natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
I medfør af den italienske lov nr. 296 af 27. december 2006 blev den årlige koncessionsafgift for lufthavnsoperatører forhøjet for at sikre indtægter på henholdsvis 3 mio. EUR i 2007, 9,5 mio. EUR i 2008 og på 10 mio. EUR i 2009 til den italienske statskasse.
The agreement was to apply from 25 March 2007 to 31 October 2009.
Italien fremsatte ikke bemærkninger til den potentielle støtte til de luftfartsselskaber, der flyver fra Alghero lufthavn, inden for medlemsstaternes frist, jf. procedureforordningens artikel 6, stk. 1, til at fremsætte deres bemærkninger efter Kommissionens beslutning om at indlede den formelle undersøgelse.
However, Germanwings only operated from Alghero airport in 2007.
BEMÆRKNINGER FRA INTERESSEREDE PARTER
According to Italy the carrier decided to stop operations from Alghero airport as it could not generate sufficient traffic to break even from a financial perspective.
Kommissionen bemærker, at de interesserede parters bemærkninger omfatter en lang række argumenter.
The marketing agreement laid down a ‘start-up’ contribution amounting to EUR […] to be paid by So.Ge.A.AL to Germanwings ‘in order to promote Alghero airport in increasing the volume of departing passengers by opening a new route’.
I sine mange henvendelser til Kommissionen redegjorde Ryanair f.eks. for de underliggende principper og forudsætninger, som efter selskabets mening bør danne grundlag for Kommissionens MEOP-analyse af aftalerne med luftfartsselskaber.
The marketing agreement also set out success fees to be paid by So.Ge.A.AL to Germanwings if the airline met the stipulated traffic targets.
So.Ge.A.AL hævdede, at der er mange grunde til, at de undersøgte foranstaltninger, der blev truffet til fordel for selskabet, kunne erklæres forenelige med det indre marked.
The agreement also specified penalties to be paid by Germanwings to So.Ge.A.AL in the event that the airline either cancelled over 10 % of its flights or did not meet the stipulated traffic targets.
BEMÆRKNINGER FRA So.Ge.A.AL
Volare
Potentiel støtte til lufthavnsoperatøren
On 29 November 2007, Volare signed a handling and a marketing agreement with So.Ge.A.AL.
Om den økonomiske aktivitet
The handling agreement set out goals to be met by the carrier in terms of number of passengers and flights per year, and the corresponding success fees to be paid by So.Ge.A.AL.
So.Ge.A.AL understreger, at den offentlige finansiering, der blev ydet selskabet til at dække omkostningerne ved levering af tjenesteydelser, der henhører under det offentlige myndighedsområde, ikke udgør statsstøtte.
The marketing agreement laid down an annual marketing fee of EUR […] to be paid by the airport manager as ‘advertising support for the first year of activity’.
So.Ge.A.AL angav ikke nærmere oplysninger om arten eller størrelsen af disse omkostninger.
The marketing agreement applied during from 28 October 2007 to 31 October 2010.
So.Ge.A.AL finder, at alle de undersøgte foranstaltninger vedrørende finansiering af infrastruktur, udstyr og »installationer og anlæg« var blevet lovligt forpligtet før Aéroports de Paris-afgørelsen og derfor burde udelukkes fra statsstøttevurderingen.
Meridiana
For så vidt angår perioden efter den 12. december 2000, minder So.Ge.A.AL om, at Italien allerede havde forelagt dokumentation for den ikkeøkonomiske karakter af visse aktiviteter, som udføres af lufthavnsoperatøren.
Meridiana operated from Alghero airport in 2000, 2001 and 2010.
På det grundlag burde Kommissionen betragte en del af den pågældende offentlige finansiering som omkostninger i forbindelse med udøvelsen af ikkeøkonomiske aktiviteter.
In 2000 and 2001, Meridiana did not operate scheduled services from Alghero airport, and only provided flight services based on charter demands.
So.Ge.A.AL bemærker endvidere, at 2012-beslutningen ikke er klar med hensyn til arten og omfanget af den formodede støtte til lufthavnsoperatøren.
