natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
I lyset af ovenstående mener Kommissionen, at Ryanair og AMS har modtaget statsstøtte i forbindelse med aftalerne fra 2008.
The Commission considers that the commercial relationship between SMAC and Ryanair, on the one hand, and SMAC and AMS, on the other, could be envisaged only in the unique context of Ryanair’s launch of the Angoulême-London Stansted route.
Den pågældende støtte udgør driftsstøtte.
In this respect, it is important to note that an audit carried out on behalf of the Charente local authorities presents Ryanair as the direct recipient of the ‘marketing aid’ that the airline demands for the launch of a possible low-cost service.
En sådan form for støtte er kun forenelig med det indre marked i særlige, behørigt begrundede tilfælde.
Thus, the French authorities point out that the 2008 agreements constitute a coherent and comprehensive contractual arrangement that is indivisible.
Det fremgår desuden af Domstolens retspraksis, at det påhvilede Frankrig at anføre, på hvilket retsgrundlag den pågældende støtte kunne opfattes som forenelig med det indre marked, og påvise, at samtlige betingelser for forenelighed var opfyldt.
It thus appears that, from the point of view of SMAC, there is an inseparable link between the marketing services agreement and the air services operated by Ryanair to Angoulême airport.
Kommissionen opfordrede derfor i sin indledningsafgørelse Frankrig til at anføre det potentielle retsgrundlag for foreneligheden samt til at bevise, at samtlige betingelser for forenelighed var opfyldt, især hvis den pågældende støtte skulle opfattes som startstøtte til åbning af nye ruter.
That assessment is reinforced by the provisions of the marketing services agreement, from which it is apparent that the agreement is based on Ryanair’s commitment to operate the service that is, at the same time, the subject-matter of the airport services agreement.
Frankrig har imidlertid aldrig nævnt, at de undersøgte foranstaltninger skulle udgøre startstøtte, som var forenelig med det indre marked, og har heller aldrig fremsat noget andet grundlag for foreneligheden eller et ræsonnement, som foreneligheden kunne baseres på.
Article 1 of the marketing services agreement, relating to its object, stipulates that ‘this agreement is based on Ryanair’s commitment to operate an air service between Angoulême airport and London.
Derudover har ingen interesserede tredjeparter forelagt oplysninger, der påviser foranstaltningernes forenelighed med det indre marked.
The initial schedule of flights will be three flights a week during the spring/summer period, unless it is impossible due to force majeure’.
Kommissionen finder det ikke desto mindre hensigtsmæssigt at undersøge, i hvilket omfang denne støtte ville kunne anses for at være forenelig i lyset af dens bidrag til åbningen af nye ruter.
The Commission also notes that certain clauses of the marketing services agreement make direct reference to Ryanair, to the point of considering it as a party to the agreement, even though the consensus was reached between SMAC and AMS.
I denne forbindelse anføres det i de nye retningslinjer:
For example, Article 7 of the marketing services agreement provides that ‘if the agreement is terminated by Ryanair at any time before the end of the third year of the agreement, Ryanair shall pay a penalty of EUR 50 000 for the fourth year and EUR 25 000 for the fifth year, in proportion to each year and to the flight schedule’.
»Kommissionen vil i forbindelse med startstøtte til luftfartsselskaber anvende principperne i disse retningslinjer på al anmeldt støtte, som den skal tage stilling til efter den 4. april 2014, selv hvor foranstaltningerne blev anmeldt inden denne dato.
Furthermore, the presentation report sent to the tenders committee states that SNC-Lavalin proposed to launch a new route to the British Isles in 2013 operated by a low-cost airline if SMAC granted the marketing aid requested, which it put at EUR 30-35/passenger departure.
I overensstemmelse med Kommissionens meddelelse om fastlæggelse af reglerne for vurdering af ulovlig statsstøtte vil Kommissionen i forbindelse med ulovlig startstøtte til luftfartsselskaber anvende de regler, der var gældende på det tidspunkt, hvor støtten blev ydet.
Therefore these arrangements establish a link between the choices made in the management of Angoulême airport and the marketing services agreement.
Den vil derfor ikke anvende principperne i disse retningslinjer på ulovlig startstøtte til luftfartsselskaber, som er ydet inden den 4. april 2014«.
