natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
De italienske myndigheder har bekræftet, at den potentielt alvorlige situation efter Alitalias tilbagetrækning opildnede SEA til at gøre en indsats for at forbedre omkostningerne.
Other operating costs also fell 40 % between 2007 and 2010.
Endelig har SEA Handling også anført, at uforudsete hændelser havde en negativ virkning for selskabets resultater, og har navnlig henvist til virkningerne for sin omsætning af SARS, terrortrusler efter krigsudbruddet i Irak i 2003 og askeskyen efter vulkanudbruddet i Eyjafjallajökull i 2010.
Overall, thanks to these cost cuts following Alitalia’s reduction in services, the company’s gross operating margin improved, despite its drop in turnover.
Kommissionen bemærker, at den eneste kvantificering af virkningen af disse begivenheder for SEA Handlings omsætning fandtes i RBB Economics Study af 1. juni 2011.
Nevertheless, these results did not put SEA Handling in a position to return to economic equilibrium within a short time, despite the aid granted previously.
Men denne undersøgelse gentager kun SEA Handlings udtalelser, nemlig at SARS og terrortruslerne efter krigsudbruddet i Irak i 2003 havde medført et fald på 3 % af omsætningen, og at Eyjafjallajökulls udbrud havde forårsaget et fald på 1,5 mio. EUR i omsætning.
In addition, in a counterfactual scenario in which Alitalia had continued its services at Malpensa and SEA Handling’s market share had remained at the 2005 level indicated by the Italian authorities, the calculations suggest that SEA Handling might have hoped to return to profitability in 2009, but the Commission takes the view that the efforts to cut costs in the period in question would not have been as far-reaching without Alitalia’s withdrawal.
Den kontrafaktiske analyse er baseret på disse antagelser og giver ikke mulighed for at evaluere virkningerne af de pågældende hændelser.
In any event, the Court of Justice has reiterated that for an assessment of compliance with the private investor principle, 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 … where it appears that the private investor test could be applicable, the Commission is under a duty to ask the Member State concerned to provide it with all relevant information enabling it to determine whether the conditions governing the applicability and the application of that test are met, and it cannot refuse to examine that information unless the evidence produced has been established after the adoption of the decision to make the investment in question.
Derudover mener Kommissionen, at selv om SEA's skøn kunne anses for pålidelige uden underbyggende dokumentation, ville virkningerne af de uforudsigelige hændelser angivet i RBB Economics Study stadig ikke udgøre en realistisk begrundelse for SEA's fortsatte kapitaltilførsler, som androg næsten 360 mio. EUR i perioden 2002-2010.
The Italian authorities have confirmed that the potential gravity of the situation after Alitalia’s withdrawal encouraged SEA to make efforts to improve costs.
Desuden mener Kommissionen, at en investor på normale markedsvilkår sandsynligvis ville have foretaget en undersøgelse umiddelbart efter disse hændelser frem for flere år senere for at evaluere deres virkning og beslutte, om vedkommende skulle ændre sin strategi, fortsætte den eksisterende eller ændre sin forretningsplan.
Finally, SEA Handling has also stated that unforeseen events had a negative impact on its results, and has referred in particular to the effects on its turnover of SARS, terrorist threats following the outbreak of war in Iraq in 2003, and the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010.
Men da RBB Economics-undersøgelsen blev udarbejdet flere år efter indledningsbeslutningen, mener Kommissionen, at den ikke svarer til adfærden hos en fornuftig privat investor, men blev foretaget med henblik på denne procedure for efterfølgende at påvise den formodet fornuftige økonomiske adfærd hos SEA.
The Commission observes that the only quantification of the impact of these events on SEA Handling’s turnover was in the RBB Economics study of 1 June 2011.
Undersøgelsen kan derfor ikke tages i betragtning i henseende til det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip.
But here the study merely repeats statements made by SEA Handling, namely that SARS and the terrorist threats following the outbreak of war in Iraq in 2003 had led to a 3 % fall in turnover, and that the Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption had caused a drop of EUR 1,5 million in turnover.
Endelig bemærker Kommissionen, at private investorer — netop for at sikre rentabiliteten af deres investering selv efter negative hændelser — vil søge finansielle analyser, som viser afkastet af deres investering i ringe scenarier, særligt i brancher som luftfart, som i sagens natur er udsat for risikofaktorer, som ligger uden for operatørernes kompetence og kontrol.
