natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Vurdering af fordrejningen af konkurrencevilkårene og påvirkning af samhandelen
As a result, the SMAN’s resources are state resources and all its decisions are ‘imputable to the state’ within the meaning of the case-law on State aid.
Alle Unionens lufthavne er nemlig i konkurrence med hinanden om at tiltrække luftfartsselskaber inden for rammerne af det indre marked for lufttransport.
Selective economic advantage
Når det drejer sig om driftsstøtte, så lufthavnen kan forblive økonomisk levedygtig, afhænger styrken af denne generelle virkning på de øvrige lufthavne af den støttede lufthavns aktivitetsomfang, som navnlig kan udtrykkes i antal passagerer, forbindelser og afgange.
In order to ascertain whether a state measure grants an advantage to an undertaking pursuant to Article 107(1) TFEU, it must be determined whether the undertaking in question received an economic advantage enabling it to avoid having to bear costs that would normally have had to be met out of its own financial resources, whether it received an advantage that it would not have received under normal market conditions, or whether the measure in question can be regarded as public service compensation satisfying the conditions of the Altmark judgment.
Det skal i den forbindelse bemærkes, at Nîmes lufthavn i den undersøgte periode (2002-2011) er forblevet en lufthavn af beskeden størrelse.
Concept of service of general economic interest and application of the Altmark judgment
Dens trafik kulminerede med 320000 passagerer i 2001 og lå de øvrige år på mellem 130000 og 300000 passagerer om året.
Application of the concept of service of general economic interest
I løbet af denne periode kan ruteflyvningerne fra denne lufthavn sammenfattes til Air Littorals rute til Paris, som dog kun blev drevet indtil 2003, og nogle få forbindelser drevet af Ryanair (højst fire samtidig) med en afgang om dagen eller derunder undtagen eventuelt om sommeren, hvor der for visse ruter kunne tilbydes to daglige afgange alt efter år.
It must be ascertained whether the various measures still to be examined can be regarded as public service compensation granted in order to provide a genuine service of general economic interest (‘SGEI’).
Nîmes lufthavns aktivitetsniveau er dermed forblevet beskedent.
In this regard, it should be recalled that the Court of Justice ruled in the Altmark judgment that public service compensation does not constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU when four cumulative conditions are met.
Den generelle virkning af støtten til denne lufthavn på alle de øvrige lufthavn har derfor været relativt afgrænset.
First, the recipient undertaking must actually have public service obligations to discharge, and the obligations must be clearly defined.
Imidlertid påvirker driftsstøtte til en given lufthavn en anden lufthavn langt stærkere, jo tættere de to lufthavne ligger på hinanden.
Second, the parameters on the basis of which the compensation is calculated must be established in advance in an objective and transparent manner.
Navnlig er konkurrencen mellem dem om at tiltrække luftfartsselskaber, som ønsker at betjene deres område, særdeles intens, når en af dem ligger i den andens opland.
Third, the compensation must not exceed what is necessary to cover all or part of the costs incurred in the discharge of the public service obligations, taking into account the relevant receipts and a reasonable profit.
Når der findes ruter fra hver af de to lufthavne til den samme destination, vil de to lufthavne desuden konkurrere om at tiltrække passagerer, som ønsker at rejse til den pågældende destination, og som her har valget mellem de to lufthavne.
Finally, where the undertaking that is to discharge public service obligations, in a specific case, is not chosen pursuant to a public procurement procedure which would allow for the selection of the tenderer capable of providing those services at the least cost to the community, the level of compensation needed must be determined on the basis of an analysis of the costs that a typical undertaking, well-run and adequately provided with the relevant means, would have incurred.
Avignon lufthavn ligger 68 km fra Nîmes lufthavn, men på grund af begrænsninger i forbindelse med dens start- og landingsbaner kan den kun modtage private flyvninger og forretningsflyvninger.
In order to apply these conditions, the first point to be examined is the existence of a genuine SGEI.
Den er således ikke i konkurrence med Nîmes lufthavn om at modtage ruteflyvninger.
France takes the view, which is shared by the Operators, that the overall management of Nîmes airport, given its size and local role, should be regarded as an SGEI.
Som tidligere anført ligger Montpellier lufthavn kun 63 km fra Nîmes lufthavn, hvilket giver en køretid på 49 minutter.
