hvor statens støtte blev stillet til rådighed for de respektive støttemodtagere.
In this context, the Commission also recalls that a State aid measure cannot be declared compatible with the internal market, if it entails a non-severable violation of other specific provisions of the Treaty [86].
Rentebeløbet beregnes med renters rente i overensstemmelse med kapitel V i Kommissionens forordning (EF) nr. 794/2004 [102].
At present, Romania has presented no arguments that could justify the measure under Articles 107(2) and 107(3) of the Treaty.
Rumænien sikrer, at alle udestående betalinger af den i artikel 1 omhandlede støtte indstilles med virkning fra datoen for vedtagelsen af denne afgørelse.
Nevertheless, for the sake of completeness, the Commission considers it appropriate to undertake a compatibility assessment of its own motion.
Artikel 3
The claimants contend that the measure constitutes compatible regional aid.
Tilbagesøgningen af den i artikel 1 omhandlede støtte iværksættes øjeblikkeligt og effektivt.
On the basis of Article 107(3)(a) and 107(3)(c) of the Treaty, the Commission may consider compatible with the internal market State aid to promote the economic development of certain disadvantaged areas within the Union.
Rumænien sikrer, at denne afgørelse efterkommes inden for fire måneder efter meddelelsen herom.
The conditions under which aid to promote regional development can be considered compatible with the internal market are set out in the Guidelines on regional State aid for 2014–2020 (‘RAG 2014’).
Artikel 4
Recital 188 of those Guidelines explains that they apply for assessing the compatibility of all regional aid intended to be awarded after 30 June 2014.
Senest to måneder efter meddelelsen af denne afgørelse sender Rumænien følgende oplysninger:
This means that regional aid awarded unlawfully or regional aid intended to be awarded before 1 July 2014 are to be assessed in accordance with the Guidelines on national regional aid for 2007-2013 [87] (‘RAG 2007’).
dokumentation for, at støttemodtageren har fået påbud om at tilbagebetale støtten.
In those guidelines, the Commission sets out that regional aid aimed at reducing the current expenses of an undertaking constitutes operating aid and will not be regarded as compatible with the internal market, unless it is awarded in exceptional circumstances to tackle specific handicaps faced by undertakings in disadvantaged regions falling within the scope of Article 107(3)(a) of the of the Treaty [88].
Rumænien indsender på Kommissionens anmodning straks oplysninger om, hvilke foranstaltninger der allerede er truffet eller planlagt for at efterkomme afgørelsen.
In effect, the implementation of the award re-establishes the situation in which the claimants would have, in all likelihood, found themselves if EGO 24 had never been repealed by Romania.
Rumænien giver tillige detaljerede oplysninger om de støttebeløb og renter, støttemodtagerne allerede har tilbagebetalt.
As the advantages granted under EGO 24 were connected to the recurrent costs of the claimants and were not linked to an initial investment, those advantages constituted operating aid.
Artikel 5
Therefore, placing the beneficiary in the position in which it would have been if the EGO 24 incentives had not been revoked and thus compensating the losses linked to this revocation constitutes operating aid.
Denne afgørelse er rettet til Rumænien.
As explained in recitals 92 et seq., payment of the compensation awarded to the claimants by the Tribunal in reality retroactively reduces the operating expenses incurred by them pursuing their economic activity under normal market conditions.
Udfærdiget i Bruxelles, den 30. marts 2015.
According to points 76, 77 and 79 of the RAG 2007, operating aid is normally prohibited, and can be granted only exceptionally in Article 107(3)(a) regions provided that:
På Kommissionens vegne
it is justified in terms of its contribution to regional development (targeted),
Medlem af Kommissionen
its nature and its level is proportional to the handicaps it seeks to alleviate,
Med virkning fra den 1. december 2009 er EF-traktatens artikel 87 og 88 blevet til henholdsvis artikel 107 og 108 i traktaten.
it is temporary and reduced over time, and should be phased out when the regions concerned achieve real convergence with the wealthier areas of the EU,
De to sæt artikler er indholdsmæssigt identiske.
in principle it is granted in respect of a predefined set of eligible expenditures or costs and limited to a certain proportion of those costs,
For så vidt angår denne afgørelse skal henvisninger til artikel 107 og 108 i traktaten forstås som henvisninger til artikel 87 og 88 i EF-traktaten, når det er relevant.
the Member State has committed itself to respect detailed reporting rules, as laid down in point 83 of the RAG 2007.
