natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Ved brev dateret 31. januar 2007, modtaget og registreret af tilsynsmyndigheden den 2. februar 2007 (hændelse nr. 408361), besvarede SFF tilsynsmyndighedens brev dateret 24. november 2006, og dette svar blev fremsendt til de islandske myndigheder den 5. februar 2007 (hændelse nr. 408509).
By letter dated 31 January 2007, received and registered by the Authority on 2 February 2007 (Event No 408361), the SFF responded to the Authority’s letter dated 24 November 2006, and this response was forwarded to the Icelandic authorities on 5 February 2007 (Event No 408509).
Ved brev dateret 28. februar 2007, modtaget og registreret af tilsynsmyndigheden den 1. marts 2007 (hændelse nr. 411962), fremsatte SFF bemærkninger til tilsynsmyndighedens beslutning nr. 185/06/KOL.
By letter dated 28 February 2007, received and registered by the Authority on 1 March 2007 (Event No 411962), the SFF commented on the Authority’s Decision No 185/06/COL.
Tilsynsmyndigheden fremsendte dette anbringende til de islandske myndigheder ved brev dateret 5. marts 2007 (hændelse nr. 412290).
The Authority forwarded this submission to the Icelandic authorities for comments by a letter dated 5 March 2007 (Event No 412290).
Ved brev fra den islandske mission ved Den Europæiske Union dateret 5. marts 2007, modtaget og registreret af tilsynsmyndigheden den 9. marts 2007 (hændelse nr. 412950), besvarede de islandske myndigheder SFF’s bemærkninger den 31. januar 2007.
By letter from the Icelandic Mission to the European Union dated 5 March 2007, received and registered by the Authority on 9 March 2007 (Event No 412950), the Icelandic authorities responded to the comments made by the SFF on 31 January 2007.
Ved brev dateret 4. april 2007 (hændelse nr. 415881) udbad tilsynsmyndigheden sig uddybende forklaringer fra de islandske myndigheder.
By letter dated 4 April 2007 (Event No 415881), the Authority requested certain clarifications from the Icelandic authorities.
Ved brev fra den islandske mission ved Den Europæiske Union dateret 30. april 2007, modtaget og registreret af tilsynsmyndigheden den 30. april 2007 (hændelse nr. 419451), besvarede de islandske myndigheder tilsynsmyndighedens brev dateret 5. marts 2007.
By letter from the Icelandic Mission to the European Union dated 30 April 2007, received and registered by the Authority 30 April 2007 (Event No 419451), the Icelandic authorities responded to the Authority’s letter dated 5 March 2007.
Ved brev fra den islandske mission ved Den Europæiske Union dateret 14. juni 2007, modtaget og registreret af tilsynsmyndigheden den 14. juni 2007 (hændelse nr. 425255), besvarede de islandske myndigheder tilsynsmyndighedens brev dateret 4. april 2007.
By letter from the Icelandic Mission to the European Union dated 14 June 2007, received and registered by the Authority 14 June 2007 (Event No 425255), the Icelandic authorities replied to the letter from the Authority dated 4 April 2007.
Repræsentanterne for de islandske myndigheder fremsendte ved en e-mail den 21. august 2007 yderligere oplysninger (hændelse nr. 435379).
Further information was provided by the representatives of the Icelandic authorities by means of an e-mail on 21 August 2007 (Event No 435379).
Ved brev dateret 28. september 2007 (hændelse nr. 442805) udbad tilsynsmyndigheden sig yderligere oplysninger fra de islandske myndigheder vedrørende statsgarantier i henhold til islandsk lovgivning.
By letter dated 28 September 2007 (Event No 442805), the Authority requested additional information from the Icelandic authorities regarding state guarantees under Icelandic law.
Ved brev fra den islandske mission ved Den Europæiske Union dateret 24. oktober 2007, modtaget og registreret af tilsynsmyndigheden den 25. oktober 2007 (hændelse nr. 448739), besvarede de islandske myndigheder denne anmodning.
By letter from the Icelandic Mission to the European Union dated 24 October 2007, received and registered by the Authority 25 October 2007 (Event No 448739), the Icelandic authorities responded to this request.
Sagen var genstand for yderligere drøftelser mellem repræsentanterne for tilsynsmyndigheden og den islandske regering på adskillige møder, hvor det seneste var »pakke«-mødet den 29. oktober 2007 i Reykjavik.
The case was further subject to discussions between the representatives of the Authority and the Icelandic Government in several meetings, the last one being the package meeting on 29 October 2007 in Reykjavik.