According to France: ‘Even if it is considered that Languedoc-Roussillon is not an isolated region and that its accessibility is not dependent upon the air routes offered by Nîmes airport, which is debatable as shown in point 2 below, the fact remains, in the light of all the above, that the operation of Nîmes airport involves a series of public service obligations and that the Commission has not proven that a private market economy operator would have been prepared to assume such obligations, to the same extent or under the same conditions, in the absence of public service compensation.
Da Kommissionen finder, at en afstand på under 100 km og en køretid på under en time er kriterier, der gør det muligt at definere et foreløbigt skøn over en lufthavns opland, ligger Montpellier allerede i Nîmes' opland.
In this respect, it is irrelevant whether or not the airport is situated in an isolated region.
Endvidere har visse ruter fra Montpellier det samme destinationsområde som visse ruter fra Nîmes lufthavn.
Both the Commission’s guidelines and settled case-law recognise that Member States have a margin of discretion when defining public service obligations.
Det gælder bl.a. ruter til Bruxelles og London, som tilbydes fra begge lufthavne.
The determining factor for establishing the existence of an SGEI is whether an operator considering its own commercial interest would assume the service in question to the same extent or under the same conditions’.
I den henseende anfører Frankrig, at en lufthavns opland defineres ud fra to kriterier, nemlig: i) køretiden og ii) i lufthavne, hvor lavpristrafikken er dominerende som i Nîmes, køretidens pris.
This reasoning is vitiated by a manifest error of assessment.
Frankrig finder således, at en regional lufthavns opland er begrænset til de lufthavne, der kan nås i bil på højst 60 minutter.
In actual fact, in order to assess the extent to which the operation of an airport is an SGEI, the need in the general interest met by that activity must be considered.
Disse elementer kan faktisk dæmpe virkningerne på Montpellier lufthavn af den driftsstøtte, Nîmes lufthavn har modtaget.
In this regard, the airport’s size is also not a relevant criterion.
Hertil kommer, at Montpellier lufthavn i hele perioden har haft en klart større trafik end Nîmes lufthavn.
As the Commission has already indicated in its decision-making practice: ‘Economic development is not … sufficient to justify a service being defined as an [SGEI].
Faktisk har trafikken her svinget mellem 1,2 mio. og 1,6 mio. passagerer om året.
Such a definition must be based on public service reasons going beyond the general interest of developing economic activities’.
Støtten til Nîmes lufthavn, som er ca. seks gange mindre, har højst kunnet have en begrænset virkning på Montpellier lufthavn.
The Treaty already contains a specific compatibility clause for aid to facilitate the development of economic activities (Article 107(3)(c)), whilst, according to the case-law of the Court of Justice, SGEIs are services that exhibit special characteristics as compared with the general economic interest of other economic activities and undertakings entrusted with SGEI tasks are undertakings entrusted with a ‘particular task’.
Endelig er køretiden mellem de to lufthavne på under en time, nemlig omkring 50 minutter, også en faktor, der kan mildne den omhandlede støttes virkning på Montpellier lufthavn.
Generally speaking, the entrustment of a ‘particular public service task’ implies the supply of services which, if it were considering its own commercial interest, an undertaking would not assume or would not assume to the same extent or under the same conditions.
Således har den omhandlede driftsstøtte haft en begrænset virkning på Nîmes' nabolufthavne.
Applying a general interest criterion, Member States or the Union may attach specific obligations to such services.
Under hensyntagen til disse positive og negative forhold, som den pågældende støtte overordnet set har fremkaldt, vurderer Kommissionen, at støtten ikke har påvirket samhandelen på en sådan måde, at det er til skade for den fælles interesse.
The Commission has also indicated in the new Guidelines: ‘As far as airports are concerned, the Commission considers that it is possible for the overall management of an airport, in well-justified cases, to be considered an SGEI … the Commission considers that this can only be the case if part of the area potentially served by the airport would, without the airport, be isolated from the rest of the Union to an extent that would prejudice its social and economic development.
På baggrund af ovenstående elementer vedrørende den omhandlede støttes virkning på konkurrencen og samhandelen og i betragtning af støttens vigtige bidrag til det økonomiske område, Nîmes lufthavn er beliggende i, bl.a. på grund af dens positive indvirkning på den lokale turisme og erhvervscentret på lufthavnsområdet, mener Kommissionen, at den pågældende støtte ikke har påvirket konkurrencen og samhandelen på en sådan måde, at det er til skade for den fælles interesse.
