natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Kommissionen bemærker især, at der i de bemærkninger, som den modtog i forbindelse med den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure, ikke var nogen oplysninger om, at investeringsprojektet uden støtten ville være blevet gennemført i et andet område i EU, hvor der kunne have været anvendt en højere eller lignende tilladt maksimal støtteintensitet.
Open market for recycled CCM (testliner up to 150 g/m2 and fluting made from recycled paper)
Desuden er der ingen tegn på, at støtten har foranlediget Propapier til at flytte sine forretningsaktiviteter til andre områder, som befinder sig i en sammenlignelig eller værre socioøkonomisk situation end det støtteberettigede område, hvor Propapier har foretaget sin investering.
Capacity increase in volume (applying 150 000 t/a)
Kommissionen bemærker afslutningsvis, at Tyskland har dokumenteret, at Propapier PM2-projektet bidrager til opnåelsen af samhørighedsmålet — et mål af almen interesse — og blev gennemført i forbindelse med en sammenhængende regionaludviklingsstrategi.
Capacity increase in value (applying 150 000 t/a)
Den støttede investering bidrager væsentligt til forbedringen af den socioøkonomiske situation og til udviklingen af det berørte område, navnlig i betragtning af dens virkninger på beskæftigelsen, indtjeningen og udvidelsen af det industrielle fundament.
Capacity increase in volume (applying 285 000 t/a)
I betragtning af projektets art og størrelse mener Kommissionen, at støtten ikke forårsager uacceptable konkurrencefordrejninger og indvirkninger på samhandelen.
Capacity increase in value (applying 285 000 t/a)
I lyset af det ovenstående konkluderer Kommissionen, at fordelene ved støtteforanstaltningen opvejer konkurrencefordrejningerne og påvirkningen af samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
The Commission rejects the “displacement effect” theory invoked by the complainant (see recitals 56 and 57 above) which suggests that “freed capacity”, i.e. capacity not bought anymore on the open market by Progroup, should be added up to Progroup’s CCM production sold on the open market in order to calculate the capacity created by the Propapier investment on the open market.
KONKLUSION
Such scenario (applying a capacity increase of 525 000 t/a) would lead to a capacity increase exceeding 5 %, but, as argued also by Germany, such approach would lead to the conclusion that the capacity increase is the same on the open or on the overall market.
Kommissionen fastslår, at Tyskland ulovligt har iværksat støtte til fordel for Propapier PM2 GmbH i strid med artikel 108, stk. 3, i TEUF.
It would even be the same if Propapier would not offer any CCM on the open market and would use all its new production in-house.
Ikke desto mindre når Kommissionen til den konklusion, at støtten opfylder standardkriterierne i regionalstøtteretningslinjerne og ikke skaber en situation, hvor tærskelværdierne i henhold til punkt 68, litra a) og b), i regionalstøtteretningslinjerne overskrides, har en tilskyndelsesvirkning og er proportional i forhold til de regionale ulemper, der skal afhjælpes.
In the latter case, since no CCM production is sold on the market, but only the downstream product, i.e. corrugated board, the CCM market would not even need to be considered for the purpose of the tests of § 68 of the RAG.
Desuden er det Kommissionens opfattelse, at fordelene ved støtten opvejer konkurrencefordrejningerne og påvirkningen af samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
Furthermore, the xls sheet provided by Smurfit Kappa dates from June 2008, while the Commission may only take into account facts, reports and other data that could have been available to it before the approval date of the annulled decision, i.e. 2 April 2008.
Kommissionen konkluderer derfor, at støtten i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 3, litra a), i TEUF er forenelig med det indre marked —
Even if the document uses some data resulting from a 2007 study (Henry Poole Consulting, see footnote 15), the calculations are based on assumptions and other data which do not seem to directly originate from this study.
VEDTAGET FØLGENDE AFGØRELSE:
As regards the downstream product, i.e. corrugated board, no production capacity is created by the project which aims to produce solely CCM (capacity increase for corrugated board is 0 %).
