natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Disse modydelser kan bestå i at afhænde aktiver, indskrænke kapaciteten eller virksomhedens aktivitetsniveau på markedet og fjerne hindringer for adgang til de pågældende markeder (punkt 39).
Distortion of competition and effect on trade between Member States
I den henseende vil salg af aktier anvendt til tabsgivende aktiviteter, der under alle omstændigheder ville være nødvendige for igen at gøre virksomheden levedygtig, ikke blive betragtet som en indskrænkning af virksomhedens kapacitet eller aktivitetsniveau med henblik på vurderingen af modydelserne (punkt 40).
The advantage for a professional club playing in the national first or second league may have an effect on competition and trade between Member States.
Spanien foreslår som modydelse for Valencia CF, at klubbens mest værdifulde spillere sælges (se betragtning 41 ovenfor).
Professional clubs of first and second leagues compete for presence in European competitions, in Spain through the Spanish Cup (‘Copa del Rey’) in which teams from La Liga and Segunda A and Segunda B compete, with the winner participating to the UEFA Europa League (unless they qualify for the UEFA Champions League).
Kommissionen bemærker imidlertid, at de solgte spillere blev brugt til klubbens tabsgivende aktivitet, nemlig deltagelse i fodboldturneringer, hvorfor salget ikke kan betragtes som indskrænkning af kapaciteten eller aktivitetsniveauet i Valencias rentable aktivitetsområder.
At the time of the measures under scrutiny, Valencia CF participated in international competitions (in the Europa League of seasons 2008-2009 and 2009-2010), whereas Hercules CF had just qualified to La Liga as a runner-up of the Segunda División and Elche CF was playing in the Segunda División (in season 2013-2014 it played in La Liga).
Selv om salget i sidste ende kunne komme en konkurrent til gode, var det primære formål at sikre Valencias genopretning.
Hercules CF and Elche CF also participated in Copa del Rey at the time of measures 2 and 3.
Derfor kan det ikke anses for at skabe en fordel for Valencia CF's konkurrenter.
Furthermore, professional clubs of first and second leagues are also active on the markets for merchandising and TV rights.
På den baggrund betragter Kommissionen ikke ovennævnte modydelser, som Spanien har foreslået, som tilstrækkelige i medfør af rammebestemmelserne med henblik på at sikre, at de skadelige virkninger for samhandelsvilkårene af støtten til Valencia CF begrænses mest muligt.
Broadcasting rights, merchandising and sponsoring are sources of revenue for which such clubs compete with other clubs within and outside their home country.
Med hensyn til Hércules CF og Elche CF bemærker Kommissionen, at den ikke har modtaget nogen oplysninger om modydelser for disse to klubber, hvilket betyder, at punkt 38 i rammebestemmelserne heller ikke er opfyldt for disse to klubber.
The more funds clubs have available to attract the best possible players, the more success they may have in sport competitions, which promises more revenue from the activities mentioned.
Begrænsning af støtten til et minimum (egetbidrag)
Therefore, the Commission comes to the view that the measures under assessment are liable to distort or threaten to distort competition and affect trade between Member States.
Ifølge punkt 43 i rammebestemmelserne er det nødvendigt, at støttemodtagerne selv yder et betydeligt bidrag til omstrukturering med egne midler for at begrænse støtten til omstruktureringsomkostningerne til et absolut minimum.
Conclusion as regards the existence of aid
Dette kan omfatte afhændelse af aktiver, som ikke er nødvendige for virksomhedens overlevelse, eller ekstern finansiering på markedsvilkår.
For the reasons stated above, the Commission concludes that measures 1, 2, 3 and 4 entailed State aid granted to Valencia CF (measure 1 and 4), Hercules CF (measure 2) and Elche CF (measure 3).
Egetbidraget må i sagens natur ikke omfatte yderligere statsstøtte.
The Commission has laid down the general principles for calculating the aid element in guarantees in the 2008 Guarantee Notice.