Ved e-mail dateret 27. november 2007 fremsendte SSF’s juridiske repræsentanter yderligere oplysninger vedrørende BFF-undersøgelsen (hændelse nr. 454226).
By e-mail dated 27 November 2007, the legal representatives of the SFF submitted additional information regarding the HFF investigation (Event No 454226).
Sagen blev diskuteret med klageren på et møde den 6. marts 2008, hvorefter klageren fremsatte et yderligere anbringende dateret 28. marts 2008 (hændelse nr. 471552).
The case was discussed with the complainant in a meeting on 6 March 2008 following which the complainant made a further submission dated 28 March 2008 (Event No 471552).
Den islandske regering fremsendte sine bemærkninger til dette sidste anbringende fra klageren ved et brev af den 15. april 2008 (hændelse nr. 473576).
The Icelandic Government submitted its observations on this latest submission of the complainant by a letter of 15 April 2008 (Event No 473576).
BAGGRUND FOR DE ISLANDSKE REGLER FOR BOLIGSEKTOREN
BACKGROUND FOR THE ICELANDIC RULES RELATING TO HOUSING SECTOR
I det følgende afsnit beskriver tilsynsmyndigheden situationen i henhold til islandsk lovgivning for boligmarkedet.
In the following section the Authority will describe the situation under Icelandic law as regards the housing system.
Beskrivelsen omfatter lovgivningen på tidspunktet for EØS-aftalens ikrafttræden og gør rede for de lovgivningsændringer, der måtte være foretaget på et senere tidspunkt.
The description will cover the law as it stood at the time of the entry into force of the EEA Agreement and outline legislative changes where those have been enacted at a later point in time.
I afsnit 3 gives en beskrivelse af retsgrundlaget i henhold til islandsk lov for hvert af de potentielle statsstøtteelementer, der er identificeret i beslutning nr. 185/06/KOL om indledning af den formelle undersøgelsesprocedure.
In Section 3 there will be a description of the legal basis under Icelandic law for each of the potential state aid elements identified in Decision No 185/06/COL opening the formal investigation procedure.
Den lovgivning, der var gældende på tidspunktet for EØS-aftalens ikrafttræden, samt senere lovgivningsændringer, diskuteres.
The legal provisions in force at the time of the entry into force of the EEA Agreement, as well as legislative changes will be discussed.
BOLIGMARKEDET
THE HOUSING SYSTEM
I de seneste 50 år har statens fokus i forhold til det islandske boligmarked været på at fremme privatejede boliger.
For the past 50 years, public intervention in the Icelandic housing market has been aimed at encouraging private home ownership.
I 1955 blev grunden lagt til systematisk støtte fra det offentlige, både hvad angår boligpolitikken og tilvejebringelsen af lån til private ejerboliger.
In 1955, a basis for a systematic State involvement was laid, both as regards policy-making in the field of housing affairs and the provision of loans for private housing.
Statens boligstyrelse (Húsnæðisstofnun ríkisins) blev oprettet ved lov nr. 51/1980 og stillede bl.a. lån til rådighed på favorable vilkår til private boligkøbere.
The State Housing Agency (Húsnæðisstofnun ríkisins) was established by Act No 51/1980 and provided, inter alia, loans on preferential terms to private home buyers.
I 1986 undergik ordningen for boliglån visse ændringer, der bl.a. betød, at pensionsfonde stillede delvis finansiering til rådighed for ordningen.
In 1986 the housing loan system underwent certain changes entailing, inter alia, that pension funds provided partial funding of the system.
De islandske banker ydede ikke i almindelighed private boliglån.
The Icelandic banks did not generally provide funding for private housing.
Eftersom statens boligstyrelse udstedte lån under markedsrenten, var resultatet en kraftig stigning i efterspørgslen, som igen satte pensionsfondenes ressourcer under stærkt pres.
As the State Housing Agency issued housing loans below market rates, the result was a substantial increase in demand, which in turn stretched the resources of the pension funds beyond their limits.
For at rette op på denne situation og for at skaffe flere finansielle ressourcer til finansiering af boligsektoren blev der i 1989 indført en ordning med lån med pant i fast ejendom (de såkaldte »boligobligationer« (housing bonds)), der beskrives nærmere nedenfor.
In order to remedy this situation, and to generate more financial resources to finance housing, a housing bond system was introduced in 1989, which will be described in detail below.
Lov nr. 97/1993 om statens boligstyrelse (State Housing Agency)
Act No 97/1993 on the State Housing Agency
På tidspunktet for EØS-aftalens ikrafttræden den 1. januar 1994 var statens boligstyrelse omfattet af lov nr. 97/1993 (lög nr. 97/1993, um Húsnæðisstofnun ríkisins).