As such, no formal handling agreements were signed between So.Ge.A.AL and Meridiana.
Selskabet fremførte, at den første mulighed ikke kunne forenes med den omstændighed, at staten på alle relevante tidspunkter havde bevaret ejerskabet over lufthavnsinfrastrukturen.
Meridiana did not operate from the airport between 2002 and 2010.
So.Ge.A.AL kan derfor ikke betragtes som modtager af investeringsstøtte.
In 2010, Meridiana took up operations from the airport and signed a marketing agreement as well as a handling agreement with So.Ge.A.AL.
Under alle omstændigheder anfører So.Ge.A.AL, at selskabet ikke havde modtaget nogen form for uretmæssig økonomisk fordel, selv med udgangspunkt i den anden løsningsmulighed.
The handling agreement was signed on 28 April 2010 and covered the period between April 2010 and April 2011.
Om fair konkurrence
Based on this agreement Meridiana was to pay So.Ge.A.AL EUR […] per turnaround for handling services.
So.Ge.A.AL understreger, at der ikke kan opstå nogen konkurrencefordrejning som følge af den offentlige finansiering til selskabet.
The marketing agreement was signed on 20 October 2010 and covered the period between June 2010 and October 2010.
På grund af Alghero lufthavns afsides beliggenhed overlapper dens opland [39] ikke med nogen anden lufthavn i Italien eller andre medlemsstater.
The agreement specified a one-off payment of EUR […] (excluding VAT) to be paid by So.Ge.A.AL to Meridiana relating to the start-up of routes to/from Milan, Verona and Bari in summer 2010.
Lufthavnen er heller ikke i konkurrence med andre lufthavne på øen på grund af afstanden imellem dem og manglen på pålidelige forbindelser til fastlandet.
The payment was conditional on Meridiana meeting certain traffic targets.
So.Ge.A.AL tilføjer, at de tre sardiske lufthavne varetager forskellige typer trafik.
According to Italy, during the time for which the agreement with Meridiana applied retrospectively, So.Ge.A.AL had been negotiating with the carrier similar terms which were eventually included in the signed agreement.
Derudover ville flytransport ikke konkurrere med andre transportformer om trafikken til og fra øen.
In this sense, Italy provided to the Commission a draft agreement which was being negotiated at the time by Meridiana and So.Ge.A.AL dated 7 June 2010.
So.Ge.A.AL accepterer ikke Kommissionens argument i 2012-beslutningen om, at flere lufthavnsoperatører konkurrerer om drift af lufthavnsinfrastruktur.
Air One/Alitalia
So.Ge.A.AL fik tildelt den første »delvise« koncession [40] på drift af lufthavnen i 1995 og dermed længe før Aéroports de Paris-afgørelsen.
Until 2010, Air One/Alitalia did not sign any formal agreement with So.Ge.A.AL and paid So.Ge.A.AL published airport charges for all airport services.
Fra 1995 skulle So.Ge.A.AL udelukkende drive infrastrukturen i Alghero lufthavn, og selskabets aktivitet ville derfor ikke være i konkurrence med nogen anden lufthavnsoperatør.
Until 2010, So.Ge.A.AL did not provide ground-handling services to Air One/Alitalia.
Om manglen på økonomisk fordel for So.Ge.A.AL
In 2010, So.Ge.A.AL started to provide ground-handling services to Air One/Alitalia.
So.Ge.A.AL gør gældende, at kapitaltilførslerne ville være i overensstemmelse med det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip.
This led to Air One/Alitalia signing a handling agreement with So.Ge.A.AL.
Ifølge So.Ge.A.AL bør de økonomiske forudsætninger for foranstaltningerne vurderes særskilt for to perioder: før og efter tildelingen af den »samlede« koncessionen til So.Ge.A.AL i 2007.
The two parties also entered into a marketing agreement relating to Air One/Alitalia's start of international routes from Alghero airport.
