natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Det anføres, at kunder i engrosdatacentre typisk underskriver lejekontrakter for en periode på 10-20 år, og at datacenterinvestorers investeringsperspektiver for gennemførelsen af deres forretningsplaner ligger på mindst 15 år.
It is submitted that customers of wholesale data centres typically sign 10-20 year leases and data centre investors will look at 15-year investment horizons, at least, in which to realise their business plans.
Da den økonomiske krise satte ind i 2008, blev erhvervsklimaet i Island ustabilt.
Following the economic crash of 2008, the business environment in Icelandbecame unstable.
Uundgåeligt pres på finanspolitikken
Inevitable pressure on government fiscal policy
De islandske myndigheder påpeger, at den økonomiske balance blev kraftigt svækket mod udgangen af 2008, da den økonomiske krise ramte Island.
The Icelandic authorities submit that the economic balance was rudely shattered in late 2008 when the economic crash hit Iceland.
Under disse omstændigheder var regeringen nødt til at hæve en lang række skatter.
In those circumstances, the raising of a broad range of taxes was a necessity for the government.
F.eks. blev selskabsskatten hævet fra 15 % til 18 % i januar 2010 [40].
As an example, the corporate income tax rates were raised from 15% to 18% in January 2010.
De islandske myndigheder påpegede desuden, at genopretningen efter den recession, der ramte Island, vil være vilkårlig, og at der er uklarhed omkring omfanget af og tidsrammen for genopretningen.
The Icelandic authorities further submitted that the ultimate recovery from the recession which struck Icelandwill be patchy and the scale and timeframe for that recovery is unclear.
Det er derfor umuligt med sikkerhed at sige, at der ikke vil blive gennemført yderligere ændringer i skattestrukturen.
It is therefore impossible to predict with certainty that further changes in taxation would not be implemented.
De islandske myndigheder påpegede desuden, at det – i lyset af det ustabile erhvervsklima som følge af den økonomiske krise – ikke ville være realistisk at forvente, at Verne ville fortsætte den foreslåede investering ud fra den antagelse, at situationen var "business as usual".
The Icelandic authorities further submitted that in light of the unstable business environment following the economic crisis it would not have been realistic to have expected Verne to continue its proposed investment on the understanding that the situation was “business as usual”.
Det ville derfor – i betragtning af at et datacenters vækstkapacitet i dets levetid hænger sammen med opgraderingen af de eksisterende datacenterfaciliteter – være urimeligt at forvente, at Verne ville opretholde sin eksisterende investering i Island, som virksomheden gik ind i under helt andre økonomiske omstændigheder.
It would therefore be unreasonable, given that the growth of capacity for a data centre over the course of its lifetime occurs in relation to the upgrading of existing data centre facilities, to anticipate that Verne would continue with its existing investment in Iceland, which it entered into in vastly different economic circumstances.
Konsekvenser for investorernes tillid
Effects on investor confidence
Ifølge de islandske myndigheder udgjorde begivenhederne i forbindelse med den finansielle krise i Island force majeure og ændrede drastisk investorernes og kundernes opfattelse af Island.
The Icelandic authorities submitted that the events of the financial crisis in Iceland constituted a situation of force majeure that radically changed the way that investors and customers thought about Iceland.
Kort sagt gjorde krisen Island til et relativt utiltrækkende sted for udenlandske investeringer, i hvert fald på kort og mellemlang sigt.
In short, it rendered Icelanda relatively unattractive place for foreign investment, at least in the short to medium term.
De islandske myndigheder påpegede, at den økonomiske krises omfang og dens konsekvenser for datacenterkunder og -investorer har været alvorlige.
The Icelandic authorities submitted that the gravity of the economic crisis, and its impact on data centre customers and investors, has been severe.
Som eksempel nævnte de, at CDS-spreads, som var blevet forhandlet i en størrelsesorden på 200 basispoint i de meste af 2008, steg til et godt stykke over 1000 basispoint, da bankkrisen kom tættere på.
As an example they mention that CDS spreads, which had been trading in the range of 200 basis points for most of the year 2008, spiked to well over 1000 basis points as the banking crisis approached.
De islandske myndigheder bemærker, at Verne og dens investorer under disse omstændigheder følte, at de ikke havde andet valg end at sikre sig et tilsagn fra den islandske regering med henblik på at kunne dokumentere, at der ville kunne opretholdes et økonomisk klima af en vis stabilitet for både kunder og investorer.