The counterfactual analysis is based on these presuppositions, and does not provide any means of evaluating the effects of the events in question.
Hverken Italien eller SEA har nogensinde vist, at en sådan analyse var udført på tidspunktet for de omhandlede foranstaltninger.
In addition, the Commission considers that even if SEA’s estimates could be regarded as reliable without any supporting evidence, the effects of the unforeseeable events indicated in the RBB Economics study would still not realistically justify SEA’s continued injections of capital, which totalled nearly EUR 360 million in the period 2002-2010 period.
Kommissionen indtager derfor den holdning, at bestræbelserne for at skære ned på omkostningerne ikke — om end de var betydelige i flere henseender efter stiftelsen af selskabet og især efter 2007 — var tilstrækkelige til at genskabe rentabiliteten eller i givet fald kun på langt sigt, hvilket vil sige mere end 10 år ud i tiden og uden at tage hensyn til risikoen for at skulle tilbagebetale ulovlig støtte modtaget før da. Det er ikke overraskende, at SEA efter at have modtaget offentlig støtte i så mange år burde have forbedret sine resultater, men Kommissionen mener, at en privat investor på grund af SEA Handlings yderst tunge omkostningsstruktur og baggrunden med markedsliberalisering ville have valgt en meget mere vidtrækkende omstruktureringsproces i 2002, før vedkommende ville gå med til at dække tabene i det nødvendige tidsrum til at fuldføre omstruktureringen og opnå et rimeligt afkast på sin investering inden for en rimelig tidshorisont.
Furthermore, the Commission considers that an investor operating under market conditions would probably have carried out a study immediately after such events took place, rather than several years later, in order to evaluate their impact and to decide whether to change its strategy, to continue with the strategy in place, or to amend its business plan.
Sammenligningen med andre operatørers indtjening
But as the RBB Economics study was drawn up several years after the opening decision, the Commission considers that it does not correspond to the conduct of a prudent private investor, but was carried out for the purposes of the present proceedings, in order to demonstrate ex post the supposed economic rationality of SEA’s behaviour.
Kommissionen afviser det argument, at man ikke kan foretage en sammenligning med de økonomiske resultater hos andre ground handling-leverandører af andre typer (de italienske myndigheder nævner koncessionshavere, der arbejder med adskilte regnskaber, koncessionshavere med separate selskaber, luftfartsselskaber med egne ground handling-ydelser og eksterne leverandører, som igen kan opdeles i leverandører med nationale eller internationale netværk og SMV'er) eller med et andet forretningsområde (nogle leverandører tilbyder kun visse ground handling-ydelser, mens andre tilbyder alle).
The study consequently cannot be taken into account for the application of the prudent private investor test.
Selve formålet med at liberalisere sektoren er at stimulere konkurrencen, så leverandørerne med de mest konkurrencedygtige forretningsmodeller kan etablere sig på markedet til gavn for brugerne, luftfartsselskaberne og i sidste ende de rejsende.
Finally, the Commission observes that precisely in order to ensure the profitability of their investment even following negative events, private investors look for financial analyses that indicate the return on their investment in poor scenarios, particularly in industries such as air transport, which by its nature is exposed to risk factors that are outside the operators’ competence and control.
Kommissionen mener, at de operatører, som de italienske myndigheder ikke ønske at sammenligne SEA Handling med, ikke desto mindre er i faktisk eller potentiel konkurrence med selskabet.
Neither Italy nor SEA has ever shown that such an analysis was carried out at the time of the measures in question.
De italienske myndigheders argument reducerer de facto antallet af sammenlignelige konkurrenter til SEA Handling til nul, eftersom ingen operatører leverer nøjagtig den vifte af tjenesteydelser, som SEA Handling i øjeblikket udbyder, selv når operatøren er af samme type, nemlig en virksomhed, der er knyttet til en koncessionshaver, men som drives som selvstændigt selskab.
The Commission consequently takes the view that the efforts to cut costs, although they were substantial in several respects following the setting up of the company, and particularly after 2007, were not sufficient to envisage a return to profitability, or then only in the long term, that is to say in more than 10 years, and without considering the risk of having to return any illegal aid granted in the past.