So.Ge.A.AL anfører, at de kapitaltilførsler, som blev foretaget før 2007, var styret af behovet for at beskytte selskabets forretninger, navnlig på baggrund af tildelingen af en »samlet« koncession, som det allerede havde den 18. januar 1999.
The marketing agreement was signed on 20 October 2010 and covered the period from 7 June 2010 to 30 September 2010.
På grundlag af de foreliggende oplysninger på det tidspunkt, hvor beslutningerne om at tilføre selskabet kapital blev truffet, var udsigten til at få tildelt den »samlede« koncession af afgørende betydning for So.Ge.A.AL's aktionærer, eftersom det ville have gjort det muligt for lufthavnsoperatøren at drage fuld fordel af lufthavnsaktiviteterne og derfor øge indtægterne fra luftfartsvirksomhed og andre aktiviteter.
Italy provided to the Commission the draft agreement which had been negotiated at the time by Alitalia and So.Ge.A.AL in May 2010.
Offentlige aktionærer ville ikke have haft andre alternativer end at tilføre virksomheden kapital og var berettigede hertil, idet forsinkelsen i tildelingen af koncessionen skyldtes ydre begivenheder, der ikke kunne tilskrives virksomheden.
The signed agreement specified a one-off marketing payment of EUR […] to be received by Air One/Alitalia for providing marketing services to So.Ge.A.AL in that period, with the possibility of the agreement being extended to 2011 and 2012.
So.Ge.A.AL gjorde gældende, at Kommissionen skal tage højde herfor i sin vurdering af, om det markedsøkonomiske princip er overholdt.
The handling agreement was signed between Air One/Alitalia and So.Ge.A.AL on 30 November 2010 for a period of six years and specified handling charges to be paid by Air One/Alitalia to So.Ge.A.AL for domestic and international routes.
So.Ge.A.AL tilføjede, at foranstaltningerne også ville være berettigede ud fra den forventede stigning i passagertallet som følge af den lavprisstrategi, man havde ført siden 1999.
Handling agreements with other carriers
Kapitaltilførslerne i 2009 og 2010 blev styret af behovet for at sikre, at lufthavnsoperatøren kunne operere, navnlig i betragtning af de forbedrede rentabilitetsudsigter i forbindelse med tildelingen af den »samlede« koncession.
The Commission also investigated the ground handling agreements concluded by So.Ge.A.AL with Air Italy, Bmibaby and Air Vallée.
Den omstændighed, at So.Ge.A.AL ikke genvandt sin rentabilitet efter tildelingen af koncessionen, skyldtes et markedsscenario, der adskilte sig væsentligt fra det forventede, hvilket i betydelig grad påvirkede udviklingen af lufttrafikken i denne periode, nemlig den økonomiske nedgang og de deraf følgende økonomiske udfordringer for internationale luftfartsselskaber.
The agreements were concluded for a duration between one month (Air Vallée) and more than two years (Air Italy) and specified handling charges to be paid by the carriers.
Derfor oplevede So.Ge.A.AL et fald på 1,8 % i trafikmængden.
Table 6
Desuden hævder So.Ge.A.AL, at trafikken ikke kunne udvikle sig som ventet på grund af forsinkelser i udførelsen af infrastrukturarbejder (som burde være påbegyndt allerede i 2004, men som endnu ikke var blevet indledt i 2009).
Handling agreements with Air Italy, Bmibaby and Air Vallée
Endelig skal der tages hensyn til, at ENAC undlod at opjustere lufthavnsafgifterne, uanset at So.Ge.A.AL formelt havde anmodet herom.
Date of conclusion
Det var på den baggrund, So.Ge.A.AL foretog korrigerende foranstaltninger med henblik på at opnå økonomisk balance såsom omlægning af sine aktiviteter, nedskæring af driftsomkostninger og investeringer i infrastruktur.
Carrier
Disse foranstaltninger vurderes i detaljer i 2010-planen for omorganisering og omstrukturering.
