natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Derfor er kun foranstaltninger, der begunstiger virksomheder, og som giver en fordel på en selektiv måde, omfattet af begrebet statsstøtte.
The supervisory board minutes of FGAZ of 2 October 2006 recount a discussion about military exercises in Zweibrücken.
I den foreliggende sag er den direkte investeringsstøtte og de årlige kapitalindsprøjtninger kun til fordel for FGAZ/FZG.
The management stresses that one of the reasons in favour of allowing such exercises to take place is the revenue generated thereby, which indicates that, from the perspective of FGAZ/FZG, offering airport services to the military is an economic activity.
Begge foranstaltninger er derfor selektive som defineret i traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1.
The discussion further touches upon whether FZG should allow military exercises in Zweibrücken in the future, which suggests that it is within the discretion of FGAZ/FZG whether or not to cater to the military.
Når støtte, der ydes af en medlemsstat, styrker en virksomheds position i forhold til andre virksomheder, som den konkurrerer med i samhandelen på det indre marked, må det antages, at denne samhandel påvirkes af støtten [55].
The Commission further considers that the failure of Germany to identify any particular costs incurred, either in terms of investments or operating costs, specifically related to the military users of the airport may be taken to indicate that the military is, indeed, just another customer of Zweibrücken Airport.
Den økonomiske fordel, som den direkte investeringsstøtte og de årlige kapitalindsprøjtninger i dette tilfælde giver lufthavnsoperatøren, styrker dennes økonomiske stilling, eftersom lufthavnsoperatøren vil kunne etablere sin forretning uden at skulle afholde de dermed forbundne investerings- og driftsomkostninger.
In conclusion, the Commission considers the provision of airport services to the military to be an economic activity at Zweibrücken Airport, noting in particular the failure to identify any costs individually linked to the presence of the military at Zweibrücken Airport and the (partially) economic justification given by FGAZ/FZG's for catering to the military.
Som det vurderes i betragtning 173 ff., er drift af en lufthavn en økonomisk aktivitet.
Even in the alternative scenario — namely if the Commission would have concluded that the costs arising due to the military's presence could be covered by the State as falling within the public policy remit —, it would still have to be observed that the public funding of the airport's non-economic activity of catering to the military should not be allowed to lead to a cross-subsidisation of the airport's economic activities.
På den ene side konkurrerer lufthavnene om at tiltrække luftfartsselskaber og den tilhørende flytrafik (passagerer og fragt), og på den anden side konkurrerer lufthavnsselskaberne indbyrdes om at få overdraget administrationen af en bestemt lufthavn.
In particular, it would not be possible to consider the entire investment into assets also used by the military (runway etc.) or fixed operating costs as falling within the public policy remit.
Især med hensyn til lavprisflyselskaber og charterselskaber kan også lufthavne, som ikke ligger i det samme opland og endog i forskellige medlemsstater, konkurrere om at tiltrække de pågældende luftfartsselskaber.
State resources and imputability to the State
Punkt 45 i retningslinjerne for luftfart fra 2014 anfører udtrykkeligt: »Den omstændighed, at det kun er et lille støttebeløb, eller at den virksomhed, der modtager offentlig støtte, er relativt lille, udelukker ikke i sig selv, at samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne kan blive påvirket«.
The concept of State aid applies to any advantage granted through State resources by the State itself or by any intermediary body acting by virtue of powers conferred on it [45].
Zweibrücken lufthavn betjener i øjeblikket ca. 242000 passagerer om året og har tidligere betjent op til ca. 340000 om året.
Resources of local authorities are, for the application of Article 107 of the Treaty, State resources [46].
I henhold til flytrafikprognoserne fra Tyskland kommer i gennemsnit 15 % af de passagerer, der bruger Zweibrücken lufthavn, fra andre medlemsstater (Frankrig og Luxembourg).
In this case, the relevant measures — namely direct investment grants to FZG and annual capital injections in favour of FGAZ/FZG — were granted directly from the budget of the local authorities.
Der er internationale flyvninger fra Zweibrücken lufthavn til destinationer som Mallorca eller Antalya.
The investment grants came directly from the Land Rhineland-Palatinate, while the capital injections were co-financed by the Land and the ZEF, an association of local public territorial entities.
Start- og landingsbanen i Zweibrücken er tilstrækkeligt lang (3000 m) og giver luftfartsselskaber mulighed for at betjene internationale mellemdistancedestinationer.