The Icelandic authorities note that in those circumstances, Verne and its investors felt they had no choice other than to secure a commitment from the Icelandic government in order to demonstrate that an economic environment of some stability could be maintained for its customers and investors alike.
De islandske myndigheder har forstået, at potentielle store brugere som IBM og Morgan Stanley over for Verne påpegede, at medmindre erhvervsklimaet kunne stabiliseres, ville de ikke have andet valg end at udskyde deres beslutning om at investere i Island.
The Icelandic authorities understand that potential large-scale users such as IBM and Morgan Stanley alerted Verne to the fact that, unless the business environment could be stabilised, they would have no choice other than to postpone their decisions to invest in Iceland.
Verne erkendte derfor, at der var brug for ekstraordinære foranstaltninger for at sikre tilsagn fra kunder og fremtidig investeringskapital.
Verne therefore recognised that extraordinary measures were required in order to secure customer commitments and future investment capital.
For så vidt angår tilskyndelsesvirkningen, påpeger de islandske myndigheder, at forventningen om, at et lille privat investeringsselskab som Verne indsamler detaljeret dokumentation for en indlysende, umiddelbar og drastisk ændring af omstændighederne, ikke hænger særlig godt sammen med den måde, hvorpå små investeringsselskaber træffer beslutninger i praksis.
Regarding the incentive effect, the Icelandic authorities submit that expecting a small private equity investment firm such as Verne to compile detailed documentation about a self-evident, immediate and radical change in circumstances does not sit comfortably with the way small investment firms engage in decision-making in practice.
De islandske myndigheder bemærker endvidere, at Verne var og er en lille iværksættervirksomhed med en håndfuld ledere og ansatte og en gruppe investorer, som har personlige relationer i forbindelse med datacenterprojekter forud for Vernes investering i Island.
The Icelandic authorities further note that Verne was and is a small entrepreneurial company with a handful of executives and employees and a group of investors who have personal relationships in data centre projects preceding the Verne investment in Iceland.
Manglen på protokoller fra bestyrelsesmøderne eller anden formel dokumentation for beslutningen om at søge støtte betyder ikke, at Verne eller dens investorer tog behovet for støtte mindre alvorligt eller var mindre overbeviste om, at støtten var nødvendig.
Moreover, the lack of board minutes or other formal documentation concerning the decision to seek aid does not indicate that Verne or its investors took the requirement for aid any less seriously or were less convinced that the aid was necessary.
De islandske myndigheder hævder, at intet i retspraksis vedrørende tilskyndelsesvirkninger indikerer, at normen om indhold frem for formalia ikke finder anvendelse.
The Icelandic authorities submit that nothing in the case law on the incentive effect suggests that the norm of substance over form should not prevail.
De islandske myndigheder mener ikke, at der i Kronoply-sagen [41] eller Freistaat Sachsen-sagen [42], som Tilsynsmyndigheden fremhæver i åbningsbeslutningen, er noget, der tyder på det modsatte.
The Icelandic authorities do not find anything in the Kronoply Case [41] or in the Freistaat Sachsen Case [42], referred to by the Authority in the opening decision, which would suggest the contrary.
I deres bemærkninger til åbningsbeslutningen hævder de islandske myndigheder, at Tilsynsmyndigheden stort set ignorerer den kendsgerning, at Vernes rolle som kapitalinvestor i en opstartsvirksomhed ikke befordrer anvendelsen af en formel tilgang til forretningsplanlægningen.
The Icelandic authorities submitted in its comments to the opening decisions that the Authority largely ignores the fact that Verne’s role as an equity investor in a start-up venture is not conducive to the adoption of a formalistic approach to its business planning.
De islandske myndigheder bemærker desuden, at der på nuværende tidspunkt ikke er nogen direkte konkurrenter til Verne, når det gælder levering af datacenterydelser til internationale kunder.
Furthermore, the Icelandic authorities note that there are currently no direct competitors to Verne in the provision of data centre services to international clients.
Selektivitet og konkurrenceforvridning
Selectivity and competitive distortions
De islandske myndigheder mener, at Tilsynsmyndighedens holdning i åbningsbeslutningen om, at støtten er selektiv, ikke stemmer overens med dens forståelse af situationen.
The Icelandic authorities take the view that the position espoused by the Authority in the opening decision regarding the aid being selective, is at odds with their understanding of the situation.
