natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
BCR-lånet, ii) BRD-lånet, iii) lånet til tilbagebetaling af den uforenelige støtte og iv) redningslånet, der blev ulovligt fra det tidspunkt, hvor redningsstøtten ikke blev tilbagebetalt inden seks måneder efter dens ydelse og/eller udbetaling, blev gennemført i strid med artikel 108, stk. 3, i TEUF og skal betragtes som ulovlig og uforenelig støtte.
Fifth, as explained in recital 20 above, CE Hunedoara's productive assets were also those operated by the predecessor companies before without any significant productive or technological improvement allowing stakeholders to reasonably expect better or more remunerative sales of electricity and heat on the Romanian electricity market.
De skal derfor tilbagesøges med henblik på at genoprette den situation, der eksisterede på markedet, før de blev ydet.
The Romanian authorities, with full ownership of CE Hunedoara and predecessors, whilst being also its main creditor, could not ignore the structural inability of CE Hunedoara to generate enough operating profits to meet its liabilities.
Tilbagesøgningen skal omfatte perioden mellem det tidspunkt, hvor støttemodtageren opnåede fordelen, dvs. da støtten i form af lånenes hovedstol ulovligt blev stillet til rådighed for modtageren, og indtil den faktiske tilbagebetaling, og der pålægges renter af de beløb, der skal tilbagebetales, indtil den faktiske tilbagebetaling.
They provided with public finance the funds, which CE Huneadoara would have been unable to obtain in the financial market at any rate.
Renterne af de beløb, der skal tilbagebetales, adskiller sig fra de kontraktmæssige renter, morarenter eller andre dermed forbundne beløb vedrørende de omtvistede lån, som Hunedoara skylder staten.
All five abovementioned facts influence the creditworthiness of CE Hunedoara and make it implausible that without State intervention, CE Hunedoara would have found willing lenders at market terms trusting that CE Hunedoara would repay the loans.
Ifølge fast retspraksis udgør støttemodtagerens insolvens og manglende evne til at tilbagebetale støtten ikke en gyldig grund til at fritage vedkommende for sin forpligtelse til at tilbagebetale støtten.
Likewise, it is unlikely that Romania could anticipate returns from its shareholding in CE Hunedoara and, in particular, from revenues foregone when granting loans to CE Hunedoara below market terms.
I så fald kan genopretningen af den situation, der bestod inden udbetalingen af støtten, og fjernelsen af konkurrenceforvridningen i princippet opnås ved at opføre kravet om tilbagebetaling af støtten under passiver som en del af den domstolsovervågede likvidationsprocedure.
In conclusion, the loans in question appear to have favoured CE Hunedoara.
Hvis medlemsstaten ikke er i stand til at tilbagesøge hele støttebeløbet, kan opførelsen af kravet om tilbagebetaling opfylde tilbagesøgningspligten, såfremt konkursbehandlingen fører til opløsning af den virksomhed, der modtog den ulovlige støtte, dvs. det endelige ophør af dens aktivitet.
Indeed, CE Hunedoara was a borrower with a poor credit history of its insolvent and liquidated predecessors, and had no credit history in 2012-2013 when the company was established.
Likvidationen af CE Hunedoara i tilfælde af manglende inddrivelse af redningsstøtten inden seks måneder fra dens godkendelse eller udbetaling er også omfattet af rammebestemmelserne og afgørelsen om redningsstøtte (betragtning 20, 21 og 52, litra d)).
CE Hunedoara had increasing operating losses not allowing to meet debt service as from 2013-2014 and actually defaulted in meeting liabilities causing the company to be potentially subject to insolvency proceedings as from 2015.
Kommissionen noterer sig de seneste drøftelser med Rumænien, hvor det blev fastslået, at opløsningen af CE Hunedoara kan medføre, at dets aktiver afvikles og sælges med henblik på at dække passiverne, herunder dem, der er resultatet af gennemførelsen af den tilbagesøgning, der blev pålagt Rumænien som følge af denne afgørelse.
Moreover, there is no indication that the Romanian authorities have taken any timely steps that a diligent creditor would take to recover its claims, such as summoning the borrower to repay the loans or requesting forced execution of payments for defaulted reimbursements.
Under alle omstændigheder bekræftede de rumænske myndigheder eksistensen af retlige bestemmelser i den nationale lovgivning, der ville sikre fortsættelse af driften, og henviste i den forbindelse til lov nr. 123 af 10. juli 2012 vedrørende elenergi og naturgas, navnlig kapitlet om sikkerhed.