Derudover mener SEA, at Kommissionen også burde tage hensyn til de metoder, som er brugt til gennemførelse af direktiv 96/67/EF, for at sammenligne med de tjenesteydelser, der leveres af leverandører, som opererer på et andet marked end Italien.
It is not surprising that after receiving public support for so many years SEA should have improved its results, but the Commission considers that given SEA Handling’s extremely heavy cost structure and the context of market liberalisation, a private investor would have sought a much more far-reaching restructuring operation in 2002 before agreeing to cover the losses for the time needed to complete the restructuring process and to obtain a reasonable return on its investment within a reasonable time.
Kommissionen bemærker, at utallige ground handling-leverandører er strukturelt rentable.
The comparison with the profits of other operators
Under alle omstændigheder er det forhold, at andre ground handling-leverandører kan have lidt tab i samme periode, ikke noget bevis for fornuften i SEA's adfærd, men synes snarere at tyde på det modsatte, fordi ethvert selskab, der står over for økonomiske vanskeligheder, vil forsøge at fokusere på sin kerneforretning og standse enhver investering i aktiviteter, som genererer strukturelle tab eller er mindre rentable.
The Commission rejects the argument that no comparison can be made with the economic performance of other ground handling service providers of a different ‘nature’ (the Italian authorities cite airport managers operating with separate accounts, airport managers operating separate companies, airlines providing their own ground handling services, and outside providers, which may in turn be divided into providers with domestic or international networks and SMEs) or with a different area of activity (some providers offer all ground handling services while others offer only some).
Som allerede påpeget flere gange i to af de fremsendte forretningsplaner understregede SEA Handling, at markedstendensen i den omhandlede periode gik i retning af, at koncessionshavere ophørte med at investere i ground handling-ydelser, og at de operatører, som havde underleverancekontrakter på ground handling-ydelser, generelt var mere rentable end de vertikalt integrerede operatører.
The very purpose of liberalising the sector is to stimulate competition so that the suppliers with the most competitive business models can establish themselves on the market, to the benefit of users, airlines and, ultimately, users.
Af lignende årsager må Kommissionen afvise SEA's argument om, at den eneste sammenlignelige operatør var […], som formodes at have lidt tab i perioden 2004-2006 og ikke udliciterede sine ground handling-ydelser.
The Commission considers that the operators with which the Italian authorities do not wish to compare SEA Handling are nevertheless in actual or potential competition with it.
For det første er […] stadig under statens kontrol, så dens adfærd kan ikke anses for typisk for en privat investor.
The Italian authorities’ argument de facto reduces the number of competitors comparable to SEA Handling to zero, since no operator provides exactly the range of services currently offered by SEA Handling, even where that operator is of the same ‘nature’, namely an undertaking linked to an airport manager but operating as a separate company.
For det andet har Kommissionen ikke den nødvendige information til at fastslå, om […] havde modtaget finansiel støtte til sine ground handling-ydelser, som var sammenlignelig med hensyn til beløb eller varighed med den støtte, som SEA Handling modtog.
This is leaving aside the fact that SEA considers that the Commission ought also to take account of the methods by which Directive 96/67/EC has been implemented in order to compare the services provided by providers operating on a market other than Italy.
Endelig mener Kommissionen ikke, at den sammenligning, som SEA Handling foretog med […] og […], var væsentlig.
Numerous ground handling service providers are structurally profitable.
SEA Handling påstår, at disse operatører havde lidt tab på ydelser leveret i de pågældende lufthavne uden at levere tilstrækkeligt bevis herfor.
In any case, the fact that other ground handling operators may have incurred losses in the same period does not demonstrate the rationality of SEA’s conduct, but rather seems to suggest the opposite, because any company faced with economic difficulties will seek to focus on its core business and stop any investments in to activities that generate structural losses or are less profitable.
Desuden forekommer det, at de negative resultater hos disse operatører til dels skyldtes den støtte, som SEA Handling modtog.
As already pointed out several times, in two of the business plans submitted SEA Handling emphasised that the market trend in the period in question was towards an end to investment by airport managers in ground handling services, and that operators that had subcontracted ground handling services were generally more profitable than vertically integrated operators.