For store virksomheder som Valencia CF's [32] vedkommende betragter Kommissionen normalt et bidrag på mindst 50 % af omstruktureringsomkostningerne for passende.
The Commission notes that the measures under scrutiny enabled their beneficiaries to continue operating so that, unlike other competitors with financial difficulties, those beneficiaries did not have to face the negative consequences normally deriving from their financial results.
Under ekstraordinære omstændigheder og i tilfælde af særligt store problemer kan Kommissionen dog acceptere et mindre bidrag (punkt 44 i rammebestemmelserne).
According to Section 4.2 of the 2008 Guarantee Notice, the Commission considers that, for every guarantee, the aid amount is equal to the guarantee's subsidy element, i.e. the amount stemming from the difference between, on the one hand, the interest rate of the loan actually applied thanks to the State guarantee plus the guarantee fee and, on the other hand, the interest rate that would have been applied to a loan without the State guarantee.
På dette grundlag mener Kommissionen ikke, at de private bidrag til Valencia CF's kapitalforhøjelse fra 2009 er tilstrækkelige til at blive betragtet som egetbidrag.
The Commission notes that due to the limited number of observations of similar transactions on the market, such a benchmark will not provide a meaningful comparison.
Med hensyn til Hércules CF og Elche CF bemærker Kommissionen, at foranstaltning 2 og 3 udgjorde 100 % af de finansielle kilder til de respektive kapitalindsprøjtninger i disse klubber, hvorfor der ikke var nogen private bidrag til disse foranstaltninger.
Therefore the Commission will use the relevant reference rate [27], which is 1000 basis points in view of the three football clubs' difficulties and the very low value of the loans' securities, plus 124-149 basis points as the base rates of Spain at the time of the aid measures.
Derfor mener Kommissionen ikke, at kravene i rammebestemmelsernes punkt 43 er blevet opfyldt.
Indeed, each loan was securitised with a pledge on the acquired shares in the clubs.
Princippet om engangsstøtte
However, the latter were in difficulty, i.e. they were conducting operations resulting in losses, and there was no credible viability plan in place to demonstrate that those operations would turn to producing profits for their shareholders.
Endelig skal støtten opfylde punkt 72 i rammebestemmelserne, ifølge hvilken en virksomhed, der har modtaget rednings- eller omstruktureringsstøtte inden for de sidste ti år, ikke er berettiget til rednings- eller omstruktureringsstøtte (princippet om engangsstøtte).
Therefore those clubs' losses were encompassed in the value of the same clubs' shares, thus the value of those shares as loan security was close to zero.
Med hensyn til Valencia CF, som var modtager af foranstaltning 1 og 4, gør Spanien gældende, at foranstaltning 4 kun omfatter en forhøjelse af den eksisterende garanti på 6 mio. EUR, hvorfor den ikke kan betragtes som en ny garanti og dermed ny statsstøtte til Valencia CF.
On the basis of the Commission's calculations, the aid amount in the measures under assessment would be EUR 20,381 million in the case of Valencia CF (EUR 19,193 million under measure 1 plus EUR 1,188 million under measure 4), EUR 6,143 million in the case of Hercules CF and EUR 3,688 million in the case of Elche CF.
Kommissionen bemærker, at ovennævnte forhøjelse fra 2010 af den eksisterende statsgaranti fra 2009 ikke var planlagt eller programmeret fra begyndelsen, da statsgarantien fra 2009 blev udstedt, men havde en ad hoc-karakter, eftersom den blev udstedt til dækning af den uventede manglende rentebetaling af 26. august 2010 på det garanterede lån (se betragtning 10 ovenfor).
The Commission's calculations are as follows:
Derfor mener Kommissionen, at foranstaltning 4 udgør ny statsstøtte til fordel for Valencia CF og er adskilt fra foranstaltning 1.