Thus, the Commission considers that they are financed through State resources and are also imputable to the State.
På baggrund af disse forhold finder Kommissionen, at offentlig finansiering til FGAZ/FZG fordrejer eller truer med at fordreje konkurrencen og har i hvert fald en potentiel virkning på samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
Economic advantage
Bortset fra disse generelle overvejelser finder Kommissionen også, at Zweibrücken lufthavn er eller i hvert fald har været i direkte konkurrence med Saarbrücken lufthavn.
An advantage within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty is any economic benefit which an undertaking would not have obtained under normal market conditions, that is to say, in the absence of State intervention [47].
For det første skal det bemærkes, at TUIFly, som tidligere var Saarbrücken lufthavns største kunde, forlod lufthavnen og flyttede til Zweibrücken i 2007.
Only the effect of the measure on the undertaking is relevant, not the cause nor the objective of the State intervention [48].
For det andet blev der i en længere periode sideløbende tilbudt flyvninger til Berlin fra både Zweibrücken (Germanwings) og Saarbrücken (Air Berlin og Luxair), hvilket viser konkurrence både mellem lufthavnene og luftfartsselskaberne.
Whenever the financial situation of the undertaking is improved as a result of State intervention, an advantage is present.
I henhold til FZG's aftale om lufthavnstjenester med Germanwings skulle der endda betales højere tjenesteafgifter til FZG, hvis Air Berlin lukkede sin Berlinrute fra Saarbrücken.
The Commission further recalls that ‘capital placed directly or indirectly at the disposal of an undertaking by the State in circumstances which correspond to normal market conditions cannot be regarded as State aid’ [49].
Ud over disse indikatorer for konkurrence mellem lufthavnene i Zweibrücken og Saarbrücken er der også — på trods af de officielle bemærkninger fra Tyskland om, at de to lufthavne aldrig har betragtet sig som i direkte konkurrence — bevis for, at embedsmænd fra delstaten Rheinland-Pfalz klart har opfattet, at der var konkurrence.
In this case, in order to determine whether the public financing of Zweibrücken Airport grants FGAZ/FZG an advantage that it would not have received under normal market conditions, the Commission has to compare the conduct of the public authorities providing the direct investment grants and capital injections to that of a MEO who is guided by prospects of profitability in the long-term [50].
I to interne notater fra delstatsregeringen i Rheinland-Pfalz skrevet i 2003 er holdningen hos forfatterne, at samarbejde mellem Zweibrücken og Saarbrücken lufthavn ikke var muligt/tilrådeligt på det pågældende tidspunkt.
The assessment should leave aside any positive repercussions on the economy of the region in which the airport is located, since the Court has clarified that the relevant question for applying the MEO principle is whether ‘in similar circumstances a private shareholder, having regard to the foreseeability of obtaining a return and leaving aside all social, regional-policy and sectoral considerations, would have subscribed the capital in question’ [51].
Det forklares i et notat, at så længe FRAPORT AG var involveret i Saarbrücken lufthavn, ville forholdet mellem de to lufthavne være konkurrencepræget [56].
In Stardust Marine the Court stated that, ‘[…] in order to examine whether or not the State has adopted the conduct of a prudent investor operating in a market economy, it is necessary to place oneself in the context of the period during which the financial support measures were taken in order to assess the economic rationality of the State's conduct, and thus to refrain from any assessment based on a later situation.’ [52].
Det hedder yderligere i notaterne, at »det set fra Rheinland-Pfalz kan forventes, at Zweibrücken lufthavn på længere sigt vil vinde den konkurrence« [57].
Furthermore, the Court declared in the EDF case that, ‘[…] for the purposes of showing that, before or at the same time as conferring the advantage, the Member State took that decision as a shareholder, it is not enough to rely on economic evaluations made after the advantage was conferred, on a retrospective finding that the investment made by the Member State concerned was actually profitable, or on subsequent justifications of the course of action actually chosen.’ [53].
Disse udtalelser viser, at forholdet mellem de to lufthavne i hvert tilfælde i 2003 blev opfattet som konkurrencepræget.
In order to be able to apply the MEO principle, the Commission has to place itself at the time when each decision to provide public funds to FGAZ/FZG was taken.
På den baggrund skal den offentlige finansiering, som ydes FGAZ/FZG, anses for at kunne fordreje konkurrencen og påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
The Commission must also base its assessment on the information and assumptions which were at the disposal of the relevant local authorities at the time when the decision regarding the financial arrangements of the infrastructure measures at stake was taken.