I traktaten blev der også foretaget visse terminologiske ændringer, bl.a. blev »Fællesskabet« erstattet af »Unionen«, og »fællesmarkedet« af »det indre marked«.
The economic activities benefitting from the implementation of the Award are located in an area falling within the scope of Article 107(3)(a) of the of the Treaty, as established by the Commission in the decision of the regional aid map for Romania for 2007-2013 [89] and for 2014-2020 [90].
Terminologien i traktaten vil blive benyttet i hele denne afgørelse.
However, the Commission fails to see how the payment of the compensation awarded to the claimants is justified in terms of its contribution to the regional development of the areas concerned.
Den Europæiske Centralbanks referencekurs pr. 11. december 2013: 1 EUR = 4,45 RON.
It is not sufficient that the economic activity is located in ‘an area’ to assume that the measure is proportional to the handicaps it seeks to alleviate, since it must first be demonstrated what these handicaps are and, second, how they create an obstacle to the development of the region concerned.
Investeringsaftalen trådte i kraft den 1. april 2003.
In the absence of any proof, the Commission could not identify the specific handicaps the aid measures would seek to alleviate.
Se fodnote 4.
The payment of the compensation awarded to the claimants by the Tribunal is temporary in nature, as it has no effects after the implementation or execution of the Award is completed.
Rådets forordning (EF) nr. 659/1999 af 22. marts 1999 om fastlæggelse af regler for anvendelsen af EF-traktatens artikel 108 i traktaten om Den Europæiske Unions funktionsmåde (EFT L 83 af 27.3.1999, s. 1.)
In view of the above, the Commission considers that the payment of the compensation awarded to the claimants by the Tribunal does not comply with the RAG 2007 and can therefore not be declared compatible with the internal market.
Se betragtning 3.
As no other basis of compatibility is otherwise applicable, the Commission considers that the compatibility of the aid measure has not been established.
Se fodnote 2.
Conclusion on the assessment of the aid measure
Se også artikel 2 i gennemførelsesbestemmelserne til afgørelse nr. 4/2000 truffet af Associeringsrådet EU-Rumænien af 10. april 2001 om vedtagelse af gennemførelsesbestemmelser til reglerne om statsstøtte i artikel 64, stk. 1, nr. iii), og stk. 2, jf. artikel 64, stk. 3, i Europaaftalen om oprettelse af en associering mellem De Europæiske Fællesskaber og deres medlemsstater på den ene side og Rumænien på den anden side samt i artikel 9, stk. 1, nr. iii), og stk. 2, i protokol 2 til denne aftale om produkter henhørende under traktaten om oprettelse af Det Europæiske Kul- og Stålfællesskab (EKSF) (EFT L 138 af 22.5.2001, s. 16).
European Food SA, to the Romanian state against part of that compensation, as well as by the action taken by the court-appointed executor.
Monitorul Oficial, første del, nr. 73 af 12. april 1993.
RECOVERY
Konkurrencerådet var og er en uafhængig administrativ myndighed inden for konkurrencelovgivningen og statsstøttelovgivningen med tilsyns- og undersøgelsesbeføjelser, som svarer til Kommissionens på disse områder.
In accordance with the Treaty and the CJEU’s established case-law, the Commission is competent to decide that the Member State concerned must abolish or alter aid when it has found that it is incompatible with the internal market [91].
Konkurrencekontoret var en specialiseret myndighed under regeringen.
The Court has also consistently held that the obligation on a Member State to abolish aid regarded by the Commission as being incompatible with the internal market is designed to re-establish the previously existing situation [92].
Kontorets primære ansvarsområder var: i) at gennemføre undersøgelser og overvåge håndhævelsen af lovgivningen og af konkurrencerådets afgørelser i praksis, ii) at overvåge offentlige enheders og offentlige virksomheders prisfastsættelse og iii) at sikre gennemsigtighed i statsstøtten og overvåge og rapportere om statsstøtteudgifter.
In this context, the Court has stated that that objective is attained once the recipient has repaid the amounts granted by way of unlawful aid, thus forfeiting the advantage which it had enjoyed over its competitors on the market, and the situation prior to the payment of the aid is restored [93].