For measure 1: the applied interest rate of 6,5 % is deducted from the applicable market interest rate of 11,45 %, i.e. 1000 basis points for Valencia CF plus 145 basis points as base rate for Spain in November 2009 [28].
Eftersom Valencia CF modtog omstruktureringsstøtte to gange i en periode på ti år, nemlig i 2009 og 2010, da den modtog statsgarantien fra 2009 og forhøjelsen i 2010 af den tidligere garanti (fra 2009), konkluderer Kommissionen, at princippet om engangsstøtte ikke er overholdt for foranstaltning 4, der blev ydet til Valencia CF.
The result is multiplied by the loan amount of EUR 75 million and by the loan's actual duration of 5,17 years.
Konklusion
The final result equals EUR 19,193 million.
I lyset af ovenstående finder Kommissionen, at statsgarantien fra 2009 og forhøjelsen deraf i 2010 til Valencia CF, statsgarantien fra 2011 til Hércules CF og statsgarantien fra 2011 til Elche CF blev ydet i strid med artikel 108, stk. 3, i TEUF.
For measure 2: the applied interest rate of 4,41 % is deducted from the applicable market interest rate of 11,24 %, i.e. 1000 basis points for Hercules CF plus 124 basis points as base rate for Spain in July 2010 [29].
Tilbagesøgning
The result is multiplied by the loan amount of EUR 18 million and by the loan's duration of 5 years.
Hvis Kommissionen har konstateret, at en støtte er uforenelig med det indre marked, er den i henhold til TEUF og Domstolens faste retspraksis bemyndiget til at afgøre, at den pågældende medlemsstat skal ophæve eller ændre den [33].
The final result equals EUR 6,143 million.
Domstolen har ligeledes konsekvent statueret, at formålet med en medlemsstats forpligtelse til at ophæve støtteforanstaltninger, som Kommissionen anser for uforenelige med det indre marked, er at genoprette den tidligere situation [34].
For measure 3: the applied interest rate of 6,22 % is deducted from the applicable market interest rate of 11,49 %, i.e. 1000 basis points for Elche CF plus 149 basis points base rate for Spain in February 2011 [29] See footnote 27.
I den forbindelse har Domstolen bestemt, at dette mål er nået, når støttemodtageren har tilbagebetalt det beløb, der er modtaget i ulovlig støtte og således mister sin fordel i forhold til sine konkurrenter på markedet, og situationen forud for støtteudbetalingen er genoprettet [35].
The result is multiplied by the loan amount of EUR 14 million and by the loan's duration of 5 years.
I overensstemmelse med ovenstående retspraksis bestemmer Rådets forordning (EU) 2015/1589 [36], at »[i] negative afgørelser om ulovlig støtte bestemmer Kommissionen, at den pågældende medlemsstat skal træffe alle nødvendige foranstaltninger til at kræve støtten tilbagebetalt fra støttemodtageren […]«.
The final result equals EUR 3,688 million.
Da de pågældende foranstaltninger ikke blev anmeldt til Kommissionen som krævet i artikel 108 i TEUF og derfor skal anses for at udgøre ulovlig og uforenelig støtte, skal støtten tilbagesøges med henblik på at genoprette den situation, som eksisterede på markedet, inden støtten blev ydet.
For measure 4: the applied interest rate of 6,5 % is deducted from the applicable market interest rate of 11,45 %, i.e. 1000 basis points for Valencia CF plus 145 basis points base rate for Spain in November 2010 [29] See footnote 27.
Den periode, for hvilken støtten skal tilbagebetales, er perioden fra det tidspunkt, hvor modtageren første gang fik fordelen, dvs. da støtten blev stillet til modtagerens rådighed, og frem til datoen for den faktiske tilbagebetaling.
The result is multiplied by the loan amount of EUR 6 million and by the remainder of the loan's actual duration, equal to 4 years.