Artikel 1
This means that the 5 % threshold of § 68(b) of the RAG is not exceeded for corrugated board.
Tysklands statsstøtte til fordel for Propapier PM2 GmbH på 43 415 903 EUR (i nutidsværdi) er i henhold til artikel 107, stk. 3, litra a), i traktaten om Den Europæiske Unions funktionsmåde forenelig med det indre marked.
As a general conclusion, the Commission considers on the basis of the above that the capacity created by the Propapier PM2 project is below 5 % of the relevant markets concerned and thus the aid measure under scrutiny does not lead to a situation where the threshold laid down in § 68(b) of the RAG is exceeded for the products concerned.
Artikel 2
Structural overcapacity
Denne afgørelse er rettet til Forbundsrepublikken Tyskland.
As set out in recital 60 above, Smurfit Kappa argued that the CCM market was in structural overcapacity in the period 2001-2006, and that State aid for new investments in the sector exacerbated this overcapacity.
Bruxelles, den 1. oktober 2014.
The Commission will examine those arguments, even though the results of the test laid down in § 68(b) of the RAG indicate that no substantial capacity increase is brought on a market in structural overcapacity.
På Kommissionens vegne
Smurfit Kappa based its argumentation on the 2007 London Economics study, which points to capacity utilisation rates below 90 % from 2003 to 2005 and indicates that these would also have remained below 90 % in 2006-2007 if the sector had not closed down capacity.
Næstformand
Germany however claims that the capacity shut downs mainly concerned old and inefficient machines.
EUT C 54 af 4.3.2006, s. 13.
The ECA report states that the closures were largely driven by natural change in demand and technical standards and the pursuit of economies of scale, and that the need for machine replacement can be attributed to: (1) change in production technologies; (2) evolving standardisation process within the industry; and (3) the potential costs savings afforded by the economies of scale of larger machinery.
Hertil regnes formelle klager fra følgende sammenslutninger: Swedish Forest Industries Federation og Finnish Forest Industry Federation, 20. december 2007 (registreret under journalnr.
Germany therefore rejected that the closures were a deliberate choice by the sector in view of restoring supply-demand balance on the market, as argued by Smurfit Kappa.
CP 365/07), Koninklijke Vereniging van Nederlandse Papier- en Kartonfabrieken, 3. januar 2008 (registreret under journalnr.
The Commission notes that an independent 2007 study (Deutsche Bank study) indeed presents the closures of Smurfit Kappa CCM plants as an attempt to improve the quality of its asset base.
CP 3/08) og fra Procelpac — Groupement français des fabricants de papiers et cartons d'emballage à base de cellulose, 22. februar 2008 (registreret under journalnr.
This study furthermore indicates that new capacity is needed to satisfy demand over the period 2009-2012 (hereby referring to new investments by Mondi, Progroup and SAICA), and that operating rates would remain at healthy levels, regardless of the introduction of new capacity in 2009.
CP 47/08).
The Commission is therefore of the view that there is no convincing evidence that the aid granted to Propapier would reinforce existing structural overcapacity in the CCM market.
EUT C 131 af 29.5.2008, s. 6.
The figures presented by Smurfit Kappa about overcapacity mainly relate to the period before the investment, while the available forecasts at the time of the annulled decision, including an independent study (Deutsche Bank) point to demand growth as from 2007.
EUT C 7 af 12.1.2011, s. 10.
In any case, the Commission has taken account of the relative decline of demand over the period 2001-2006 — in value terms — by calculating the proportion of the new capacity created on the relevant market, as required by § 68(b) of the RAG.
Jf. Kommissionens afgørelse af 23. marts 2011 i statsstøttesag C 28/05 til Glunz AG (EUT L 228 af 3.9.2011, s. 22) og Kommissionens afgørelse af 11. maj 2012 i statsstøttesag SA.28855 (N 373/09) (ex C 10/09, ex N 528/08) til ING — Restructuring aid (EUT C 260 af 29.8.2012, s. 1).
CONCLUSION ON WHETHER A DETAILED VERIFICATION IN APPLICATION OF IDAC IS NECESSARY
EUT C 230 af 8.8.2013, s. 39.