Although in January 2016 the claim for insolvency against CE Hunedoara was filed (see recital 22 above), it has not produced any effective recovery to date.
I forbindelse med en likvidation og i betragtning af Rumæniens retlige forpligtelse til at sikre kontinuitet i forsyningen kan det planlægge at vedtage foranstaltninger med henblik på at undgå pludselige afbrydelser af el- og varmeforsyningen i den region, hvor CE Hunedoara driver sin virksomhed og leverer tjenesteydelser.
Owing to the difficult financial situation of the company and the low likelihood of repayment when the loans were granted or prolonged, the loans in question conferred an economic advantage to CE Hunedoara in the form of finance and funds, which it would not have been able to obtain on the market.
Sådanne foranstaltninger skal dog være forholdsmæssige, rimelige og begrænsede i tid og omfang til, hvad der er absolut nødvendigt for at bevare værdien af kraftværkernes aktiver.
Regarding the quantification of this economic advantage, in recital 34 of the opening decision, the Commission referred to the General Court's judgment in Larko that in circumstances where the borrower is in a delicate financial situation characterised notably by decreasing turnover, negative equity, and inability to reimburse loans from its own funds, the economic advantage embedded on a loan may equal the total amount of the funds borrowed, even if the State only guarantees the loan.
Ved håndhævelsen af nærværende afgørelse skal Kommissionen underrettes på forhånd og være i stand til at kontrollere, at disse betingelser er opfyldt.
The Romanian authorities have not provided any evidence that CE Huneadoara had access to market finance at market conditions, indicating that CE Hunedoara tried, let alone succeeded in, borrowing from the market without State support.
Følgelig berører denne afgørelse generelt ikke sådanne relevante foranstaltninger og processen med overførsel af kraftværkers aktiver.
As noted in recital 43, the BRD loan and the BCR loan transferred by the Romanian State in order to finance environmental compliance in 2013-2014 follows instances were Romania had provided grants for the same type of installation (flue gas desulphurisation) for other thermal power plants in 2010 (CE Turceni) and in 2011 (CE Craiova II) and decided to discontinue the practice of providing such grants as aid instrument.
Som nævnt på videokonferencen den 31. juli 2018 (se betragtning 3) tilkendegav Rumænien endvidere, at det havde til hensigt at træffe passende foranstaltninger til at gå videre med overførslen af kraftværkernes aktiver fra CE Hunedoara til et nyt selskab (NewCo), der stadig ikke er blevet registreret.
However, given the characteristics, purpose and financial situation of CE Hunedoara, it seems therefore appropriate to consider that the BRD loan and the BCR loan transferred by the State and financing environmental compliance were de facto grants, despite their legal qualification of loans.
Dette forventes at ske i form af en hasteanordning, hvorved en overførsel i tre etaper, der gør det ud for betaling (på rumænsk »dare în plată«), ville finde sted med hensyn til kraftværkernes aktiver alene, dvs. uden minerne.
In the meantime, the recourse to the Romanian State transferring the loans it was granted by BDR and BCR shows that these private banks did not wish to take any liquidity risk on CE Hunedoara as they considered the default on repayment virtually certain.
I henhold til den protokol, der er aftalt med Rumænien, bør denne proces omfatte følgende:
As such, based on the above, the Commission concludes that the five loans granted to CE Hunedoara provided an economic advantage and considers this advantage to equal the total amount of the loans' principal when granted.
For det første udarbejdelsen af en obligatorisk evalueringsrapport med henblik på at fastslå værdien af kraftværkernes aktiver (som finansministeriet for øjeblikket har pant i) og CE Hunedoaras gæld.
Selectivity
For det andet ville disse pantsatte aktiver blive overført til finansministeriet og efterfølgende til energiministeriet.
The Commission notes that the five loans were provided on an ad hoc basis to CE Hunedoara to support its continued operation in specific situations requiring investments for environmental compliance, operating costs or repayment of incompatible aid and were not part of a broader measure of general economic policy to provide support to undertakings, in a comparable legal and economic situation, active in the electricity generation or other economic sectors.
For det tredje ville disse pantsatte aktiver blive overført til et nyt selskab, som derefter ville få til opgave at levere tjenesteydelser af almindelig økonomisk interesse.
Therefore, the Commission concludes that these loans are selective within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU.
Denne afgørelse berører ikke sådanne overførsler af aktiver via den planlagte hasteanordning, forudsat at ovennævnte planlagte overførsel udføres af de rumænske myndigheder i overensstemmelse med de lovmæssige krav, herunder navnlig en korrekt værdiansættelse af disse aktiver.