For det første hævder de islandske myndigheder, at selektiviteten ikke kan udledes af kendsgerningerne af følgende årsager:
Firstly, the Icelandic authorities submit that the element of selectivity is not borne out by the facts, insofar as;
Det markedsøkonomiske investorprincip er blevet overholdt for en række af de statsstøtteforanstaltninger, som Tilsynsmyndigheden identificerer.
the Market Economy Investor Principle has been satisfied for a number of the state aid measures identified by the Authority;
Som led i tilskyndelseslovgivningen [43] kan en hvilken som helst potentiel ny aktør på markedet opnå samme foranstaltninger som Verne.
under the Incentive Legislation [43] any potential market entrant can benefit from the palette of measures extended to Verne;
Vernes "eneret" er meget begrænset, hvad angår både vilkår og varighed, og er fuldt ud i tråd med en aftale forhandlet på almindelige kommercielle vilkår med henblik på at bevare den goodwill, der er skabt ved købet af fast ejendom i Reykjanesbær-området.
the “exclusivity” conferred upon Verne is very limited in terms of both terms and duration and is wholly consistent with a commercial arm’s length deal in order to preserve the goodwill generated by the purchase of real estate in the Reykjanesbær area.
For det andet hævder de islandske myndigheder, at alle de eksisterende datacenterudbydere i Island næsten udelukkende opfylder de lokale behov i private virksomheder og offentlige organer (dvs. at der er tale om et helt andet marked eller markedssegment end det, Verne sigter mod).
Secondly, the Icelandic authorities submit that all existing data centre providers in Icelandare almost exclusively addressing the local needs of private business and government bodies (i.e. an altogether different market or market segment to that being targeted by Verne).
De islandske myndigheder hævder, at det også er indlysende, at – ud over Verne – har andre mere erfarne internationale datacenteroperatører ikke udvist nogen håndgribelig interesse i at investere i Island trods den islandske stats indsats for at fremhæve landet som et ideelt sted for datacentre.
The Icelandic authorities submit that it is also evident that, aside from Verne, other more experienced international data centre operators have not shown any tangible interest in investing in Iceland, despite the efforts of the Icelandic state to promote itself as an ideal location for data centres.
Kun én anden datacenteroperatør, der fokuserer på et markedssegment, der rækker ud over lokalsamfundet, Thor Data Centre, udøver kommercielle aktiviteter i Island, og den pågældende operatør fokuserer i højere grad på mindre detailkunder.
Only one other data centre operator focussing on a market segment that goes beyond the purely local, Thor Data Centre, has launched commercial operations in Iceland, and its focus is on smaller retail customers.
Thor Data Centre krævede kun en lille del af den startinvestering, som Verne havde brug for til at lancere sin engrosdatacentervirksomhed.
Thor Data Centre required only a small fraction of the up-front investment required by Verne to launch its wholesale data centre business.
De islandske myndigheder hævder desuden, at datacentrets indflydelse på det relevante marked er minimal.
The Icelandic authorities further submit that the impact of the Data Centre on the relevant market is minimal.
Ifølge de islandske myndigheder sidder Island på 0 % af det globale datacentermarked i dag.
Icelandhas essentially 0% share of the global data centre market today, the Icelandic authorities submit.
Det er således ifølge de islandske myndigheder ikke realistisk at konkludere, at de støtteforanstaltninger, der fastlægges i investeringsaftalen, vil fordreje konkurrencevilkårene.
It is, in the view of the Icelandic authorities, not realistic to conclude that the aid measures contemplated by the Investment Agreement will distort competition.
FORMEL UNDERSØGELSE AFSLUTTET, FOR SÅ VIDT ANGÅR VISSE FORANSTALTNINGER
FORMAL INVESTIGATION CLOSED AS REGARDS CERTAIN MEASURES
I overensstemmelse med artikel 8, stk. 1, i del II i protokol 3 kan en anmeldelse trækkes tilbage i god tid, inden Tilsynsmyndigheden har truffet en afgørelse om foranstaltningen.
According to Article 8(1) of Part II of Protocol 3, a notification may be withdrawn in due time before the Authority has taken a decision on the measure.
Den 28. september 2011 meddelte de islandske myndigheder Tilsynsmyndigheden, at investeringsaftalen var blevet ophævet, og trak anmeldelsen tilbage.
On 28 September 2011 the Icelandic authorities informed the Authority that the Investment Agreement had been repealed and withdrew the notification.
Ifølge artikel 8, stk. 2, i del II i protokol 3 skal Tilsynsmyndigheden i sager, hvor den har indledt den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure, afslutte proceduren, hvis anmeldelsen trækkes tilbage.