Hvis SEA Handling ikke havde modtaget gentagne kapitaltilførsler fra SEA, ville selskabet være blevet insolvent og ville have undergået en hurtigere og mere tilbundsgående omstruktureringsproces, end det faktisk gjorde.
For similar reasons, the Commission must reject SEA’s argument that the only comparable operator was […], which is presumed to have suffered losses in the period 2004-2006 period and did not subcontract its ground handling services.
Markedsstrukturen ville have ændret sig, og konkurrenterne ville have haft en chance for at øge deres markedsandel og forbedre deres indtjening.
First, […] is still controlled by the State, so that its conduct cannot be considered typical of private operators.
Kommissionen mener konkluderende, at de omhandlede kapitaltilførsler ikke kan opfylde det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip, og derfor at de gav SEA Handling en fordel, som det ikke ville have haft på normale markedsvilkår.
Second, the Commission does not have the information needed to determine whether […] had received financial aid towards its ground handling services that was comparable in terms of amount or duration to that received by SEA Handling.
VIRKNINGEN FOR SAMHANDELEN MELLEM MEDLEMSSTATERNE OG FORDREJNING AF KONKURRENCEN
Finally, the Commission does not consider the comparison made by SEA Handling with […] and […] to be significant.
Foranstaltningerne påvirker samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne og fordrejer eller truer med at fordreje konkurrencen i det indre marked, idet de begunstiger en enkelt virksomhed, som er i konkurrence med andre leverandører af ground handling-ydelser i Malpensa og Linate og med alle andre leverandører, der er godkendt til at operere der, hvoraf mange driver virksomhed i mere end én medlemsstat, især efter liberaliseringen af sektoren, som trådte i kraft i 2002.
SEA Handling claims that those operators had incurred losses from services provided at those airports without giving sufficient proof.
KONKLUSION
Moreover, it would seem that the negative results of those operators were partly a consequence of the aid received by SEA Handling.
Kommissionen konkluderer derfor, at foranstaltningerne, som SEA traf til dækning af SEA Handlings tab, udgør statsstøtte i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF.
Had SEA Handling not received repeated injections of capital from SEA, it would have become insolvent, and would have undergone a more rapid and in-depth restructuring process than it actually did.
STØTTENS FORENELIGHED MED DET INDRE MARKED
The structure of the market would have changed, and competitors would have had the opportunity to increase their market share and improve their profits.
Eftersom Kommissionen mener, at de omhandlede foranstaltninger udgør statsstøtte i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 1, i TEUF, har den undersøgt deres forenelighed i lyset af undtagelserne i artikel 107, stk. 2 og 3.
In conclusion, the Commission considers that the capital injections in question do not pass the private investor test and consequently that they conferred on SEA Handling an advantage that it would not have obtained in normal market conditions.
Artikel 107, stk. 2, kan tydeligvis ikke anvendes på grund af arten af de omhandlede foranstaltninger, og hverken Italien eller SEA har påberåbt sig bestemmelsen.
EFFECT ON TRADE BETWEEN MEMBER STATES AND DISTORTION OF COMPETITION
Med hensyn til artikel 107, stk. 3, udtrykte Kommissionen i sin indledningsbeslutning bekymring vedrørende foranstaltningernes forenelighed med retningslinjerne for luftfartssektoren.
The measures affect trade between Member States and distort or threaten to distort competition in the internal market in that they favour a single undertaking, which is in competition with other ground handling service providers at Malpensa and Linate airports, and with all other providers authorised to operate there, many of which operate in more than one Member State, more especially since the liberalisation of the sector took effect in 2002.
Disse retningslinjer giver en beskrivelse af den måde, hvorpå Kommissionen vil evaluere den offentlige finansiering af lufthavnstjenesterne i henhold til regler og procedurer for statsstøtte.
CONCLUSION
Med hensyn til subsidiering af lufthavnstjenester henvises der i retningslinjerne til direktiv 96/67/EF, ifølge hvilket ground handling-aktiviteter over tærsklen på 2 millioner passagerer skal være selvbærende uafhængigt af lufthavnens andre kommercielle indtægter eller offentlige midler, som lufthavnsoperatøren har modtaget som lufthavnsmyndighed eller udbyder af en tjenesteydelse af almindelig økonomisk interesse.
The Commission therefore concludes that measures taken by SEA to cover SEA Handling’s losses constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the TFEU.