The RAG state that in cases where the thresholds of § 68(a) and (b) of the RAG are exceeded, the Commission will approve regional investment aid only after a detailed verification, following the opening of the procedure provided for in Article 88(2) of the Treaty, that the aid is necessary to provide an incentive effect for the investment and that the benefits of the aid measure outweigh the resulting distortion of competition and effect on trade between Member States.
Statsstøttesag N 459/06 (EUT C 295 af 5.12.2006, s. 6).
The Commission notes that, in the present case, the thresholds of § 68 of the RAG are not exceeded, i.e. the detailed verification in application of the Communication from the Commission concerning the criteria for an in-depth assessment of regional aid to large investment project (hereinafter: IDAC) is not required.
Omfattet af tavshedspligt.
Nonetheless, the Commission has to establish that the contribution of the aid to regional investment outweighs its possible negative effects on trade and competition.
Med henblik på denne afgørelse tilbagediskonteres støtteberettigede omkostninger og støttebeløb under anvendelse af den på tidspunktet for anmeldelsen gældende referencerente, dvs. i dette tilfælde 5,42 % (jf. punkt 41 i regionalstøtteretningslinjerne), til året for den oprindelige anmeldelse.
BALANCING OF THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE AID
Offentliggjort i EUT C 41 af 24.2.2007, s. 9.
The Commission notes that the incentive effect requirements laid down in § 38 of the RAG are met.
I henhold til Kommissionens forordning (EF) nr. 1628/2006 af 24. oktober 2006 om anvendelse af traktatens artikel 87 og 88 på medlemsstaternes regionale investeringsstøtte (gruppefritagelsesforordning for regional investeringsstøtte) (EUT L 302 af 1.11.2006, s. 29).
The Commission notes also that the Court confirmed that the Commission can base its assessment of the incentive effect by reference to a circumstance of a chronological nature.
Offentliggjort i EUT C 102 af 5.5.2007, s. 11.
The Commission therefore considers that the aid has had an incentive effect on the investment and has triggered its positive contribution to the development of the assisted region concerned.
Støtteordningen gennemføres i henhold til gruppefritagelsesforordningen for regional investeringsstøtte (se fodnote 9).
The RAG state that regional aid can only play an effective role if it is used sparingly and proportionately and is concentrated on the most disadvantaged regions of the European Union.
Målt i købekraftstandard.
In particular, the permissible aid ceilings should reflect the relative seriousness of the problems affecting the development of the regions concerned.
Efter vedtagelsen af den ophævede beslutning meddelte Tyskland, at der i forbindelse med projektet er skabt i alt 675 arbejdspladser i regionen (heraf 36 på kraftværket).
Furthermore, the advantages of the aid in terms of the development of a less favoured region must outweigh the resulting distortions of competition.
Propapier beskæftiger selv 123 arbejdere og 23 funktionærer.
The Treaty allows the Commission to accept distortions of competition and trade in order to favour the regional development of regions eligible for regional aid pursuant to Article 107(3)(a) of the TFEU.
Derudover har Propapier skabt 11 uddannelsespladser.
The weight given to the positive effects resulting from the aided investment is greater in the case of the most disadvantaged regions covered by Article 107(3)(a) of the TFEU than in those covered by Article 107(3)(c) of the TFEU.
Jf. præmis 88 i Rettens dom i sag T-304/08.
The maximum aid intensity of 12,30 % GGE applicable to the investment project was subject to the scaling down of standard regional aid ceilings pursuant to § 67 of the RAG and does not exceed the applicable regional aid ceiling.
Economic analysis of State aid given to Progroup AG, London Economics, 9.11.2007.
It can therefore be considered to be proportionate to the handicaps to be addressed in the Brandenburg area, which was at the relevant time considered eligible for regional aid pursuant to Article 107(3)(a) of the TFEU.
Rådets forordning (EF) nr. 659/1999 af 22. marts 1999 om fastlæggelse af regler for anvendelsen af artikel 108 i traktaten om Den Europæiske Unions funktionsmåde (EFT L 83 af 27.3.1999, s. 1) (i den reviderede udgave).