På baggrund af betragtning 173-239 finder Kommissionen, at den offentlige finansiering, der blev ydet til FGAZ/FZG i form af direkte investeringsstøtte og årlige kapitalindsprøjtninger i perioden 2000-2009, udgør statsstøtte efter artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF.
Direct investment grants
STØTTENS LOVLIGHED
The Commission notes that the direct investment grants covered a portion of the investment costs incurred by FGAZ/FZG in the context of its economic activity.
I henhold til traktatens artikel 108, stk. 3, skal medlemsstaterne underrette Kommissionen om enhver påtænkt indførelse eller ændring af støtteforanstaltninger, og de må ikke gennemføre de planlagte foranstaltninger, før Kommissionen har vedtaget en endelig afgørelse derom.
The operator of an airport normally has to bear all the costs related to the construction and operation of the airport (with the exception of those costs that fall within the public policy remit and do not generally have to be borne by the airport operator under the applicable legal framework), including the investment costs, so that covering a part of those costs relieves the FGAZ/FZG of a burden it would normally have to bear.
Da støtten allerede er blevet stillet til rådighed for FGAZ/FZG, finder Kommissionen, at Tyskland ikke har overholdt forbuddet i traktatens artikel 108, stk. 3 [58].
Germany did not explicitly argue that the direct investment grants complied with the MEO principle.
FORENELIGHED
It rather submitted that closing the airport was never a realistic option for the local authorities and that, given the need to operate the airport, it was economically sensible to also open it to commercial aviation.
Anvendelse af retningslinjerne for luftfart fra 2005 og 2014
At other points, Germany argued that the investments in the airport were motivated by the will to economically invigorate the region, and that public subsidies were necessary since the revenue generated by the commercial exploitation of the airport would not be sufficient to cover the related costs.
Der fastsættes i traktatens artikel 107, stk. 3, visse undtagelser fra den generelle regel i traktatens artikel 107, stk. 1, om, at statsstøtte ikke er forenelig med det indre marked.
Germany also stressed that the infrastructure is necessary to create jobs (about 5000 in all of Land Rhineland-Palatinate, out of which 2708 jobs depend directly and indirectly on the airport), save social costs (EUR 25 million per year) and create tax income.
Den pågældende støtte kan vurderes på grundlag af traktatens artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c), hvori det hedder, at:
Germany also submitted that two expert opinions underline the importance of the airport for the regional economy [54].
»støtte til fremme af udviklingen af visse erhvervsgrene eller økonomiske regioner, når den ikke ændrer samhandelsvilkårene på en måde, der strider mod den fælles interesse« kan anses for at være forenelig med det indre marked.
However, social and regional considerations cannot be taken into account when conducting the MEO test.
I denne henseende udgør retningslinjerne for luftfart fra 2014 et grundlag for vurderingen af, hvorvidt støtte til lufthavne kan erklæres forenelig i henhold til traktatens artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c).
Moreover, even if the Commission were to take those social and regional considerations into account, the studies submitted by Germany show that, in June 2012, FZG only provided 115 jobs, at Zweibrücken Airport itself.
Ifølge retningslinjerne for luftfart fra 2014 finder Kommissionen, at Kommissionens meddelelse om fastlæggelse af reglerne for vurdering af ulovlig statsstøtte [59] gælder for ulovlig investeringsstøtte til lufthavne.
Those studies confirm that the commercial area around the converted airport provides a total of 2708 direct and indirect jobs.
Hvis der blev bevilget ulovlig investeringsstøtte før den 4. april 2014, vil Kommissionen i den forbindelse anvende de forenelighedsbestemmelser, der var gældende på det tidspunkt, investeringsstøtten blev ydet.
However, out of those, only 7,8 %, so 210 jobs, are concerned with transport and storage, that is to say, activities which are directly connected to the presence of the airport.
I overensstemmelse hermed vil Kommissionen anvende de principper, der er fastlagt i retningslinjerne for luftfart fra 2005, i tilfælde af at der er ydet ulovlig investeringsstøtte til lufthavne før den 4. april 2014 [60].
While it could, in principle, be accepted that even non-repayable grants to a company that is entirely owned by the State could qualify as market-conform investments, Germany has not presented a business plan or ex ante calculations regarding the expected profitability of the investment grants.