According to Article 8(2) of Part II of Protocol 3, in cases where the Authority has initiated the formal investigation procedure, the Authority shall close that procedure upon withdrawal of the notification.
Den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure i henhold til artikel 1, stk. 2, i del I i protokol 3 afsluttes derfor uden yderligere undersøgelser, for så vidt angår følgende skatte- og afgiftsfritagelser i henhold til investeringsaftalen:
The formal investigation procedure under Article 1(2) of Part I of Protocol 3 as regards the following tax and fee concessions, contained in the Investment Agreement, is therefore closed without further investigation:
Nettoværdiskattegaranti.
Net worth tax guarantee.
"Bortset fra de i denne aftale hjemlede undtagelser er støtte, som ydes af EF-medlemsstater, EFTA-stater eller ved hjælp af statsmidler under enhver tænkelig form, og som fordrejer eller truer med at fordreje konkurrencevilkårene ved at begunstige visse virksomheder eller visse produktioner, uforenelig med denne aftale i det omfang, den påvirker samhandelen mellem de kontraherende parter".
“Save as otherwise provided in this Agreement, any aid granted by EC Member States, EFTA States or through State resources in any form whatsoever which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods shall, in so far as it affects trade between Contracting Parties, be incompatible with the functioning of this Agreement.”
Det indebærer, at en foranstaltning udgør statsstøtte i henhold til EØS-aftalens artikel 61, stk. 1, såfremt følgende betingelser alle er opfyldt: Foranstaltningen i) er ydet af staten eller ved hjælp af statsmidler, ii) giver støttemodtageren en fordel, iii) er selektiv og iv) påvirker samhandelen mellem de kontraherende parter og truer med at fordreje konkurrencevilkårene [44].
This implies that a measure constitutes state aid within the meaning of Article 61(1) of the EEA Agreement if the following conditions are cumulatively fulfilled: the measure (i) is granted by the State or through State resources; (ii) confers an economic advantage to the beneficiary; (iii) is selective; (iv) has an impact on trade between Contracting Parties and is liable to distort competition. [44]
Tilsynsmyndigheden vil vurdere de enkelte foranstaltninger, der er underlagt denne beslutning, særskilt med henblik på at slå fast, om der er tale om statsstøtte.
The Authority will assess the existence of state aid regarding each of the measures subject to this decision separately.
For at fordelen kan karakteriseres som statsstøtte, skal den være ydet af staten eller ved hjælp af statsmidler.
To be qualified as state aid, the advantage must be granted by the State or through State resources.
I statsstøttereglerne omfatter begrebet "stat" også regionale og lokale organer.
For purposes of the state aid rules the term “State” covers also regional and local bodies.
Mistede skatteindtægter svarer til forbrug af statsmidler i form af skatteudgifter.
A loss of tax revenue is equivalent to consumption of State resources in the form of fiscal expenditure.
Der kan ligeledes ydes statsstøtte i form af skatteregler af lovgivningsmæssig eller administrativ karakter gennem skattemyndighedernes praksis [46].
Besides, State support may be provided equally by tax provisions of a legislative, regulatory or administrative nature as through the practices of the tax authorities.
En nedbringelse af beskatningsgrundlaget eller en fuldstændig eller delvis reducering af skatte-, gebyr- eller afgiftsbeløbet indebærer et indtægtstab og svarer derfor til forbrug af statsmidler i form af skatteudgifter.
A reduction in the tax base or a total or partial reduction on the amount of tax, fees or charges, involves a loss of revenue and is therefore equivalent to the consumption of State resources in the form of fiscal expenditure.
I den foreliggende sag har staten grebet ind i form af en aftale mellem kommunen og Verne (aftalen om tilladelser og afgifter).
In the case at hand the State has intervened by means of an agreement between the Municipality and Verne (the Agreement on Licensing and Charges).
Aftalen indeholder følgende fritagelser for kommunalskat som nærmere beskrevet i afsnit I.3.4:
This agreement contains the following derogations from municipal taxes, as further described in Section I.3.4 above;
Garanteret maksimal årlig ejendomsskattesats på 1,65 %
Guaranteed maximum rate of 1.65% on an annual basis for property tax
Fast ejendomsbeskatningsgrundlag på 1030600000 ISK i stedet for den årlige officielle vurdering af jorden og de eksisterende bygninger
Fixed base of ISK 1030600000 instead of the annual official valuation of land and existing buildings for property tax
Udskudt indeksregulering af ejendomsbeskatningsgrundlaget
Deferred indexation of the tax base for property tax
Ingen opkrævning af ejendomsskat før den 1. januar 2011
No property tax levied before 1 January 2011
Fast beskatningsgrundlag for ejendomsskat af fremtidige bygninger frem for den officielle ejendomsvurdering
Fixed base for future buildings instead of official valuation for property tax
Ingen vejbygningsskat af eksisterende bygninger
No streetconstruction tax on existing buildings
25 % vejbygningsskat af nye bygninger.