Kommissionen bemærker, at Valencia CF har gjort gældende (se betragtning 41, litra b), ovenfor), at eftersom ejerskabet af Valencia CF blev overdraget i en åben og konkurrencepræget udbudsprocedure, ville et (eventuelt) støtteelement være blevet afspejlet i markedsprisen og ville indgå i købsprisen, og at sælgeren af aktierne derfor beholder fordelen ved støtten.
On the basis of the above, the total aid element in measures 1, 2, 3 and 4 amounts to EUR 30,212 million.
Ifølge Valencia CF ville støttebeløbet i statsgarantien i lyset af ovenstående skulle inddrives fra sælgeren, dvs. Fundación Valencia.
Fundacion Valencia claims that, should it be determined that the guarantee in question entails some element of State aid, the periods of suspension or invalidity of the guarantee as a result of various legal proceedings launched in Spain should also be taken into account by the Commission in its assessment (see recital 46(h)).
Kommissionen mener, som forklaret i betragtning 47-48 ovenfor, at eftersom det var klubben, der med salget i 2014 i sidste ende drog fordel af foranstaltning 1 og 4, blev støtten også overført til den nye ejer af Valencia CF.
The Commission cannot accept this claim since no irreversible cancellation of the guarantee and no subsequent repayment of the underlying loan took place before the sale of the shares in Valencia CF therefore the advantage granted through the guarantee remained in place throughout the period between the granting of the guarantee and the cancelation of the guarantee following the sale of the shares in Valencia CF.
Kommissionen bemærker, at Elche CF og Hércules CF i øjeblikket er genstand for kollektiv konkursbehandling (se betragtning 18 og 20 ovenfor).
Legality of the aid
Den kendsgerning, at en modtager er insolvent eller under konkursbehandling, har ifølge etableret retspraksis ingen betydning for dennes forpligtelse til at tilbagebetale ulovlig og uforenelig støtte [37].
Article 108(3) TFEU states that a Member State shall not put an aid measure into effect before the Commission has adopted a decision authorising this measure.
KONKLUSION
The Commission observes that the identified measures were granted in breach of the notification and stand-still obligations established in Article 108(3) TFEU.
Kommissionen konkluderer, at Spanien ulovligt har ydet 30,212 mio. EUR i støtte i strid med artikel 108, stk. 3, i TEUF i form af:
Thus, the Commission considers that measures 1, 2, 3 and 4 qualify as unlawful State aid.
statsgarantien fra 2009 udstedt af IVF til køb af aktier i Valencia CF
Compatibility of the aid
statsgarantien fra 2010 udstedt af IVF til køb af aktier i Hércules CF
The Commission must assess whether the aid measures identified above can be considered compatible with the internal market.
statsgarantien fra 2011 udstedt af IVF til køb af aktier i Elche CF
According to the jurisprudence of the Union Courts, it is up to the Member State to invoke possible grounds of compatibility and to demonstrate that the conditions for such compatibility are met [30].
Kommissionen konkluderer, at Spanien ikke har ydet ny støtte med betalingen i 2013 af 4,9 mio. EUR i statsgarantier fra IVF til Valencia CF.
Valencia CF argues that measure 1 would be compatible with the 2009 Temporary Community framework for State aid measures to support access to finance in the current financial and economic crisis [31] (‘2009 Temporary Framework’) which was adopted to address deficiencies stemming from the economic and financial crisis which began in October 2008.
Støtten er ikke forenelig med det indre marked, eftersom den ikke kan godkendes som omstruktureringsstøtte eller som anden form for støtte.
However, the Commission notes that Valencia CF's difficulties had started before the financial crisis, already in the fiscal year ending in June 2007 (see Table 1 above), whereas the 2009 Temporary Framework aimed at addressing problems arising in the context of the crisis.
De beløb, der skal tilbagesøges, er 20,381 mio. EUR fra Valencia CF, 6,143 mio. EUR fra Hércules CF og 3,688 mio. EUR fra Elche CF.