Effect on trade and distortion of competition
KONKLUSION
When aid granted by a Member State strengthens the position of an undertaking compared to other undertakings competing in intra-Union trade, the latter must be regarded as affected by that aid.
Kommissionen konkluderer derfor, at Rumænien har ydet CE Hunedoara ulovlig statsstøtte, der er uforenelig med det indre marked, og som bør tilbagebetales ––
It is sufficient that the recipient of the aid competes with other undertakings on markets open to competition.
VEDTAGET DENNE AFGØRELSE:
CE Hunedoara supplies electricity and heat in Romania.
Artikel 1
Pursuant to the applicable Union rules on the internal electricity market, electricity suppliers can freely establish operations and seek customers in Romania.
Lånet fra Den Internationale Bank for Genopbygning og Økonomisk Udvikling (IBRD-lånet), der er garanteret af den rumænske stat, og som CE Hunedoara blev den efterfølgende modtager af, blev ikke ydet ulovligt til CE Hunedoara i strid med artikel 108, stk. 3, i traktaten om Den Europæiske Unions funktionsmåde.
Indeed a variety of competitors from Romania (e.g. SN Nuclearelectrica, SN Hidroelectrica) or other Member States (e.g. CEZ, Alpiq) have actually done so.
Artikel 2
The Commission notes that the Romanian electricity system is at present interconnected with the electricity systems of Bulgaria and of Hungary, so that flows of electricity are produced in and traded between those Member States.
Følgende lån til fordel for CE Hunedoara og de beløb, der er fastsat i litra a)-d), udgør statsstøtte, som Rumænien har ydet ulovligt (eller som ikke er tilbagebetalt for så vidt angår litra d)) i strid med artikel 108, stk. 3, i traktaten om Den Europæiske Unions funktionsmåde, og er uforenelige med det indre marked:
Therefore, the Commission concludes that the loans under scrutiny are liable to affect EU trade and to distort or threaten to distort competition in the internal market.
lånet fra Romanian Commercial Bank, der er optaget af finansministeriet og efterfølgende stillet til rådighed for CE Hunedoara gennem en subsidiær låneaftale (BCR-lånet) — 83485450 RON
Conclusion on the presence of aid
lånet fra Romanian Development Bank, der er optaget af finansministeriet og efterfølgende stillet til rådighed for CE Hunedoara gennem en subsidiær låneaftale (BRD-lånet) — 68371170 RON
The Commission concludes based on the arguments presented above that the IBRD loan guaranteed by the Romanian State for CE Hunedoara, the BCR and BRD loans contracted for the benefit of CE Hunedoara, the loan granted to repay earlier incompatible aid, and the rescue aid loan, including the prolonged and not repaid portion of it, constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU.
det lån til betaling af den uforenelige støtte, der blev krævet tilbagebetalt ved afgørelsen om den uforenelige støtte (lån til tilbagebetaling af den uforenelige støtte) — 34785015 RON
Lawfulness of the aid
det lån, der udgør støtte ydet i overensstemmelse med afgørelsen om redningsstøtte med påløbne renter (redningslånet), hvoraf der reelt er udbetalt 98476900 RON, og som ikke er blevet tilbagebetalt inden seks måneder efter udbetalingen.
The State-guaranteed IBRD loan agreement benefiting CE Hunedoara was signed on 31 May 2002 with Electrocentrale Deva, one of the legal predecessors of CE Hunedoara, so before the accession of Romania to the European Union in 2007; as such the IBRD loan was not unlawful, even if it were to be established that the loan involved State aid.
Artikel 3
Therefore, the payments by the State as a guarantor, even though occurring post-accession, represent existing aid and are not, as such, unlawful, without prejudice to the qualification under State aid rules of a possible future failure of the State subsequently exercising its recourse right against CE Hunedoara.
Rumænien tilbagesøger den i artikel 2 omhandlede uforenelige støtte fra støttemodtageren.
However, the BCR loan, the BRD loan and the loan granted to repay the incompatible aid, constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU and, since they have been disbursed in violation of Article 108(3) TFEU, they constitute unlawful State aid.
De faktiske beløb, der skal tilbagesøges, svarer til de beløb, der faktisk er blevet udbetalt til støttemodtageren, og som denne ikke har tilbagebetalt til den rumænske stat. Disse beløb pålægges også renter fra det tidspunkt, hvor de blev udbetalt til støttemodtageren, og indtil de faktisk er tilbagebetalt.
The rescue aid loan on which the Commission raised no objections by its rescue aid decision of 21 April 2015 was not put into effect before the Commission decision and was therefore not unlawful State aid.