Duration
Bevis herfor ville være de dokumenter, Kommissionen fik forelagt i løbet af undersøgelsen, navnlig:
The Ecorys Report was delivered on 30 March 2011.
So.Ge.A.AL's forretningsplan af 15. marts 1999
The Ecorys Report concluded that So.Ge.A.AL's conduct was MEOP-compliant.
referatet af So.Ge.A.AL's bestyrelsesmøde den 8. april 2000
Ecorys considered that the business strategy pursued by So.Ge.A.AL bore fruit.
forretningsplanen for tildeling af den fyrreårige koncession fra september 2005
Such strategy implied that the airport manager submitted an application for the ‘comprehensive’ concession for the management of the airport, that the capacity of the terminal was extended, and that agreements were signed with low-cost carriers aimed at incentivising international traffic flows.
Roland Berger-planen som ajourført i 2007 og 2009
Ecorys concluded that from a MEO's perspective the conclusion of the agreements with Ryanair was a rational decision in that those agreements ensured a considerable increase in traffic which was expected to drive both aeronautical and non-aeronautical income.
programmet for omorganisering og omstrukturering fra 2010-2012
According to Ecorys, So.Ge.A.AL could reasonably expect that in the long run the benefits derived by such agreements would outweigh incremental costs.
Accuracy-rapporten.
GROUNDS FOR INITIATING THE PROCEDURE
So.Ge.A.AL minder desuden om, at det allerede i Ecorys-rapporten, Accuracy-rapporten og Roland Berger-planen var fastslået, at kapitaltilførslerne var i overensstemmelse med det markedsøkonomiske aktørprincip.
EXISTENCE OF AID TO So.Ge.A.AL
Kommissionen havde undladt at tage behørigt hensyn til de særlige forhold, der gælder for luftfartssektoren i Italien som følge af de gældende italienske regler.
As concerns potential aid to the airport manager, the Commission noted that prior to the Aéroports de Paris judgment, the development and operation of airport infrastructure did not qualify as economic activity within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty [34].
I sin vurdering af situationen før og efter tildelingen af den samlede koncession til So.Ge.A.AL burde Kommissionen have taget hensyn til, at kapitaltilførslerne var et resultat af en retlig forpligtelse, hvis manglende opfyldelse ville have medført fortabelse af koncessionen.
Since part of the measures under assessment was decided before 2001, the Commission noted that it would have to assess whether they stemmed from legally binding commitments taken before the Aéroports the Paris ruling was issued, namely 12 December 2000 [35] and hence fell outside the scope of State aid rules.
So.Ge.A.AL's aktionærer valgte derfor den mest omkostningseffektive valgmulighed, da de besluttede at tilføre selskabet kapital.
The Commission also recalled that, to the extent financing of activities which normally fell within the responsibility of the State in the exercise of public powers was limited to cover costs and was not used to finance other economic activities [36], such financing was not subject to State aid rules.
So.Ge.A.AL mener, at selskabets offentlige aktionærer i forbindelse med kapitaltilførslerne har handlet på samme måde, som en operatør under markedsøkonomiske vilkår ville have gjort i en lignende situation, idet tilførslerne sikrede de offentlige investorer et positivt afkast på mellemlang til lang sigt.
At the time of adoption of the 2012 Decision, the Commission did not have sufficient information on the nature (economic or not) of the activities carried out by So.Ge.A.AL and of infrastructure related costs financed by the measures subject to the investigation, nor whether certain costs were inherently linked to activities within the public policy remit.
Ifølge So.Ge.A.AL skaber lufthavnens aktiviteter skatteindtægter i en størrelsesorden, der overstiger den offentlige finansiering, der er ydet selskabet.
The Commission invited Italy to clarify which activities must be considered as non-economic in nature and which costs linked to such activities, if any, had been financed by the measures covered by the Commission's investigation.
So.Ge.A.AL har endvidere gjort gældende, at kapitaltilførslerne ikke ville give lufthavnsoperatøren en økonomisk fordel som defineret i Altmark-dommen [41].
The Commission expressed serious doubts that the capital injections would be MEOP-compliant.