Such an assessment should take due account of other modes of transport, and in particular of high-speed rail services or maritime links served by ferries’.
Konklusion vedrørende foreneligheden af støtten til CCI-lufthavn og VTAN
As a result, the contribution of Nîmes airport to local economic development, which is the main factor highlighted by France in support of its theory regarding the existence of a genuine SGEI, is not in itself a relevant factor as it must be considered separately from the contribution of that airport to the region’s accessibility.
På baggrund af ovenstående udgør engangstilskuddene til drift, de tilbagebetalingspligtige forskud, det faste bidrag som indført i den oprindelige version af CDSP og forhøjet med tillægskontrakt nr. 1 og nr. 3 samt det specifikke offentlige bidrag støtte, der er forenelig med det indre marked efter artikel 107, stk. 3, litra c), i TEUF.
It is not disputed that, by improving a region’s accessibility, particularly when it breaks its isolation, an airport can have positive effects on local economic development.
TILBAGESØGNING
However, the simple fact that the presence and activity of an airport generate direct and indirect jobs and stimulate the activity of local undertakings cannot be regarded as a relevant criterion for establishing the existence of a genuine SGEI.
Kommissionen har fastslået, at Ryanair/AMS modtog ulovlig statsstøtte, der er uforenelig med det indre marked.
As regards the contribution of Nîmes airport to the region’s accessibility, France has recognised in particular that Montpellier airport is situated just 63 km from Nîmes airport, which represents a journey time of only 49 minutes by road.
Ifølge Domstolens praksis har Kommissionen, så snart den fastslår, at en støtte er uforenelig med det indre marked, beføjelse til at pålægge den berørte medlemsstat at afskaffe eller ændre den pågældende støtte.
It has also recognised that Nîmes has been served by a high-speed rail service (TGV) since 2001.
Det fastsættes i artikel 14 i forordning (EF) nr. 659/1999, 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«).
This town is therefore connected, for example, to Paris and Lyon by regular train services with journey times of around 3 hours and 1 hour 30 minutes respectively.
Kommissionen kræver ikke tilbagebetaling af støtten, hvis det vil være i modstrid med et generelt princip i fællesskabslovgivningen«.
France has omitted to take account of this rail service in its arguments on the existence of an SGEI.
Således genoprettes situationen, som den var før udbetalingen af støtten.
As regards Montpellier airport, France has indicated as follows: ‘although the above information tends to place it in the same catchment area as Nîmes airport due to the journey time of less than 60 minutes and the cost of the return journey not exceeding EUR 20, it should, however, be stressed that the Ryanair routes from Montpellier airport, which currently number four, meet a tourist demand that is situated more to the west than to the east of the airport (the route to Hahn is an example of this, even though Ryanair has withdrawn its routes to Germany from Marseille) and that Nîmes airport covers a different catchment area from part of Montpellier airport’s catchment area (in particular the Cévennes, Uzège and the northeast of Gard/south of the Ardèche in the Rhône valley).
I det foreliggende tilfælde fremgår det, at intet overordnet EU-retligt princip strider mod tilbagebetalingen af den ulovlige støtte, der er identificeret i forbindelse med nærværende afgørelse.
It therefore has a particular catchment area.
Navnlig har hverken Frankrig eller interesserede tredjeparter fremført argumenter herfor.
It should also be noted that 51 % of low-cost passengers travel less than 50 km from their airport’.
Frankrig skal derfor træffe alle nødvendige forholdsregler til tilbagesøgning hos Ryanair/AMS af den støtte, der er tildelt ulovligt gennem de omhandlede kontrakter.
France has therefore recognised that there are factors suggesting that Nîmes airport is situated within the same catchment area as Montpellier airport.
For så vidt angår støttebeløb ifølge kontrakter indgået med CCI skal de tilbagebetales til sidstnævnte.
Under these circumstances, it cannot be argued that the presence of Nîmes airport may prevent an isolation that could prejudice the social and economic development of part of the area served by that airport, particularly as Nîmes airport is served by the TGV, as indicated above.
Støttebeløb ifølge kontrakter indgået med VTAN skal derimod tilbagebetales til SMAN, eftersom de statsmidler, der blev brugt til at finansiere fordelene ifølge de pågældende kontrakter, hidrører fra SMAN via driftstilskud til VTAN.