Ryanair’s assertion made in the course of the present procedure that the marketing services agreement concluded between the airport and AMS was not intended to increase the occupancy rate of flights operated by Ryanair on the Angoulême-London route cannot call that conclusion into question.
I retningslinjerne fra 2005 hedder det, at »Kommissionen undersøger foreneligheden af enhver form for støtte til finansiering af lufthavnsinfrastruktur eller startstøtte, som ydes uden bemyndigelse og dermed i strid med traktatens artikel 88, stk. 3, på grundlag af nærværende retningslinjer, hvis man er begyndt at yde støtten, efter at retningslinjerne er blevet offentliggjort i Den Europæiske Unions Tidende.
The purpose of the marketing agreement was to provide advertising space on the Ryanair website in order to promote Angoulême as a travel destination among visitors to the Ryanair site and hence among the customers of the airline.
I andre tilfælde vil den gennemføre sin undersøgelse på grundlag af de regler, der gælder på det tidspunkt, hvor man begynder at yde støtten«.
Assuming Ryanair’s claim to be true and that the marketing agreement was unlikely to increase the number of passengers carried by Ryanair to/from Angoulême, it is difficult to understand what the advantage for the airport could be in concluding a marketing agreement of this kind.
Eftersom aftalerne fra 2008 blev indgået, efter at retningslinjerne fra 2005 trådte i kraft, udgør disse retningslinjer det gældende retsgrundlag.
Accordingly, the costs associated with the marketing services agreement were, for SMAC, attributable to the opening of the route between Angoulême and London Stansted.
I denne forbindelse fastsættes det i punkt 27 i retningslinjerne fra 2005, at driftsstøtte, der tilstås luftfartsselskaber (som f.eks. startstøtte), kun kan anses for at være forenelig i særlige undtagelsestilfælde og på meget strenge betingelser i de fattigste områder i Europa, dvs. regioner, der berøres af undtagelsen i artikel 107, stk. 3, litra a), i EF-traktaten, regionerne i EU's yderste periferi og tyndt befolkede områder.
From SMAC’s point of view, the benefits of the agreement could derive only from additional revenues linked to the passenger traffic on the Angoulême-London Stansted route, which was the only route operated by Ryanair to Angoulême airport.
Da Angoulême lufthavn ikke ligger i et område af denne type, finder denne undtagelse ikke anvendelse i nærværende sag.
The marketing services agreement is therefore inseparable from the airport services agreement concluded in parallel and the air transport services that constitute its subject-matter.
Kommissionen bemærker, at hverken Frankrig eller de interesserede tredjeparter har påvist disse foranstaltningers forenelighed med det indre marked på baggrund af retningslinjerne fra 2005 eller på et hvilket som helst andet grundlag.
The facts presented above show, moreover, that, in the absence of the routes in question (and hence of the airport services agreement relating to them), the marketing services agreement would not have made sound economic sense for Angoulême airport and consequently would not have been concluded.
Da kriterierne for startstøtte i punkt 79 i retningslinjerne fra 2005 er kumulative, finder Kommissionen det hensigtsmæssigt at undersøge kriterierne i retningslinjernes punkt 5.2, litra i) og k).
At that time, Ryanair was the only large airline that was flying to the airport and that could have increased traffic.
For så vidt angår kriteriet under litra i) (virksomhedsplan, som påviser den nye rutes bæredygtighed og en analyse af dens konsekvenser for de konkurrerende ruter), har Kommissionen opfordret Frankrig til at oplyse, om der var blevet udarbejdet sådanne virksomhedsplaner, og til i bekræftende fald at fremsende kopier heraf.
If the airport wanted to promote traffic on other routes served by Ryanair’s competitor airlines, it is reasonable to assume that it would not have advertised on Ryanair’s website.
Hverken Frankrig eller de interesserede tredjeparter har omtalt sådanne virksomhedsplaner.
As mentioned above, the marketing services agreement explicitly states that it stems from Ryanair’s commitment to operate an air service between Angoulême airport and London Stansted and it provides, moreover, for marketing services that are essentially intended to promote that route.
Det fremgår desuden af udtalelserne fra Ryanair/AMS, at der ikke blev udarbejdet nogen virksomhedsplan, hvori det godtgøres, at ruten ville være bæredygtig i en betydelig periode efter støttens ophør.