Having established that the aid provides an incentive for carrying out the investment in the region concerned and is proportionate, it is necessary to balance the positive effects of the aid with its negative effects.
Economic analysis of investment aid to Progroup, Report for Federal Republic of Germany, 11.7.2013.
By creating 150 direct and 450 indirect jobs and widening the industrial base of the region concerned, the aided investment contributes to the regional development of a region declared eligible for regional aid pursuant to Article 107(3)(a) of the TFEU.
Investeringspræmie til Propapier PM2, diskussionsdokument, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, 15.7.2013.
The Commission notes that the aid per job created (amounting to ca.
Deutsche Bank AG Global Markets Research Division, Smurfit Kappa analysis report, 24.4.2007.
EUR 300 000 per direct job created, but only EUR 75 000 per direct and indirect job created), is not excessive when compared with similar cases of regional aid to capital-intensive investments in the paper sector, where the same standard regional aid ceiling of 30 % was applicable.
ECA-rapporten, s. 19.
The aid does not lead to the creation or the strengthening of a dominant market position of the aid beneficiary and the effects of the capacity created by the investment on the relevant product markets are limited.
Kommissionen fulgte samme fremgangsmåde i statsstøttesag N 203/08 LIP — Tyskland — støtte til papirfabrikken Hamburger Spremberg GmbH & Co KG og SA.32063 (2011/NN) Polen — LIP — Mondi Świecie.
At the point in time when the investment and aid granting decisions were taken, those markets could not be considered or expected to be in structural overcapacity at the date of completion of the investment.
Deutsche Bank-undersøgelsen, s. 21.
Since the aid respects the maximum scaled down aid intensity ceiling applicable to large investment projects, in accordance with the RAG and with the regional aid map approved for Germany for the period 2007-2013, the Commission considers that the aid has no excessive negative effect on trade which would be incompatible with the internal market.
ECA-rapporten, s. 9.
The Commission notes, in particular, that there is no indication resulting from the comments received in the context of the formal investigation procedure that the investment project would have been implemented, in the absence of the aid, in another region in the European Union where a higher or equal aid intensity ceiling would apply.
Deutsche Bank-undersøgelsen, s. 12.
There is also no indication that the aid led Propapier to relocate its activities and resulted in subsequent job losses in other regions with a comparable or worse socioeconomic situation than that of the assisted region where Propapier implemented its investment.
ECA-rapporten, s. 10.
The Commission concludes that Germany demonstrated that the Propapier PM2 project contributes towards the achievement of the cohesion objective, which is an objective of common interest, and was implemented as part of a coherent regional development strategy.
CAGR (gennemsnitlig årlig vækstrate).
The aided investment contributes significantly to the improvement of the socioeconomic situation and to the development of the region concerned, in particular in view of its effect on employment, revenue generation and widening of its industrial base.
Lønforskel på grund af uddannelsesomkostninger og andre udgifter, f.eks. husleje- og befordringstilskud, på basis af en sammenligning mellem de eksisterende Prowell-lokaliteter i […].
Having regard to the nature and size of the project, the Commission considers that the aid does not result in unacceptable distortions of competition and effects on trade.
SPD's partiforening og CDU's partiforening i delstaten Brandenburg, aftale vedrørende samarbejde i en regeringskoalition i den 4. valgperiode for landdagen i Brandenburg 2004-2009, Potsdam, oktober 2004.
In light of the above, the Commission concludes that the benefits of the aid measure outweigh the resulting distortion of competition and negative effects on trade between Member States.
Pöyry, »Branchenstrategie Papier Brandenburg (Zusammenfassung)« udarbejdet på foranledning af Brandenburgs økonomiministerium, november 2007.
CONCLUSION
F.eks. seminarer og praktikophold i Tyskland og udlandet, faglig uddannelse i hydraulik og pneumatik, specifikke kurser til brugere af Propapier PM2-maskinen.