France has also not provided any information allowing the extent of such a hypothetical prejudice to be assessed.
De støttebeløb, der skal tilbagesøges for hver kontrakt, fastlægges som følger.
The fact that the catchment areas of Nîmes and Montpellier airports are not exactly the same is not a sufficient argument.
Hver undersøgt transaktion (eventuelt sammensat af en kontrakt om lufthavnstjenester og en kontrakt om marketingydelser) anses for at have givet anledning til støttebeløb beregnet for hvert af de år, hvor de kontrakter, der er omfattet af transaktionen, har været gældende, eller for hver periode, hvor de ydelsesspecifikke pengestrømme er blevet beregnet.
In fact, the catchment areas of two separate airports, however close they may be, never exactly coincide.
Hvert af disse beløb er beregnet ud fra den negative del af den forventede ydelsesspecifikke pengestrøm (indtægter minus omkostninger) på tidspunktet for indgåelsen af transaktionen, tabel 7-16.
Lastly, the fact that 51 % of low-cost passengers travel less than 50 km from their airport does not prove that, without Nîmes airport, travellers wanting to travel to or from the catchment area of that airport would not be prepared, to a large extent, to use flights that start or end at Montpellier airport.
Disse beløb svarer da også til de beløb, som man havde måttet regne med at trække fra beløbet for marketingydelserne (eller som man havde skullet forvente at lægge til lufthavnsafgifterne og groundhandlingafgifterne, som blev faktureret luftfartsselskaberne), for at nettonutidsværdien af kontrakten bliver positiv, med andre ord for at kontrakten overholder det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip.
France has also argued that the development of the air traffic task entrusted to VTAN through the CDSP ‘can be regarded as a public service obligation within the meaning of the Altmark case-law’.
For at tage hensyn til den faktiske fordel, som Ryanair/AMS fik ved anvendelsen af kontrakterne, kan de i ovenstående betragtning nævnte beløb på grundlag af dokumentation fremlagt af Frankrig justeres med i) differencen mellem på den ene side de reelle betalinger, sådan som disse efterfølgende har kunnet konstateres, som Ryanair har erlagt for landingsafgift, passagerafgift og groundhandlingydelser ifølge kontrakten om lufthavnstjenester, og på den anden side de (på forhånd) forventede pengestrømme svarende til disse indtægtsposter, jf. tabel 7-12, ii) differencen mellem på den ene side de reelle marketingbetalinger, sådan som disse efterfølgende har kunnet konstateres, der er overført til Ryanair eller AMS ifølge kontrakten om marketingydelser, og på den anden side de (på forhånd) forventede tilhørende marketingomkostninger, jf. tabel 7-16.
According to France, this task concerns the ‘economic and tourism development of the area’, which requires, in its opinion, ‘(i) an increase in passenger flows, generating income and jobs for the regional economy …; and (ii) the development of the enterprise zone situated adjacent to the airport’.
Endvidere mener Kommissionen, at den egentlige fordel for Ryanair/AMS er begrænset til den pågældende kontrakts faktiske varighed.
As regards this enterprise zone, France refers to several undertakings established there and indicates that ‘Within this industrial hub, VTAN has the task of developing aviation-related activities and building the industrial or commercial activity that can generate jobs for the area’.
Efter ophævelsen af den enkelte kontrakt fik Ryanair/AMS ikke betalinger og havde ikke længere adgang til lufthavnsinfrastrukturen eller groundhandlingydelserne ifølge kontrakten.
This argument cannot be accepted given that, as recalled above, the simple contribution of an activity to local economic development is not in itself sufficient to justify that activity being defined as an SGEI.
Derfor er de støttebeløb, som er beregnet som ovenfor angivet og knyttet til en given kontrakt, reduceret til nul for de perioder, hvor kontrakten ikke længere gjaldt (bl.a. på grund af førtidig ophævelse ved fælles aftale mellem parterne).
Moreover, the commercial development of an airport by introducing new air routes or expanding non-aeronautical activities cannot as such satisfy the general interest criterion for definition as an SGEI.
Derfor skal det støttebeløb, der skal tilbagesøges hos Ryanair/AMS for visse kontrakter, som ikke er udløbet, nedsættes til nul for perioden fra kontraktens faktiske udløbsdato og indtil den udløbsdato, der var planlagt ved kontraktens indgåelse.