At the time of the entry into force of the EEA Agreement on 1 January 1994, the State Housing Agency was governed by Act No 97/1993 (lög nr. 97/1993, um Húsnæðisstofnun ríkisins).
Denne lov var i virkeligheden en konsolideret version af lov nr. 86/1988 med samme navn, som havde undergået adskillige ændringer [10].Formålet med lov nr. 97/1993 var ifølge artikel 1 at skabe større tryghed på boligområdet hos den islandske befolkning gennem ydelse af lån og ved at skabe ordnede forhold omkring boligen og boligbyggeriet.
This Act was in fact a consolidated version of Act No 86/1988 of the same name which had been subject to numerous amendments [10].According to Article 1 of the Act No 97/1993, its purpose was to promote the security of Icelanders as regards housing, through the granting of loans and through the organisation of matters relating to housing and housing construction.
Desuden skulle loven sikre lige rettigheder på boligmarkedet gennem tilvejebringelse af midler, der konkret skulle forbedre borgernes muligheder for at købe eller leje en bolig på lempelige vilkår.
Furthermore, it was to promote equal rights as regards housing by provision of funds for the specific purpose of increasing people’s chances of acquiring or renting housing on manageable terms.
I henhold til lov nr. 97/1993 var der fire forskellige offentlige aktører på boligmarkedet, nemlig: statens boligstyrelse (State Housing Agency), statens boliginstitut (State Housing Board), statens byggefond (State Building Fund) og arbejdernes boligfond (»Workers« Housing Fund).
Under the terms of Act No 97/1993 four different public bodies operated in the housing system, namely: the State Housing Agency, the State Housing Board, the State Building Fund and the Workers’ Housing Fund.
Statens boligstyrelse og statens boliginstitut
The State Housing Agency and the State Housing Board
Retsgrundlaget for statens boligstyrelse var fastlagt i lovens artikel 2.
The legal basis for the State Housing Agency was laid down in Article 2 of the Act.
I henhold hertil var styrelsen en statslig institution underlagt en separat overordnet myndighed (State Housing Board), der hørte under socialministerens ressortområde, som var øverste ansvarlige på boligområdet.
According to that provision, the Agency was a state institution subject to a separate board of directors (the State Housing Board) within the administrative purview of the Minister of Social Affairs, who was in supreme charge of matters relating to housing.
Styrelsen skulle forvalte og gennemføre de funktioner på boligområdet, som loven havde tildelt offentlige myndigheder.
The Agency was to manage and implement the functions relating to housing entrusted to public authorities by the Act.
Socialministeren havde tilladelse til at udstede en bekendtgørelse om de nærmere detaljer for styrelsens struktur, jf. lovens artikel 3.
The Minister of Social Affairs was permitted to issue a regulation to decide in greater detail on the structure of the Agency (cf. Article 3 of the Act).
Ministeren havde ligeledes lovhjemlet ret til at sammenlægge den overordnede ledelse, drift og personalestyring i to eller flere afdelinger, departementer og fonde.
The Minister was also given authorisation to merge the overall management, operations and human resources of two or more divisions, departments and funds provided for in the Act.
Omkostningerne til driften af statens boligstyrelse skulle afholdes ligeligt af de fonde, som blev forvaltet af styrelsen på grundlag af omfanget af deres drift og udestående aktiver ved regnskabsårets udgang.
Costs of the operation of the State Housing Agency was to be divided between the funds operated by the Agency, having taken into account the scope of their operation and outstanding assets at the close of the fiscal year.
Statens boligstyrelse blev ledet af statens boliginstitut (herefter benævnt »Instituttet«), som var sammensat af syv medlemmer valgt af Alltinget efter hvert valg til Alltinget, jf. lovens artikel 4.
The State Housing Agency was governed by the State Housing Board (the Board) that was composed of seven members elected by Parliament following each Parliamentary election (cf. Article 4 of the Act).
I henhold til lovens artikel 5 skulle Instituttet stå for finanserne, driften og andre aktiviteter i statens boligstyrelse, statens byggefond og arbejdernes boligfond.
According to Article 5 of the Act, the Board was to manage the finances, operations and other activities of the State Housing Agency, the State Building Fund and the Workers’ Housing Fund.
Det skulle ligeledes sikre, at styrelsen udøvede sin virksomhed i overensstemmelse med eksisterende lovgivning og administrative bestemmelser.
It should also ensure that the Agency conducted its activities in accordance with the prevailing law and administrative provisions.
Desuden fik Instituttet bl.a. ansvaret for tildeling af midler til udviklere af alment boligbyggeri.