Rentebeløbet beregnes med renters rente i overensstemmelse med kapitel V i Kommissionens forordning (EF) nr. 794/2004.
However, its excessive prolongation and non-repayment well beyond the six-month period for which it was granted render the prolongation unlawful.
Rumænien indstiller alle udestående betalinger af den i artikel 2 omhandlede støtte med virkning fra datoen for vedtagelsen af denne afgørelse.
Compatibility of the aid and the legal basis for the assessment
Artikel 4
The Commission must assess if the aid measures identified above can be found compatible with the internal market.
Tilbagesøgningen af den i artikel 2 omhandlede støtte skal være øjeblikkelig og effektiv med forbehold af passende foranstaltninger, som Rumænien måtte vedtage med henblik på at sikre den fortsatte drift af de elproduktionsaktiver, der er nødvendige for levering af el og varme, forudsat at disse foranstaltninger er forholdsmæssige, rimelige og begrænset i tid og omfang til, hvad der er absolut nødvendigt for at bevare værdien af aktiverne.
According to the case law of the Court, it is up to the Member State to invoke possible grounds of compatibility, and to demonstrate that the conditions for such compatibility are met.
Rumænien efterkommer denne afgørelse senest fire måneder efter meddelelsen deraf.
Except initially for the rescue aid loan and its prolongation after six months from the Commission decision of 21 April 2015 and the IBRD loan which was not notifiable since it was granted before the accession of Romania to the Union, Romania has not notified the loan granted to repay the incompatible aid, the BCR loan and the BRD loan nor invoked possible grounds of compatibility with the internal market.
Artikel 5
On the basis of the information available and, as noted in the opening decision, the Commission considers that the sole possible compatibility basis for the measures under assessment would be the R&R aid Guidelines.
Inden to måneder efter meddelelsen af denne afgørelse forelægger Rumænien følgende oplysninger for Kommissionen:
These Guidelines provide rules and conditions for the purposes of the compatibility assessment of rescue and restructuring aid to undertakings in difficulty pursuant to Article 107(3)(c) TFEU.
det samlede beløb (hovedstol og renter), der skal tilbagesøges fra støttemodtageren
Applicability of the R&R aid Guidelines
en detaljeret beskrivelse af allerede trufne og planlagte foranstaltninger med henblik på at efterkomme denne afgørelse
According to points 137 and 138 of the R&R aid Guidelines, ‘[t]he Commission will examine the compatibility with the internal market of any rescue or restructuring aid granted without its authorisation and therefore in breach of Article 108(3) [TFEU] on the basis of these guidelines if some or all of the aid is granted after their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union’ and ‘[i]n all other cases it will conduct the examination on the basis of the guidelines which applied at the time the aid was granted’.
en detaljeret beskrivelse af de foranstaltninger, der allerede er truffet eller planlagt for at sikre den fortsatte drift af elproduktionsaktiverne
The rescue aid loan and the loan granted to repay the incompatible aid were granted after the entry into force of the R&R aid Guidelines on 1 August 2014.
dokumentation for, at støttemodtagerne har fået påbud om at tilbagebetale støtten.
Therefore, the R&R aid Guidelines are applicable to these two loans.
Rumænien underretter løbende Kommissionen om resultaterne af gennemførelsen af de nationale foranstaltninger, der er vedtaget i henhold til denne afgørelse, indtil tilbagesøgningen af den i artikel 2 nævnte støtte er afsluttet.
In addition, the BCR and the BRD loans were not notified to the Commission, in breach of Article 108(3) TFEU.
Rumænien indsender på Kommissionens anmodning straks oplysninger om de foranstaltninger, der allerede er truffet eller planlagt for at efterkomme afgørelsen.
It follows that even if these two loans had been granted before 1 August 2014, insofar as they must be assessed jointly as part of a single operation providing aid to a company in difficulty, the R&R aid Guidelines also apply to the BCR and BRD loans.
Rumænien giver tillige detaljerede oplysninger om de støttebeløb og renter, støttemodtagerne allerede har tilbagebetalt.
Application of the R&R aid Guidelines
Artikel 6
Only undertakings in difficulty as defined in point 20 of the R&R aid Guidelines and not active in the coal, steel and financial sectors as defined in point 16 thereof can benefit from rescue or restructuring aid.
Denne afgørelse er rettet til Rumænien.
As noted in the rescue aid decision, CE Hunedoara fulfilled already in April 2015 the criteria for being placed in collective insolvency proceedings set out in point 20(c) of the R&R aid Guidelines and, indeed, in January 2016, the company entered into such proceedings (see recital 22 above).