In conclusion, in view of the foregoing, the Commission considers that the marketing services and airport services agreements (‘the 2008 agreements’), which form a single transaction, should be analysed jointly in order to determine whether they constitute State aid.
Der foreligger ikke nogen forhåndsanalyse baseret på de oplysninger, luftfartsselskabet havde til rådighed på det tidspunkt, hvor aftalerne fra 2008 blev indgået, som gør det muligt at fastslå, at luftruten mellem Angoulême lufthavn og London-Stansted ville være bæredygtig.
The benefits that an MEO could have expected to gain from the marketing services agreements and the price that it would have been willing to pay for these services
Kriteriet under litra i) er således ikke opfyldt.
In order to be able to apply the MEO principle to the case in point, the behaviour of CCI Angoulême and SMAC as signatories of the 2008 agreements must be compared with that of a hypothetical MEO in charge of operating Angoulême airport.
Kriteriet under litra k) (klageadgang) vedrører klageprocedurer, som skal forudses i medlemsstaterne til at afhjælpe enhver forskelsbehandling, som måtte finde sted i forbindelse med støtteydelse.
In analysing the transaction in question, an assessment should be made of the benefits that this hypothetical MEO, motivated by the prospect of profits, could gain from the marketing services.
Kommissionen bemærker, at der ikke var planlagt nogen klageprocedure på det tidspunkt, hvor aftalerne fra 2008 blev indgået, til at afhjælpe forskelsbehandling, som måtte finde sted i forbindelse med ydelse af startstøtte.
This analysis should not take into account the general impact of such services on tourism and the region’s economic activity.
SMAC's aftaler fra 2008 med Ryanair og AMS, som er omfattet af nærværende procedure, udgør således statsstøtte, som ikke er forenelig med det indre marked.
Although this impact will mainly benefit the airline concerned, it may also be of benefit to the airport manager.
SAMLET KONKLUSION
An increase in passenger traffic may lead to an increase in revenues generated by certain airport charges for the airport manager, as well as an increase in revenues from non-flight services, in particular from car parks, restaurants and other businesses.
I henhold til artikel 108, stk. 3, i TEUF er medlemsstaten forpligtet til at anmelde alle projekter, der betyder indførelse eller ændring af statsstøtte.
There can therefore be no doubt that an MEO operating Angoulême airport in the stead of CCI-airport and SMAC would have taken this positive effect into account when considering entering into the marketing services agreement and the corresponding airport services agreement.
Den pågældende medlemsstat må ikke gennemføre de påtænkte foranstaltninger, før den nævnte fremgangsmåde har ført til endelig afgørelse.
The MEO would have taken into account the impact of the air route in question on future revenues and costs by, in this case, estimating the number of passengers using these routes, which would have reflected the positive effect of the marketing services.
I lyset af ovenstående mener Kommissionen, at den kompensation, som Angoulême lufthavn har modtaget, udgør ulovlig statsstøtte, men at den er forenelig med det indre marked i medfør af artikel 106, stk. 2, i TEUF.
Moreover, this effect would have been evaluated for the entire term of operation of the air routes in question, as set out in the airport services agreement and the marketing services agreement.
De beløb, der er udbetalt i forbindelse med gennemførelsen af aftalerne fra 2008 for Ryanairs og AMS' aktiviteter, udgør til gengæld ulovlig statsstøtte, som er uforenelig med det indre marked.
When airport managers conclude an agreement for the promotion of certain air routes, it is possible for them to forecast the load ratio (or the load factor) for the air routes in question and to take this into account when assessing future revenues.
Ifølge fast retspraksis kan Kommissionen, når den fastslår, at en støtteforanstaltning er uforenelig med det indre marked, forpligte den pågældende medlemsstat til at ophæve eller ændre støtteforanstaltningen.
On this point, the Commission notes Ryanair’s opinion that marketing services agreements do not just generate costs for an airport manager; they also bring possible benefits with them.
I artikel 14 i Rådets forordning (EF) nr. 659/1999 hedder det, 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, i det følgende benævnt »beslutning om tilbagebetaling«.
It is also necessary to determine whether other benefits could reasonably be expected and quantified for a hypothetical MEO operating Angoulême airport in the stead of CCI-airport and SMAC, i.e. other than the benefits from the positive effect on passenger traffic on the air routes covered by the marketing services agreement during the term of operation of these routes, as set out in the marketing services agreement or the airport services agreement.