Moreover, the Board was, inter alia, given the responsibility of allocating funds to developers for social housing.
Statens boliginstitut fik ligeledes, med forbehold for socialministerens godkendelse, bemyndigelse til at oprette nye lånetyper, jf. artikel 11, stk. 2.
The State Housing Board was also empowered, subject to approval by the Minister of Social Affairs, to create new lending categories (cf. paragraph 2 of Article 11).
De nærmere enkeltheder vedrørende lånene var indeholdt i lovens artikel 12 til 15.
Further specifications regarding the loans were laid down in Articles 12 to 15 of the Act.
Statens byggefond
State Building Fund
Statens byggefonds rolle og opgaver blev fastlagt i artikel 8 i lov nr. 97/1993.
The role and task of the State Building Fund was laid down in Article 8 of Act No 97/1993.
I henhold hertil skulle fonden yde lån og udstede boligobligationer i overensstemmelse med bestemmelserne i loven og dermed forbundne bekendtgørelser.
According to that provision, the Fund was to engage in lending activities and housing bond transactions in accordance with the provisions of the Act and regulations set pursuant to the Act.
Fonden var ligeledes ansvarlig for de eksisterende og fremtidige ind- og udlån i relation til fonden.
The Fund was also responsible for the borrowing and lending that had taken place with respect to the fund or that might be decided in the future.
Lovens artikel 9 indeholdt regler for, hvordan statens byggefond skulle finansieres, nemlig:
Article 9 of the Act laid down how the State Building Fund was to be financed, as follows:
Ved afkast af fondens egenkapital, dvs. afdrag, renter og prisindekserede betalinger på bevilgede lån.
By returns on the Fund’s own capital, i.e. instalments, interests and price indexation payments on granted loans.
Gennem bidrag fra statskassen som hjemlet i budgetloven.
Through the annual State Treasury contributions as provided for in the Budget Act.
Gennem salget af obligationer til arbejdsløshedsforsikringsfonden, til pensionsfonde efter aftale mellem statens boligstyrelse og fondene, og ved andre former for indlån, som måtte blive nærmere besluttet i den til enhver tid gældende investerings- og kreditplan.«
Through the sale of bonds to the Unemployment Insurance Fund, to pension funds as agreed between the State Housing Agency and the funds, and by any other borrowing as may be decided in further detail in the investment and credit plan applicable at any time.’
Lovens artikel 11 gav statens byggefond ret til, inden for rammerne af fondens budget for det pågældende år, at bevilge lån i følgende kategorier:
Article 11 of the Act allowed the State Building Fund to grant loans in the following categories, provided that funding had been made available in its budget for the relevant year:
Lån til opførelse af ældreboliger og daginstitutioner for børn og dagcentre for ældre.
Loans for the construction of homes for the elderly and day-care institutions for children and the elderly.
Særlige lån til mennesker med særlige behov.
Special loans for those with special needs.
Lån eller tilskud til tekniske nyskabelser og andre reformer i byggesektoren.«
Loans or grants for technical innovations and other reforms in the construction industry.’
Alle lån fra statens byggefond skulle indeksreguleres fuldt ud, jf. lovens artikel 16.
All loans from the State Building Fund were to be fully indexed (cf. Article 16 of the Act).
Hvert lån skulle sikres ved panteret med første- eller andenprioritet i den bolig, lånet var blevet bevilget til.
Each loan should be secured by a first- or second-rank mortgage in the housing for which the loan had been granted.
Derudover var det tilladt at kræve, at det bevilgede lån og panteretten ikke måtte overstige en vis procentdel af anskaffelsesprisen, ejendomsvurderingen eller brandforsikringsvurderingen.
Moreover, it was permissible to require that the granted loan and mortgage should not exceed a particular proportion of the purchase price, real estate assessment or fire insurance valuation.
Boligobligationer
Housing Bonds
I henhold til lovens artikel 19 var denne afdelings rolle:
According to Article 19 of the Act, the role of the Housing Bonds Divisions was:
At udstede kategorier af omsættelige obligationer på statens byggefonds vegne, i det følgende benævnt boligobligationer, på de vilkår og betingelser, der er fastlagt i denne lov, eller ved bekendtgørelse.
To issue categories of marketable bonds in the name of the State Building Fund, hereafter referred to as housing bonds, subject to the terms and conditions laid down in this Act, or by regulation.
At ombytte pantesikrede gældsinstrumenter ved køb af bolig, opførelse af nye boliger, eller omfattende ombygninger, forbedringer eller sanering af eksisterende boliger […].