The Commission finds that Germany has unlawfully implemented the aid in favour of Propapier PM2 GmbH in breach of Article 108(3) of the TFEU.
Statsstøttesager N 203/08 LIP — Tyskland — støtte til papirfabrikken Hamburger Spremberg GmbH & Co KG, N 865/2006 LIP — Tyskland — støtte til projektselskabet Papierfabrik Adolf Jass Schwarza GmbH og SA.32063 (2011/NN) Polen — LIP — Mondi Świecie.
However, the Commission finds that the aid measure fulfils the standard criteria of the RAG, does not lead to a situation where the thresholds laid down in § 68(a) and (b) of the RAG are exceeded for the products concerned, has an incentive effect and is proportionate to the regional handicaps it seeks to alleviate.
Gruppefritagelsesforordningen for regional investeringsstøtte (jf. fodnote 9).
The Commission further finds that the benefits of the aid measure outweigh the resulting distortion of competition and negative effects on trade between Member States.
Jf. statsstøttesag C 28/2005 Glunz AG, C 54/1996 Alitalia (Kommissionens beslutning 2001/723/EF (EFT L 271 af 12.10.2001, s. 28)), SA.23839 (C 44/2007) FagorBrandt (Kommissionens afgørelse 2013/283/EU (EUT L 166 af 18.6.2013, s. 1)) og SA.28855(2012/C) ING — Restructuring aid.
Therefore, the Commission considers that the aid is compatible with the internal market within the meaning of Article 107(3)(a) of the TFEU,
Sag 34/86, Rådet mod Europa-Parlamentet, Sml. 1986, s. 2155, præmis 47; sag C-415/96, Spanien mod Kommissionen, Sml. 1998 I, s. 6993, præmis 31; sag C-458/98 P, Industrie des poudres sphériques mod Rådet, Sml. 2000 I, s. 8147, præmis 82.
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Sag C-415/96, Spanien mod Kommissionen, Sml. 1998 I, s. 6993, præmis 34.
Article 1
Jf. Kommissionens beslutning 2006/262/EF af 21. september 2005 om Tysklands statsstøtte C 5/2004 (ex N 609/2003) til fordel for Kronoply (EUT L 94 af 1.4.2006, s. 50).
The State aid which Germany has implemented in favour of Propapier PM2 GmbH, amounting to EUR 43 415 903 in discounted value, is compatible with the internal market in accordance with Article 107(3)(a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
Jf. fodnote 4.
Article 2
Jf. betragtning 3.
This Decision is addressed to the Federal Republic of Germany.
Bl.a. COMP/M.3935 — Jefferson Smurfit/Kappa (10.11.2005); COMP/M.2391 — CVC/Cinven/AssiDomän (10.5.2001); COMP/M.2243 — Stora Enso/AssiDomän/JV (22.12.2000); COMP/M.2020 — Metsä-Serla/MODO (4.8.2000).
Done at Brussels, 1 October 2014.
Jf. fodnote 38.
For the Commission
F.eks. COMP/M.3935 — Jefferson Smurfit/Kappa; COMP/M.2391 — CVC/Cinven/AssiDomän.
Vice-president
Det skal i denne sammenhæng bemærkes, at Progroup på det frie marked kun sælger bølgepapråpapir, der er fremstillet af genbrugspapir, dvs. testliner med en vægt på op til 150 g/m2 og fluting af genbrugspapir.
OJ C 54, 4.3.2006, p. 13.
Idet integrerede producenter, som det fremgår af det ovenstående, ikke kun er aktive på det frie marked på grund af utilstrækkelig kapacitet, men også på grund af logistiske krav, undervurderes det frie markeds volumen ved denne metode, afhængigt af deres konkrete efterspørgsel efter forskellige typer bølgepapråpapir, således at der gengives et værst tænkeligt scenario-koncept.
These included formal complaints lodged by the Swedish and Finnish Forest Industry Federations, on 20 December 2007 (registered under reference CP 365/07); by the Koninklijke Vereniging van Nederlandse Papier- en Kartonfabrieken, on 3 January 2008 (registered under reference CP 3/08); and by Procelpac — Groupement français des fabricants de papiers et cartons d’emballage à base de cellulose, on 22 February 2008 (registered under reference CP 47/08).