Kommissionen kræver ikke tilbagebetaling af støtten, hvis det vil være i modstrid med et generelt princip i fællesskabslovgivningen.«
Some interested parties support this argument, including Ryanair in its study of 17 January 2014.
Ved at kræve, at den pågældende medlemsstat tilbagesøger den støtte, der er uforenelig med det indre marked, søger Kommissionen at genoprette den oprindelige situation.
This study of 17 January 2014 is based on the premise that marketing services acquired by an airport manager, such as CCI-airport and SMAC, will help to improve the airport’s brand image and, as a result, to sustainably increase the number of passengers using this airport and not just the numbers on the air routes covered by the marketing services agreement and the airport services agreement for the term of operation set out in these agreements.
I denne forbindelse mener Domstolen, at målet er nået, når støttemodtagerne har tilbagebetalt den ulovligt ydede støtte og dermed har mistet den fordel, der var opnået på markedet i forhold til konkurrenterne.
In particular, Ryanair found in its study that these marketing services will have a lasting positive impact on passenger traffic in the airport even after the marketing services agreement has expired.
Dermed er den oprindelige situation forud for støtteudbetalingen genoprettet.
It should first be noted that there is nothing to suggest that, when the marketing services agreement covered by the formal investigation procedure was entered into, the airport manager ever considered, still less quantified, the marketing services agreement’s possible beneficial effects on air routes additional to those covered by the agreement, or the possibility of such effects continuing after the agreement had expired.
I den foreliggende sag er tilbagesøgning af den således konstaterede ulovlige støtte ikke i modstrid med et generelt princip i fællesskabslovgivningen.
Moreover, France did not suggest any method for estimating the possible value that a hypothetical MEO operating Angoulême airport in the stead of CCI-airport and SMAC could have placed on such effects when assessing whether or not to enter into the 2008 agreements.
Hverken Frankrig eller interesserede tredjeparter har fremsat argumenter i den henseende.
Accordingly, these effects, even if they were proved, were in any case not taken into account by the airport managers when signing the agreements with AMS and Ryanair.
Det betyder, at Frankrig skal træffe alle nødvendige foranstaltninger til at få den støtte, der blev ydet ulovligt i medfør af aftalerne fra 2008, tilbagebetalt af Ryanair og AMS.
In addition, from the information available, the sustainable nature of these effects also appears to be highly uncertain.
Det støttebeløb, der skal betales tilbage, fastlægges som følger.
It is possible that advertising Angoulême and the region on Ryanair’s internet site may have encouraged people visiting this site to buy Ryanair tickets to Angoulême when the advertising was first posted or shortly thereafter.
Aftalerne fra 2008 skal anses for at have ligget til grund for udbetaling af et årligt støttebeløb, der var det samme i alle de år, hvor aftalerne blev gennemført.
However, it is unlikely that the effect of this advertising on visitors lasted or had an influence on plane ticket purchases for more than a few weeks after its being posted on the Ryanair internet site.
Disse beløb svarer til de beløb, man burde have forudset, der hvert år skulle trækkes fra beløbet for markedsføringstjenester (eller som man burde have forudset, der skulle lægges til de lufthavnsafgifter og afgifter for groundhandlingydelser, som blev faktureret til luftfartsselskaberne) for at gøre kontraktens nettonutidsværdi positiv, med andre ord for at bringe kontrakten i overensstemmelse med det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip.
For example, an advertising campaign involving mainstream TV and radio stations, popular internet sites and/or various advertising posters displayed outside or inside public places could have a sustainable effect if consumers are regularly exposed to these media.
For at tage højde for den egentlige fordel, som Ryanair og AMS opnåede gennem aftalerne fra 2008, kan de i foregående betragtning nævnte beløb reguleres på baggrund af de beviser, Frankrig har fremlagt, i forhold til i) forskellen mellem på den ene side de reelle beløb, sådan som de er blevet konstateret efterfølgende, som Ryanair betalte i landingsafgift, passagerafgift og afgift for groundhandlingydelser i henhold til kontrakten om lufthavnstjenester, og på den anden side de (på forhånd) forventede kapitalstrømme, som svarer til disse indtægtsposter og er nævnt i tabel 12, og ii) forskellen mellem på den ene side de reelle beløb, sådan som de er blevet konstateret efterfølgende, som blev udbetalt til Ryanair og AMS for markedsføringstjenester i henhold til kontrakten om markedsføringstjenester, og på den anden side de tilsvarende (på forhånd) forventede markedsføringsudgifter, som er nævnt i tabel 12.