Udfærdiget i Bruxelles, den 8. november 2018.
Therefore, CE Hunedoara can be considered a firm in difficulty in the sense of the R&R aid Guidelines.
På Kommissionens vegne
The Commission first notes that Romania has not provided any evidence on possible compliance with the conditions for compatibility for rescue or restructuring aid set out in the R&R aid Guidelines.
Medlem af Kommissionen
As regards, the BCR loan, the BRD loan, and the loan granted to repay the incompatible aid the Commission will in the following assess them jointly because they were granted to a company in difficulty as investment or operating aid allowing CE Hunedoara to meet its costs in the absence of access to financial markets (see recital 99).
EUT C 158 af 4.5.2018, s. 47.
On this basis, the Commission considers that the compatibility conditions for restructuring aid laid down in the R&R aid Guidelines are not met, because (i) the restructuring plan (submitted in October 2015 and amended in January 2016) was not valid at the outset insofar as it could not ensure the long term viability of CE Hunedoara without further continuous aid and has not been pursued, (ii) there is no discernible own contribution of CE Hunedoara in line with points 62 to 64 of the R&R aid Guidelines, and (iii) no measures limiting distortions of competition in line with points 74 to 86 of the R&R aid Guidelines could be identified.
Jf. fodnote 1.
Regarding points 99 to 103 of the R&R aid Guidelines, even though they provide for specific conditions for aid to SGEI providers in difficulty, the Commission comes to the view that the loans under assessment cannot be assessed or taken into account as a compensation for the provision of such services as referred to in point 100 of the R&R aid Guidelines.
EUT C 23 af 25.1.2013, s. 3.
First, it is not claimed nor established that CE Hunedoara has been operating on the basis of valid entrustment acts singling out any justifiable difference with the production of electricity by other electricity generators active in Romania; according to established case law of the European Court of Justice, the presence of a valid entrustment act is an essential condition for state aid to be considered as valid compensation of a Service of General economic Interest.
Rådets afgørelse 2010/787/EU af 10. december 2010 om statsstøtte til fremme af lukning af miner, der ikke er konkurrencedygtige (EUT L 336 af 21.12.2010, s. 24).
Second, the loans at issue were ad hoc loans for specific purposes and have not been granted with regard to identifiable and justified extra costs of service provision.
Kommissionens afgørelse (EU) 2015/1877 af 20. april 2015 om de takster, S.C.
Third, the loan amounts have not been set, individually or cumulatively, on the basis of objective parameters set out in advance and calibrated specifically for the determined costs of the SGEI taking into account all revenues and costs of Hunedoara.
Hidroelectrica S.A., Rumænien, anvender over for S.C.
Therefore, the Commission cannot, under points 100 and 101 of the R&R aid Guidelines, consider that the loans in question should be regarded as valid compensations under the SGEI Decision or the SGEI Framework.
Termoelectrica S.A. og S.C.
Romania has also failed to meet its commitment to legally separate the coal mines from the power generation within CE Hunedoara, which was a commitment it made at the time the rescue aid was approved and which, according to its submissions, could take between six and nine months.
Electrocentrale Deva S.A — SA.33475 (12/C) (EUT L 275 af 20.10.2015, s. 46), betragtning 117-124.
Two coal mines are receiving operating aid for closure pursuant to the Decision regarding the second aid to coal mines (recital 12 above).
Den vejledende vekselkurs. der er anvendt i denne afgørelse, er RON/EUR = 0,215 (pr. 31.1.2018).
Romania has argued in its comments to the opening decision that separate accounts are held for the mining and electricity generation activities; however, separate accounts themselves do not prevent cross-financing of the mining activity.
Kommissionens afgørelse af 21. april 2015, SA.41318 (2015/N) — Rumænien — Meddelelse om redningsstøtte til Complexul Energetic Hunedoara (EUT C 203 af 19.6.2015, s. 5).
Romania did not demonstrate that cross-financing does not occur by e.g. presenting evidence that the use of the State aid only benefits the electricity generation activity.
EUT C 249 af 31.7.2014, s. 1.
Absent this necessary evidence, it cannot be excluded that some of the loans covered by the present decision have benefitted directly or indirectly the coal mines of CE Hunedoara, in violation of point 16 of the R&R aid Guidelines which exclude the coal sector from R&R aid.
Denne plan blev også drøftet på et møde med de rumænske myndigheder den 23. oktober 2015.
Finally, it is worth noting that the proceeds from loan granted to repay the incompatible aid remain available to CE Hunedoara.