In particular, the Commission takes the view that the compensation by public authorities of the net costs incurred in the provision of an SGEI should not affect the economic incentive for an airport operator to enter into commercial relations with airlines.
Tabel 17 nedenfor indeholder relevante oplysninger om de beløb, der danner grundlag for beregningen af de beløb, der skal tilbagebetales.
As a result, in the light of all the above and the arguments submitted by France, and particularly given the proximity of Montpellier airport and the TGV service from which Nîmes benefits, the Commission takes the view that France has committed a manifest error of assessment in claiming that the overall management of Nîmes airport was an SGEI.
Disse beløb består af de negative dele af de ydelsesspecifikke pengestrømme (indtægter minus omkostninger), som er fastslået ved anvendelse af det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip, med fradrag for de år, hvori kontrakterne med Ryanair/AMS ikke udløb.
In particular, the activity of the Nîmes airport operator consisting of handling commercial passenger transport flights at that airport cannot be regarded as a genuine SGEI.
Tabel 17
It therefore follows that, in so far as the various financial support measures covered by this assessment were intended to finance the operation of the airport’s activity as a whole, they cannot be regarded as financial compensation granted with a view to the management of a genuine SGEI.
Oplysninger om de beløb, der skal tilbagesøges [223]Vejledende beløb (EUR)
As a result, they do not satisfy the cumulative conditions of the Altmark judgment.
Periode hvor støttebeløbet blev modtaget
Furthermore, even if all or part of the management of Nîmes airport could validly be defined as an SGEI, the measures in question would still not satisfy the cumulative conditions of the Altmark judgment.
2004 (sommersæson)
In fact, they do not satisfy the first, second and fourth conditions of that judgment, as will be proven further on in the light of the Communication on the application of the State aid rules to compensation granted for the provision of an SGEI (‘the SGEI communication’).
2007 (januar til oktober)
The Commission considers that, in the case of Nîmes airport, these conditions of the Altmark judgment should be assessed by distinguishing between the entities that effectively carried on this economic activity during the 2000-2012 period.
2007-2008 (vintersæson)
Clearly defined public service obligations discharged by the undertaking (first condition)
2008 (sommersæson)
As France has committed a manifest error of assessment by defining the overall management of the airport as an SGEI and as the measures covered by the present assessment were used to finance the airport’s operation as a whole, the first Altmark condition is not satisfied.
2008-2009 (vintersæson)
In addition, according to the SGEI communication, in order for the first Altmark condition to be satisfied, the public service task must be assigned by way of one or more acts that, depending on the legislation in Member States, may take the form of legislative or regulatory instruments or contracts.
2009 (sommersæson)
Moreover, the act or series of acts must at least specify the content and duration of the public service obligations, the undertaking and, where applicable, the territory concerned, the nature of any exclusive or special rights assigned to the undertaking by the authority in question, the parameters for calculating, controlling and reviewing the compensation, and the arrangements for avoiding and recovering any overcompensation.
2009-2010 (vintersæson)
The only acts produced by France that could possibly fulfil this function are the 1965 Order, the Concession Agreement, the CDSP and their subsequent amendments, in so far as they impose various obligations on the CCI in terms of operation (including on points such as opening times or equal treatment of users), servicing, maintenance and development, for a specified period.
2010 (sommersæson)
However, aside from the CDSP and its amendments, which apply only to VTAN, none of these acts lays down arrangements for calculating and reviewing any financial compensation mechanism.
2010-2011 (vintersæson)
As a result, the acts having assigned obligations to the CCI-Airport do not meet the requirements of the first Altmark condition, even regardless of the fact that the obligations imposed on the CCI-Airport do not form a genuine SGEI.
CCI's periode
The exceptional subsidies and repayable advances received by the CCI-Airport were all exceptional measures granted on an ad hoc basis to finance the airport’s operating deficit.
brevvekslingen fra slutningen af 2001 til begyndelsen af 2002
They did not therefore stem from calculation parameters that were established in advance.
brevvekslingen fra 2004
It should be noted that the CCI-Airport’s tasks for the period from 2000 to February 2006 were specified in the 1965 Order and its annexed schedule of conditions and in the 1986 AOT.