However, promotional activities limited to just Ryanair’s internet site are unlikely to have an effect that lasts much past the end of the promotional campaign.
De støttebeløb, der er beregnet som vist nedenfor og knyttet til aftalerne fra 2008, sættes til nul for de år, hvor kontrakten ikke længere var gyldig (som følge af kontraktens opsigelse før tid efter fælles aftale mellem parterne).
Furthermore, even the holders of well-known trade marks continue to promote their trade marks through marketing campaigns, which would have no rational economic justification if Ryanair’s line of argument were to be followed.
Tabel 13 indeholder relevante oplysninger om de beløb, ud fra hvilke de beløb, der skal tilbagebetales, skal beregnes.
It is very likely that most people do not visit Ryanair’s internet site frequently enough for the advertising there alone to leave them with an indelible memory of the promotion of a region on that site.
Disse beløb er sammensat af de forventede gradvist stigende kapitalstrømme (indtægter minus udgifter), som anvendelsen af det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip resulterer i, men med fradrag for de år, hvor de ikke forfaldt til betaling.
This observation is well supported by two factors.
Tabel 13
First, under the marketing services agreement, the promotion of the Angoulême region on the homepage of the Ryanair site amounted to five paragraphs totalling 150 words in the ‘Top Five Things To Do’ section for the destination of Angoulême-Cognac and the presence of a simple link on the home page of www.ryanair.com to a site designated by SMAC during limited or even very short periods (24, 17 and 12 days a year over the first three years).
Oplysninger om de beløb fra aftalerne fra 2008, der skal tilbagebetales
Both the nature of these promotional activities (the presence of a simple link of limited promotional value) and their short lifespan would have severely limited the impact of these activities after the end of the promotion, all the more so since these activities were limited to just the Ryanair internet site and were not relayed by any other media.
Vejledende støttebeløb modtaget i henhold til aftalen (EUR) [202]
Secondly, the other marketing activities provided for in the agreement entered into with AMS were only in relation to the internet page for the destination of Angoulême.
Vejledende støttebeløb, der skal tilbagebetales (EUR)
It is very likely that most people do not visit this page often, and if they do so, it is only because they are already potentially interested in this destination.
(Hovedstol)
Thus, even if the marketing services did stimulate passenger traffic on the air routes covered by the marketing services agreement for their period of implementation, it is very likely that this effect was zero or negligible after this period and that the effect on other air routes was similarly insignificant.
Som forklaret ovenfor mener Kommissionen, at Ryanair og AMS med henblik på anvendelsen af statsstøttereglerne udgør én samlet økonomisk enhed, og at kontrakterne om markedsføringstjenester og kontrakterne om lufthavnstjenester, der blev indgået på samme tid den 8. februar 2008, skal opfattes som én og samme transaktion.
Moreover, in the Ryanair studies of 17 and 31 January 2014, it was established that the likelihood of these benefits going beyond the air routes covered by these agreements or lasting after the term of operation for these routes, as set out in the marketing services and airport services agreements, was extremely small and could not be quantified with a degree of reliability that would be considered sufficient by a prudent MEO.
Kommissionen mener derfor, at Ryanair og AMS hæfter solidarisk for tilbagebetalingen af hele det støttebeløb, de har modtaget i henhold til aftalerne fra 2008.
For example, according to the study of 17 January 2014 ‘… future incremental profits beyond the scheduled expiry of the airport services agreement are by nature uncertain’.
Det faktisk udbetalte støttebeløb for 2008 og 2009 i henhold til aftalerne fra 2008 beløber sig til et samlet afrundet beløb på 868 695 EUR.
Furthermore, this study proposes two methods of assessing ex ante the positive effects of marketing services agreements: an approach based on cash flow and an approach based on capitalisation.
De franske myndigheder skal tilbagesøge ovennævnte beløb inden for en frist på fire måneder at regne fra datoen for nærværende afgørelses meddelelse.
The cash flow approach consists in evaluating the benefits of marketing services and airport services agreements by estimating the future revenues which may be generated by the airport manager through the marketing services and by the airport services agreements, less corresponding costs.