Det skal derfor påpeges, at offentlige myndigheders subsidiering af sådanne aktiviteter er i strid med målene i direktiv 96/67/EF og kan have en negativ virkning for liberaliseringen af markedet.
COMPATIBILITY OF THE AID WITH THE INTERNAL MARKET
Kommissionen mener derfor ikke, at støtten kan anses for forenelig med det indre marked på grundlag af retningslinjerne for luftfartssektoren.
Since it considers that the measures in question constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the TFEU, the Commission has examined their compatibility in light of the exemptions provided for Article 107(2) and (3).
Alternativt har de italienske myndigheder bedt Kommissionen vurdere støttens forenelighed i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c), i TEUF og 2004-rammebestemmelserne for omstrukturering.
Article 107(2) is clearly not applicable, given the nature of the measures in question, and it has not been invoked by Italy or SEA.
De italienske myndigheder har ikke forsøgt at angive et andet retsgrundlag, som kunne påvise den omhandlede støttes forenelighed med det indre marked i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 3, og de har heller ikke fremsendt dokumentation til påvisning af en sådan forenelighed til Kommissionen.
Regarding Article 107(3), in the opening decision the Commission expressed its concern regarding the compatibility of the measures with the Aviation Sector Guidelines.
De italienske myndigheder har faktisk anført, at retningslinjerne for luftfartssektoren ikke kan anvendes til en vurdering af de omhandlede foranstaltningers forenelighed.
Those guidelines set out the way in which the Commission will evaluate the public funding of airport services under the rules and procedures governing State aid.
Derfor skal Kommissionen analysere de argumenter, som er fremsat af de italienske myndigheder til påvisning af støttens forenelighed som omstruktureringsstøtte.
With regard to the subsidising of airport services, the Aviation Sector Guidelines refer to Directive 96/67/EC, according to which above the threshold of two million passengers ground handling services must be self-financing, and must not be cross-subsidised by the airport’s other commercial revenue or by public resources granted to it as airport authority or operator of a service of general economic interest.
I punkt 104 i 2004-rammebestemmelserne for omstrukturering hedder det:
It must be pointed out, therefore, that subsidisation of such activities by public authorities runs counter to the objectives laid down in Directive 96/67/EC and may have a negative effect on the liberalisation of the market.
Kommissionen vil undersøge, om rednings- eller omstruktureringsstøtte, der er ydet uden Kommissionens forudgående godkendelse …, er i overensstemmelse med fællesmarkedet på grundlag af disse rammebestemmelser, hvis al støtten eller en del heraf er blevet ydet efter rammebestemmelsernes offentliggørelse i Den Europæiske Unions Tidende.
The Commission accordingly considers that the aid cannot be declared compatible with the internal market on the basis of the Aviation Sector Guidelines.
I alle andre tilfælde vil den foretage undersøgelsen på grundlag af de rammebestemmelser, der anvendes på det tidspunkt, hvor støtten blev ydet.
In the alternative, the Italian authorities have asked the Commission to evaluate the compatibility of the aid under Article 107(3)(c) of the TFEU and the 2004 Restructuring Guidelines.
ammebestemmelserne for omstrukturering blev offentliggjort den 1. oktober 2004.
The Italian authorities have not sought to rely on any other legal basis that might demonstrate the compatibility of the aid in question with the internal market in the light of Article 107(3), nor have they submitted any evidence to demonstrate such compatibility to the Commission.
Eftersom Kommissionen mener, at den omhandlede foranstaltning skal forstås som en række beslutninger om tilførsel af kapital til SEA Handling for at dække dets driftstab, efterhånden som de opstod, frem for en eller to betalinger af omstruktureringsstøtte (som de italienske myndigheder synes at hævde, se betragtning 84), skal foranstaltningernes forenelighed undersøges på grundlag af 1999- og 2004-rammebestemmelserne for omstrukturering, afhængigt af om de var genstand for bindende løfter afgivet før eller efter den 1. oktober 2004.
The Italian authorities have in fact stated that the Aviation Sector Guidelines are not applicable to an assessment of the compatibility of the measures in question.
Virksomhedens støtteberettigelse
Consequently, the Commission must analyse the arguments put forward by the Italian authorities to demonstrate the compatibility of the aid as aid towards restructuring.