Den generelle drift af lufthavnen kan betegnes som tjenesteydelse af almen økonomisk interesse (»SIEG«) under henvisning til behovet for at sikre øens tilgængelighed, og derfor ville de pågældende kapitaltilførsler udgøre kompensation for lufthavnens levering af tjenesteydelser af almen økonomisk interesse.
It noted that So.Ge.A.AL had constantly operated at a loss since 2000 and that its financial performance seemed to worsen following the award of the ‘comprehensive’ concession.
Aftalen ville have pålagt So.Ge.A.AL en forpligtelse til at levere ydelser af almen økonomisk interesse.
This seemed to contradict Italy's claim that the poor results of the company were primarily justified by the impossibility to exploit fully airport related activities based on the partial/temporary concession.
De delvise koncessioner, som So.Ge.A.AL fik tildelt før 2007, kan ligeledes betragtes som overdragelsesakter.
The Commission further noted that Italy had at that time only provided ex post considerations in support of its claims that the measures were guided by profitability prospects.
So.Ge.A.AL bemærker endvidere, at lufthavnsoperatører ud fra et rent juridisk synspunkt er nødsaget til at opfylde visse forpligtelser i forbindelse med driften af lufthavnene, som uundgåeligt tager hensyn til offentlighedens interesse.
Such analysis in addition seemed to relate to the overall benefit derived by RAS from an increase in air traffic levels and therefore to revenues that a private investor would not take into account in the analysis of the profitability of its investment.
Disse forpligtelser vedrører sikring af en tilstrækkelig kvalitet af tjenesteydelserne, overholdelse af sikkerhedsstandarderne og kontinuitet og regelmæssighed i ydelserne.
On that basis the Commission took the preliminary view that the capital injections provided the airport manager with an advantage and constituted operating aid to the latter.
Den anden og tredje betingelse i Altmark-dommen ville blive overholdt, eftersom So.Ge.A.AL kun er blevet kompenseret op til et niveau, der udligner tabene, nærmere bestemt til det niveau, der kræves for at bringe kapitalniveauet tilbage i overensstemmelse med lovkravene, efter at sådanne tab var dækket.
The Commission finally noted that, even if So.Ge.A.AL met the conditions to qualify as a firm in difficulty under the Guidelines on State aid for rescueing and restructuring firms in difficulty [37], no element had been submitted to the Commission by Italy to support the conclusion that such aid would comply with the compatibility requirements of those guidelines.
Endvidere tilføjer So.Ge.A.AL, at lufthavnsoperatører ved lov er forpligtede til at føre særskilte regnskaber mellem kerneaktiviteter og andre aktiviteter.
Measure 2 — Contributions for fittings and works
Endelig hævder So.Ge.A.AL, at det fjerde Altmark-kriterium også ville blive overholdt, uden dog at fremlægge nogen beviser herfor.
Insufficient information was provided to the Commission on the contributions for fitting and works worth EUR 6540269 granted to So.Ge.A.AL by RAS between 1998 and 2009.
Om forenelighed
Italy was invited to specify the exact nature of the costs subsidised by RAS.
Ifølge So.Ge.A.AL bør foreneligheden af eventuel støtte til lufthavnen vurderes af Kommissionen ud fra:
Measure 3 — Investments in airport infrastructure and equipment
retningslinjerne for regionalstøtte
The Commission noted that between 2001 and 2010 So.Ge.A.AL paid EUR 3042887 to the State in fees for the use of the airport infrastructure, whilst the State financed infrastructure investments for EUR 46940534 and equipment for EUR 284782 during 2004 to 2010.
rammebestemmelserne for redning og omstrukturering
The Commission further noted that the award of the comprehensive concession to So.Ge.A.AL in 2007 did not appear to have led to an increase in the level of the concession fees.
artikel 106, stk. 2, i traktaten
On that basis the Commission took the preliminary view that the concession fee was manifestly disproportionate to the public funding made available by the State in relation to infrastructure investments.
luftfartsretningslinjerne fra 2014.