25% street construction tax on new buildings.
Alle ovenstående foranstaltninger indebærer udeblevne indtægter for staten.
All measures listed above entail foregone revenues by the State.
For så vidt angår især vejbygningsskatten, bemærker Tilsynsmyndigheden, at der i henhold til islandsk lovgivning nærmere er tale om en skat end afgifter for tjenester, hvilket uddybes nedenfor i vurderingen af, om der var tale om en fordel.
As regards the street construction tax in particular, the Authority notes, that under Icelandic law this is a tax rather than charges for services as further elaborated on below under the assessment of whether an advantage was conferred.
Den kendsgerning, at Verne vil opføre veje inden for den lejede grunds afgrænsning, ændrer ikke på, at fritagelsen for betaling af vejbygningsskat indebærer udeblevne indtægter i form af vejbygningsskatter.
The fact that Verne will construct roads within the boundaries of the leased land, does not alter the fact that the exemption from paying street construction tax entails foregone revenues in the form of street construction taxes.
For at høre under statsstøttereglerne skal skatteforanstaltningen være selektiv ved at "begunstige visse virksomheder eller visse produktioner".
In order to be caught by the state aid rules the aid measure must be selective in that it favours “certain undertakings or the production of certain goods”.
Verne er en virksomhed i henhold til statsstøttereglerne i EØS-aftalen.
Verne is an undertaking within the meaning of the state aid rules of the EEA Agreement.
I henhold til fast retspraksis inden for konkurrencelovgivningen omfatter begrebet "virksomhed" enhver erhvervsdrivende enhed uanset juridisk status og finansieringsmåde [47].
According to settled case-law, in the field of competition law, the concept of “undertaking” covers any entity engaged in an economic activity, regardless of its legal status and the way in which it is financed.
Kommunen underskrev den 4. november 2009 aftalen om tilladelser og afgifter udelukkende med Verne.
The Municipality signed on 4 November 2009 the Agreement on Licensing and Charges only with Verne.
Foranstaltningerne i aftalen finder således kun anvendelse på Verne, og aftalen om tilladelser og afgifter begunstiger Verne.
Therefore the measures included in this agreement exclusively apply to Verne and the Agreement on Licensing and Charges favours Verne.
Selektivitetskriteriet er således opfyldt.
The selectivity criterion is thus fulfilled.
Tilsynsmyndigheden minder om, at definitionen af støtte er mere generel end definitionen af tilskud, eftersom den ikke blot omfatter positive fordele, som tilskuddene i sig selv, men også statslige foranstaltninger, der på forskellige måder reducerer de udgifter, der normalt er omfattet af en virksomheds budget, og således, uden at være et tilskud i ordets snævre forstand, ligner tilskud og har samme virkning [48].
The Authority recalls that the definition of aid is more general than that of subsidy, because it includes not only positive benefits, such as subsidies themselves, but also state measures which, in various forms, mitigate the charges which are normally included in the budget of an undertaking and which thus, without being subsidies in the strict sense of the word, are similar in character and have the same effect.
En økonomisk fordel kan bestå i en reduktion af virksomhedens skattebyrde på forskellig vis, herunder nedbringelse af beskatningsgrundlaget eller en fuldstændig eller delvis reducering af skattebeløbet eller en udsættelse eller eftergivelse eller endog en ekstraordinær omlægning af skattegæld [50].
Such an advantage may be conferred by various reductions in the undertaking’s tax burden, including a reduction in the tax base or total or partial reduction in the amount of tax or a deferment, cancellation or even by special re-scheduling of tax debt. [50]
Der er brug for en nærmere undersøgelse af de enkelte foranstaltninger i aftalen om tilladelser og afgifter med henblik på at vurdere, hvorvidt og i hvilket omfang de giver Verne en økonomisk fordel.
A further examination is needed for the individual measures covered by the Agreement on Licensing and Charges in order to determine whether and to which extent they confer an economic advantage on Verne.
Fast skattesats på 1,65 % – ejendomsskat
Fixed tax rate of 1.65% - property tax