Indeed, according to point (i) of Section 4.3.2. of the Temporary Framework, ‘the aid is granted to firms which were not in difficulty on 1 July 2008; it may be granted to firms that were not in difficulty at that date but entered in difficulty thereafter as a result of the global financial and economic crisis.’
VEDTAGET DENNE AFGØRELSE:
Since Valencia CF was already in difficulty since June 2007, the Commission considers that the 2009 Temporary Framework is not applicable for the measures in favour of Valencia CF.
Artikel 1
The Commission will assess whether the aid measures can be found compatible under Article 107(3)(c) TFEU allowing aid to facilitate the development of certain economic activities, where such aid does not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest.
Følgende foranstaltninger, som ulovligt er gennemført af Spanien i strid med artikel 108, stk. 3, i traktaten om Den Europæiske Unions funktionsmåde, udgør statsstøtte og er uforenelige med det indre marked:
In its assessment of the notion of ‘development of economic activities’ in the sports sector, the Commission takes due account of Article 165(1) TFEU and the last indent of Article 165(2) TFEU which provide that the Union shall contribute to the promotion of European sporting issues, while taking account of the specific nature of sport, its structures based on voluntary activity and its social and educational function.
Foranstaltning 1
In its comments submitted during the formal investigation procedure, LFP claims that the sporting activities undertaken by professional sport clubs perform a public service function, which determines that in accordance with Article 106(2) TFEU, the application of rules on competition to these clubs must not obstruct the performance of the particular tasks assigned to them.
Statsgarantien udstedt af IVF den 5. november 2009 for et banklån til Fundación Valencia til tegning af aktier i Valencia CF i forbindelse med Valencia CF's kapitalforhøjelse på et beløb på 19,193 mio. EUR.
The Commission notes that the measures in question supported professional football activities rather than amateur sport.
Foranstaltning 2
Professional football services are supplied by market forces therefore there is no need for the State to attribute public service obligations for the provision of such services.
Statsgarantien udstedt af IVF den 26. juli 2010 for et banklån til Fundación Hércules til tegning af aktier i Hércules CF i forbindelse med Hércules CF's kapitalforhøjelse på et beløb på 6,143 mio. EUR.
At the same time, the Commission notes that it has not been demonstrated that the services of Valencia CF were attributed to it by the Spanish authorities in a way compatible with Article 106(2) TFEU, i.e. by way of an act clearly defining the public service, its duration or, the relevant compensation and its calculation.
Foranstaltning 3
On the basis of the above, the Commission does not accept that the measures in question in favour of Valencia CF can be compatible under 106(2) TFEU.
Foranstaltning 4
In view of the nature of the measures at issue and of the fact that the football clubs in question faced financial difficulties when the aid was awarded, and that the aid was awarded with the aim to address those difficulties, the Commission will assess whether the criteria laid down in the 2004 R&R Guidelines might apply, since the latter were in force at the time the aid measures at stake were granted (in 2009, 2010 and 2011) and the three football clubs qualify as undertakings in difficulty pursuant to these Guidelines.
Forhøjelsen udstedt af IVF den 10. november 2010 til Fundación Valencia på 1,188 mio. EUR til betaling af skyldige afdrag, renter og omkostninger på det lån, der er omfattet af garantien i foranstaltning 1.
In this respect, Spain considers that if the Commission were to find State aid in measures 1 and 4 it would be compatible with the internal market on the basis of Article 107(3)(c) TFEU, and in particular as restructuring aid under the 2004 R&R Guidelines.
Artikel 2
As will be explained below, the Commission notes that the aid measures under scrutiny cannot be considered compatible aid pursuant to the 2004 R&R Guidelines, because the conditions and principles of the latter are not met.
Spanien skal tilbagesøge den uforenelige støtte som beskrevet i artikel 1 fra Valencia CF for foranstaltning 1 og 4, Hércules CF for foranstaltning 2 og Elche CF for foranstaltning 3.