The Commission therefore preliminarily considered that So.Ge.A.AL might have received an advantage by paying a concession fee below market price.
For det første gjorde So.Ge.A.AL gældende, at de omhandlede foranstaltninger blev tildelt Alghero lufthavn som kompensation for de ulemper, der følger af, at regionen Sardiniens er en ø.
Italy was invited to provide any ex ante business plan which would demonstrate the profitability prospects of infrastructure investments carried out by public entities at Alghero airport which could support the claim that such investments were MEIP-compliant.
På dette grundlag bør Kommissionen erklære støtten forenelig med det indre marked i henhold til traktatens artikel 107, stk. 3, litra a).
PRELIMINARY VIEWS ON COMPATIBILITY OF AID TO So.Ge.A.AL
For det andet anførte So.Ge.A.AL, at alle de vurderede foranstaltninger blev indrømmet for at åbne mulighed for omstrukturering af So.Ge.A.AL med henblik på at sikre selskabets levedygtighed.
The Commission expressed doubts as to the compatibility under Article 107(3) of the Treaty of aid to So.Ge.A.AL under the 2005 Aviation Guidelines.
I den forbindelse fremførte So.Ge.A.AL, at selskabet for så vidt angår kapitaltilførslerne i 2009 og 2010 udarbejdede en omstruktureringsplan, nemlig omorganiserings- og omstruktureringsplanen fra 2010, som afdækkede de faktorer, der havde haft en negativ indvirkning på virksomheden, og hvor der blev foreslået korrigerende foranstaltninger med henblik på at nedbringe omkostningerne og at ændre den forretningsmæssige politik.
Although the measures seemed to meet an objective of general interest which was clearly defined, insufficient information was provided to the Commission to assess whether the infrastructure at Alghero airport was necessary and proportional to the objective set.
Denne plan omfattede et betydeligt eget bidrag til omstruktureringen fra So.Ge.A.AL.
Nor did the Commission have sufficient elements to assess the perspectives for the use of such infrastructure in the medium term.
Bestemmelserne i artikel 4, 5 og 6 i SGEI-beslutningen fra 2005 ville også blive overholdt, da kompensationen blev ydet til selskabet i forbindelse med korrekt definerede ydelser af almen økonomisk interesse og overdraget til So.Ge.A.AL ved en eller flere retsakter om overdragelse, da denne kompensation ikke oversteg, hvad der var nødvendigt for at levere tjenesteydelser af almen økonomisk interesse.
The Commission also had doubts whether the airport infrastructure was made available to air carriers on non-discriminatory terms.
Foranstaltninger til fordel for de luftfartsselskaber, der opererer i lufthavnen
Finally, given that certain infrastructure investments appeared at that stage to result from So.Ge.A.AL's contractual obligations towards Ryanair, the Commission had doubts on the necessity of any aid to finance such investments.
Kommissionen ville have ret i at betragte So.Ge.A.AL og RAS samlet med henblik på anvendelsen af det markedsøkonomiske aktørprincip.
POTENTIAL AID TO THE AIRLINES
Med vedtagelsen af de pågældende foranstaltninger optrådte RAS og So.Ge.A.AL på samme måde, som en markedsøkonomisk aktør ville have gjort under lignende omstændigheder.
The Commission took the preliminary view that the decisions concerning airlines' operating conditions at Alghero airport were likely to involve State resources and be imputable to the State.
So.Ge.A.AL ville ikke have opnået nogen økonomisk fordel ved de markedsføringsbidrag, der blev ydet af RAS til fordel for flyselskaber, der bruger Alghero lufthavn.
The Commission noted first that AMS is a 100 %-owned subsidiary of Ryanair, set up with the specific aim of supplying marketing services via the website of Ryanair, and which does not provide other services.
De pågældende bidrag gik kun igennem lufthavnsoperatøren for efterhånden at blive ydet til luftfartsselskaber.
On that basis the Commission took the preliminary view that in order to assess the presence of a selective advantage, Ryanair and AMS had to be considered as one single entity.