To exchange debt instruments secured by mortgage upon residential housing issued in connection with the purchase of real estate, construction of new housing, or extensive additions or improvements to, or renovation of, used residential housing […].
At fremme boligobligationers salgbarhed på markedet til enhver tid.«
To promote the saleability of housing bonds in the market at all times.’
Ordningen med boligobligationer var ikke en traditionelt pantesikret låneordning, men derimod en obligationsombytningsordning, der indebar, at huskøbere ansøgte afdelingen for boligobligationer om at udstede en obligation, som var sikret i den ejendom, der skulle købes.
The housing bond system was not a traditional mortgage loan system, but a bond swap system, meaning that homebuyers applied to the Housing Bonds Division to issue a mortgage bond, which was secured against the property to be bought.
Afdelingen for boligobligationer købte så denne obligation af huskøberen og betalte for den ved at udstede boligobligationer til sælgeren.
The Housing Bonds Division then bought this bond from the homebuyer and paid for it by issuing housing bonds to the seller.
Disse boligobligationer kunne dernæst handles frit på værdipapirmarkedet.
These housing bonds could then be freely traded in the securities market.
Sælgeren kunne sælge obligationerne på værdipapirmarkedet, bruge dem som betalingsmiddel eller beholde dem.
The seller could sell the bonds on the securities market, use them as means of payment or keep them.
I henhold til lovens artikel 21 havde afdelingen for boligobligationer ret til at beregne en rentemarginal til dækning af dens driftsomkostninger og skønnede tab på udestående lån.
According to Article 21 of the Act, the Housing Bonds Division was permitted to claim an interest margin to cover its operating expenses and estimated losses from outstanding loans.
Socialministeren skulle fastsætte størrelsen af rentemarginalen efter forslag fra statens boligstyrelse.
The Minister of Social Affairs was to determine the level of the interest margin following the proposal of the State Housing Board.
De pantesikrede instrumenter, der blev købt af afdelingen for boligobligationer, skulle udstedes for en låneperiode af højest 25 år, jf. lovens artikel 26.
The mortgage instruments purchased by the Housing Bonds Division were to be issued for a maximum loan period of 25 years (cf. Article 26 of the Act).
I henhold til artikel 27 kunne disse pantesikrede gældsinstrumenter ombyttes med boligobligationer for op til 75 % af ejendomsvurderingen.
According to Article 27, these mortgage instruments could be exchanged for housing bonds amounting to a maximum of 75 % of a property’s reasonably assessed price.
Socialministeren havde bemyndigelse til ved bekendtgørelse at træffe beslutning om den højeste procentsats, og han kunne bestemme en højere procentsats for nybyggeri og førstegangskøb af en bolig.
The Minister of Social Affairs was empowered to decide on the maximum percentage through a Regulation whereby he could decide on a higher percentage for new construction and the first-time purchase of residential housing.
I henhold til lovens artikel 29 skulle afdelingen for boligobligationer fremme omsætteligheden af boligobligationer på markedet.
According to Article 29 of the Act, the Housing Bonds Division was to promote the saleability of the housing bonds on the market.
Til det formål skulle afdelingen etablere et samarbejde med banker, pensionsfonde og andre enheder på finansmarkedet.
For that purpose the Division was to seek cooperation with banks, pension funds and other entities on the financial market.
Desuden havde statens byggefond tilladelse til at disponere over en del af sine midler til handel med boligobligationer for at fremme ligevægt på markedet.
Furthermore, the State Building Fund was permitted to dispose of a proportion of its funds for transaction in housing bonds to promote equilibrium on the market.
Selve loven indeholdt ikke nogen bestemmelser om, hvem der kunne låne under ordningen for boligobligationer.
The Act did not itself contain provisions on who was eligible for loans under the housing bonds system.
Sådanne regler blev i stedet nedfældet i betænkning nr. 467/1991 om afdelingen for boligobligationer og handel med boligobligationer (um húsbréfadeild og húsbréfaviðskipti). Med hensyn til udlån til virksomheder tillod betænkningen entreprenører at optage lån fra ordningen.
Instead, such rules were laid down in Regulation No 467/1991 on the Housing Bonds Division and housing bonds transactions (um húsbréfadeild og húsbréfaviðskipti).With regard to lending to undertakings the Regulation provided that building contractors qualified for loans from the system.
En entreprenør blev defineret som en godkendt enhed, der opfører og sælger færdige boliger i overensstemmelse med den relevante branchestandard, jf. artikel 1 i betænkningen.
A building contractor was defined as any recognised entity building and selling completed apartments in accordance with the relevant industrial standard (cf. Article 1 of the Regulation).