FEFCO er paraplyorganisationen for de europæiske sammenslutninger af bølgepapproducenter.
OJ C 131, 29.5.2008, p. 6.
I fodnote 62 i regionalstøtteretningslinjerne er det »beregnede forbrug af det relevante produkt« defineret som »produktion plus import minus eksport«.
OJ C 7, 12.1.2011, p. 10.
Dataene vedrørende det beregnede forbrug blev registreret af Pöyry med henblik på anmeldelse.
Cf.
Baseret på data for EU-27.
Commission decision of 23 March 2011 on State aid case C 28/05 Glunz AG (OJ L 228, 3.9.2011, p. 22), and Commission decision of 11 May 2012 on State aid case SA.28855 (N 373/09) (ex C 10/09, ex N 528/08) ING restructuring aid (OJ C 260, 29.8.2012, p. 1).
Med udgangspunkt i den samme argumentation nåede Kommissionen i nedenstående statsstøttesager om andre investeringer i papirsektoren i den samme periode til den samme konklusion: Statsstøttesag N 203/08 LIP — Tyskland — støtte til papirfabrikken Hamburger Spremberg GmbH & Co KG og SA.32063 (2011/NN) Polen — LIP — Mondi Świecie.
OJ C 230, 8.8.2013, p. 39.
På baggrund af det værst tænkelige scenario-koncept, der er beskrevet i betragtning 167 i denne afgørelse.
State aid N 459/06 (OJ C 295, 5.12.2006, p. 6).
Denne værdi blev beregnet som følger: [< 250 000] ton pr. år/(8 600 000 ton pr. år — [> 365 000] ton pr. år).
Covered by the obligation of professional secrecy.
Ifølge ECA-rapporten var de papirmaskiner, der blev udtaget af kapaciteten i Europa i perioden 2000-2007 i gennemsnit 51 år gamle (s. 55 og appendiks 2).
For the purpose of this decision, eligible costs and aid amounts are discounted to the year of initial notification, using the discount rate applicable at the moment of the notification, i.e. 5,42 % (cf. point 41 of the RAG).
»Branchens udnyttelsesværdier er en vigtig målestok for, hvor sunde markedsvilkårene er, og giver oplysning om produktprisernes retning.
Published in OJ C 41, 24.2.2007, p. 9.
Sidste år udgjorde kapacitetsudnyttelsen i Europa 92 %, og det forventes, at den vil stige i de kommende to år (…).
Scheme implemented under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1628/2006 of 24 October 2006 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty to national regional investment aid (Regional block exemption regulation) (OJ L 302, 1.11.2006, p. 29).
Den sunde vækst i efterspørgslen i forbindelse med et begrænset nyt udbud vil straffe markedet yderligere«.
Published in OJ C 102, 5.5.2007, p. 11.
(Deutsche Bank-undersøgelse, s. 19).
Scheme implemented under the Regional block exemption regulation (see footnote 9 above).
EUT C 223 af 16.9.2009, s. 3.
Measured in purchasing power standards.
Rettens dom af 14.1.2009, T-162/06, Kronoply mod Kommissionen, Sml. 2009, præmis 80.
After the adoption of the annulled decision, Germany informed that the project had led to a total of 675 (of which 36 in the power plant) jobs created in the region.
Jf. statsstøttesager N 203/08 LIP — Tyskland — støtte til papirfabrikken Hamburger Spremberg GmbH & Co KG (støtte på ca. 183 000 EUR pr. skabt direkte arbejdsplads; 200 direkte arbejdspladser; antallet af indirekte arbejdspladser ikke angivet) og N 865/06 LIP — Tyskland — støtte til projektselskabet Papierfabrik Adolf Jass Schwarza GmbH (støtte på ca. 367 000 EUR pr. skabt direkte arbejdsplads; 100 direkte og 100 indirekte arbejdspladser).
Propapier itself employs 123 workers and 23 employees.