Restoration of long-term viability
De beløb, der skal tilbagesøges, tilskrives rente fra den dato, hvor de blev stillet til rådighed for modtagerne, indtil de er tilbagebetalt.
According to point 34 of the 2004 R&R Guidelines, the grant of restructuring aid must be conditional on implementation of a restructuring plan, which must be endorsed by the Commission in all cases of individual aid.
Rentebeløbet beregnes med renters rente i overensstemmelse med kapitel V i Kommissionens forordning (EF) nr. 794/2004 [38] og Kommissionens forordning (EF) nr. 271/2008 [39] om ændring af forordning (EF) nr. 794/2004.
Point 35 explains that the restructuring plan, the duration of which must be as short as possible, must restore the long-term viability of the firm within a reasonable timescale and on the basis of realistic assumptions as to future operating conditions.
Spanien indstiller med virkning fra datoen for vedtagelsen af denne afgørelse enhver resterende udbetaling af den i artikel 1 omhandlede støtte.
Pursuant to point 36 of the 2004 R&R Guidelines, the plan must describe the circumstances that led to the company's difficulties and take account of the present state and future market prospects with best-case, worst-case and base-case scenarios.
Artikel 3
The plan must provide for a turnaround that will enable the company, after completing its restructuring, to cover all its costs including depreciation and financial charges.
Tilbagesøgningen af den i artikel 1 omhandlede støtte skal være øjeblikkelig og effektiv.
The expected return on capital must be high enough to enable the restructured firm to compete in the marketplace on its own merits (point 37).
Spanien sikrer, at denne afgørelse efterkommes senest fire måneder efter datoen for meddelelsen af denne afgørelse.
During the formal investigation procedure, Spain submitted that the decision to grant measure 1 to Fundacion Valencia was based on a viability plan of May 2009.
Senest to måneder efter datoen for meddelelsen af denne afgørelse fremsender Spanien følgende oplysninger:
In addition, the financial results forecasted by the viability plan were below a level which could be considered as adequate for the restoration of Valencia CF's long-term viability.
det samlede beløb (hovedstol og renter), der skal tilbagesøges fra hver støttemodtager
Indeed, as demonstrated in Table 6 above, the 2009 viability plan presented operating losses until the fiscal year ending in June 2013, i.e. in the 4 years following the granting of the 2009 State guarantee.
en detaljeret beskrivelse af de foranstaltninger, der allerede er truffet eller er planlagt for at efterkomme denne afgørelse
In addition, the operating profits forecasted for the fiscal years ending in June 2014 and June 2015 were at a very low operating margins, of 1 % and 4 % respectively.
dokumentation for, at modtagerne er blevet pålagt at tilbagebetale støtten.
Finally, as regards the club's forecasted earnings before taxes until the economic year ending in June 2015, the same analysis stands as for the operating results above, whereas the significantly high results of EUR 50,5 million in the fiscal year ending in June 2011 and EUR 154,8 million in June 2012 are not representative of the club's financial performance but constitute extraordinary results stemming from the sale of land plots.
Spanien holder Kommissionen underrettet om gennemførelsen af de foranstaltninger, der træffes for at efterkomme denne afgørelse, indtil den i artikel 1 omhandlede støtte er fuldt tilbagebetalt.
On the basis of the above, as regards return to viability, the Commission comes to the conclusion that the impact of the different measures is not duly quantified and viability is not foreseen at adequate levels under different scenarios.
Efter anmodning fra Kommissionen fremsender Spanien omgående oplysninger om, hvilke foranstaltninger der er truffet eller planlagt for at efterkomme afgørelsen.
Therefore, the Commission considers that the viability plan, even if it was considered as a genuine restructuring plan in the sense of the 2004 R&R Guidelines, was incomplete as to enable Valencia CF to restore its long-term viability within a reasonable timescale.