Kommissionen har allerede i betragtning 242 konkluderet, at de direkte og årlige kapitalindsprøjtninger udgør ulovlig statsstøtte ydet før den 4. april 2014.
The only projections that were presented are a study from 2003 outlining which commercial aviation passenger numbers could lead to profitability and the 2010 projection of expected annual results between 2011 and 2015.
Sondring mellem investeringsstøtte og driftsstøtte
The latter expected that the FZG would become profitable only in 2015, assuming that the passenger numbers would rise to more than 500000 passengers per annum.
Ifølge punkt 25, litra r), i retningslinjerne for luftfart fra 2014 defineres investeringsstøtte som »støtte til finansiering af anlægsaktiver, især med henblik på at dække behovet for finansiering af kapitalomkostninger«.
Despite the inherent and significant uncertainties related to the project, such as its long-term nature, there was neither an ex ante business plan, nor a sensitivity analysis of any underlying profitability assumptions.
I henhold til punkt 25, litra r), i retningslinjerne kan investeringsstøtte både omfatte et beløb, som i sin helhed udbetales som forhåndsudbetalinger (til dækning af de første investeringsomkostninger) og støtte udbetalt i periodiske rater (til dækning af kapitalomkostninger vedrørende årlige afskrivninger og finansieringsomkostninger).
This is not in line with the type of analysis that a prudent investor would have undertaken for such a project.
Driftsstøtte vedrører derimod dækning af alle eller dele af en lufthavns driftsomkostninger defineret som »de underliggende omkostninger ved en lufthavns levering af lufthavnsydelser, herunder udgiftsposter som personaleomkostninger, udliciterede tjenesteydelser, kommunikationsydelser, affaldshåndtering, energi, vedligeholdelse, husleje og administration, men ikke kapitalomkostninger, markedsføringsstøtte eller andre incitamenter, som en lufthavn yder luftfartsselskaber, eller omkostninger, der kan betragtes som offentlige, falder ind under det offentlige myndighedsområde« [62].
Finally, the Commission notes that since 2000, FGAZ/FZG have generated losses every year, with an increasing tendency since 2005.
I lyset af disse definitioner kan det konkluderes, at de direkte kapitalindsprøjtninger, som alle vedrørte bestemte investeringsprojekter, udgør investeringsstøtte til fordel for FGAZ/FZG.
Firstly, the direct investment grants were non-repayable in nature and did not yield a return on investment.
I modsætning dertil udgør den del af de årlige kapitalindsprøjtninger, som blev anvendt til at dække FGAZ/FZG's årlige driftsunderskud [63] minus de omkostninger, der er omfattet af EBITDA, og som falder ind under det offentlige myndighedsområde, jf. betragtning 198-200, og de omkostninger, der er afholdt inden den 12. december 2000, driftsstøtte til fordel for FGAZ/FZG.
Secondly, Germany has not presented any evidence that the investment grants were put at the disposal of FZG on market terms.
Endelig udgør den del af de årlige kapitalindsprøjtninger, som dækker FGAZ/FZG's underskud, og som ikke allerede er inkluderet i EBITDA (dvs. den årlige afskrivning af aktiver, finansieringsomkostninger osv.), minus de omkostninger, der hører under det offentlige myndighedsområde som fastsat i betragtning 198-200, og de omkostninger, der er afholdt inden den 12. december 2000, investeringsstøtte.
Thirdly, Germany does not rely on the MEO principle.
Investeringsstøttens forenelighed
The Commission therefore finds that the direct investment grants by the Land in favour of FZG granted after 12 December 2000 conferred an economic advantage on FZG (to the extent that the investment grants were not purely related to public policy remit activities as concluded in recitals 198 to 200).
I henhold til punkt 61 i retningslinjerne for luftfart fra 2005 skal Kommissionen undersøge, om følgende kumulative betingelser er opfyldt:
Annual capital injections
Ud over at være forenelig med det indre marked skal statsstøtte til lufthavne i lighed med alle andre statsstøtteforanstaltninger have en tilskyndelsesvirkning og være nødvendig og stå i rimeligt forhold til målene.
The annual capital injections by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate and ZEF served to cover FGAZ's annual losses, which were in turn almost entirely brought about by the annual losses of FZG (see Table 4).
Investeringsstøtten til FGAZ/FZG opfylder ifølge Tyskland alle forenelighedskriterierne i retningslinjerne for luftfart fra 2005.
In the end, the annual capital injections therefore served to cover a part of the normal investment and operating expenses of FGAZ/FZG, thereby relieving the undertaking of an economic burden it would normally have to bear.
Bidrag til et veldefineret mål af fælles interesse
For the same reason as outlined in recitals 222 to 228 with respect to the direct investment grants to FZG, the Commission also finds that the annual capital injections in favour of FGAZ/FZG were not provided under normal market conditions.
Kommissionen minder om, at der i retningslinjerne for luftfart fra 2005 ikke fastsættes præcise kriterier, der skal lægges til grund for vurderingen af, om investeringsstøtte til en lufthavn bidrager til et veldefineret mål af fælles interesse.
Notably, Germany has not submitted that the capital injections were normal market investments.
En simpel duplikering af eksisterende lufthavnsinfrastruktur kan dog ikke anses for at opfylde et mål af fælles interesse.
Germany has not presented any evidence demonstrating ex ante profitability considerations, nor has it explained why a MEO would continue injecting capital into an undertaking that constantly generates losses.
I denne henseende skal Kommissionen derfor først vurdere, om Zweibrücken lufthavn duplikerer eksisterende lufthavnsinfrastruktur i regionen.
In this light, the annual capital injections must be qualified as granting an economic advantage to FGAZ/FZG.
Duplikering:
Conclusion
Overlapning mellem Zweibrücken lufthavn og Saarbrücken lufthavn
In view of the foregoing, the Commission considers that in the absence of an ex ante business plan or other sensible profitability studies, a MEO would not have taken the decision to embark on the investment project in question and to cover, on a continuous annual basis, increasing losses of FGAZ/FZG.
Kommissionen fremhæver, at Zweibrücken lufthavn ligger umiddelbart i nærheden af Saarbrücken lufthavn.
Therefore, the decision of Land Rhineland-Palatinate and ZEF to grant those measures confers an economic advantage on FGAZ/FZG which it would not have obtained under normal market conditions.
I lige linje er afstanden mellem de to lufthavne ca. 20 km, og ad vej er afstanden ca. 39 km.
Selectivity
Der er ca. 30 minutters kørsel i bil mellem de to lufthavne.
To fall within the scope of Article 107(1) of the Treaty, a State measure must favour ‘certain undertakings or the production of certain goods’.
Der findes desuden mindst seks andre lufthavne inden for mindre end to timers kørsel fra Zweibrücken lufthavn.
Hence, only those measures favouring undertakings which grant an advantage in a selective way fall under the notion of State aid.
Den korte afstand mellem de to lufthavne betyder, at de begge betjener faktisk de samme oplandsområder.
In the case at hand, the direct investment grants and the annual capital injections only benefit FGAZ/FZG.
De forskellige undersøgelser, som Tyskland har fremlagt i denne sag [64] og i den parallelle formelle undersøgelsesprocedure vedrørende Saarbrücken lufthavn [65], bekræfter, at de fleste af de passagerer, der bruger de to lufthavne, kommer fra den vestlige del af Rheinland-Pfalz og Saarland.
Both measures are thus selective by definition within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
Profilerne for Saarbrücken lufthavn og Zweibrücken lufthavn ligner også hinanden.
When aid granted by a Member State strengthens the position of an undertaking compared with other undertakings competing in the internal market, the latter must be regarded as affected by that aid [55].
Da Zweibrücken blev åbnet for kommerciel luftfart i 2006, var den første kunde Germanwings, som tilbød en rute til Berlin.
The economic advantage granted by the direct investment grants and the annual capital injections in this case to the airport operator strengthen its economic position, as the airport operator was able to set up its business without bearing all of the inherent investment and operating costs.
Samme rute blev fløjet fra Saarbrücken af Luxair og fra 2007 af Air Berlin.
As assessed in recital 173 et seq., the operation of an airport is an economic activity.
Zweibrückens anden største kunde var TUIFly, som tilbød forskellige feriedestinationer, primært i Middelhavet.
Competition takes place, on the one hand, between airports to attract airlines and the corresponding air traffic (passengers and freight), and, on the other hand, between airport managers, which may compete between themselves to be entrusted with the management of a given airport.
Inden Zweibrücken blev åbnet, havde TUIFly været en af Saarbrücken lufthavns største kunder.
Moreover, in particular with respect to low cost carriers and charter operators, airports that are not located in the same catchment areas and even in different Member States can also be in competition with each other to attract those airlines.