natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
De islandske myndigheder har nu forklaret, at udbudskriteriet vedrørende termineringspunkter (som udgjorde endnu 15 % af tildelingskriterierne) — ud over leasingprisen (som repræsenterede 15 % af tildelingskriterierne) — også burde anses for en priskomponent, da termineringspunkter er en nødvendig del af tjenesten, og da tjenestens værdi hænger positivt sammen med antallet af termineringspunkter.
Therefore, provided that the said pre-conditions are met, it can be presumed that the market price is the highest price which a private operator acting under normal competitive conditions is ready to pay for the use of the assets in question [37].
Hvert termineringspunkt kræver betydelige investeringer i udstyr (se estimatet fra Mannvit-undersøgelsen i afsnit I.7 ovenfor), som tilfalder leasinggiveren efter udløbet af leasingaftalen, og som således påvirker værdien af den pågældende leasingret efter leasingperioden [38].
It follows from the above that a sale or lease of assets may involve state aid even when it is effected through a competitive procedure.
Tilsynsmyndigheden finder således, at udbudskriterierne vedrørende pris i alt udgjorde 30 % af tildelingskriterierne.
This may occur in particular when obligations imposed on the buyer result in a lower price.
Ikke-prismæssige hensyn, dvs. fremme af konkurrence (40 %), én pris i hele landet (10 %) samt levering (10 %) og startdato (10 %) vejer stadig tungere end priskomponenterne.
The kind of obligations which have such an effect are those that are imposed for the pursuit of public policy objectives and reduce the expected profit of the buyer.
På udbudstidspunktet ejede og drev Míla de fleste telekommunikationsanlæg i de forskellige dele af Island.
Such obligations would normally not be imposed by a private operator because they reduce the maximum amount of revenue that can be obtained from the sale or lease of the asset.
Inden NATO-fiberforbindelserne kunne tages i brug, skulle operatørerne af disse fibre investere i samlingspunkter.
The tender process and the award criteria
Efter Tilsynsmyndighedens opfattelse ville kriterierne vedrørende startdato (10 %) og levering af tjenester (10 %) derfor være til fordel for Míla.
In light of the above considerations, the Authority must examine whether the tender procedure and the award criteria were adequate and well-suited to establish a market price.
Tildelingskriterierne bestod med andre ord af to prisrelaterede elementer og fire ikke-prisrelaterede elementer.
In order to verify this, the Authority must consider whether the State, when preparing the tender and establishing the award criteria, acted as a private operator, or whether public policy and regulatory considerations were more prevalent.
Af de ikke-prisrelaterede elementer har det ene element med den største vægtning sandsynligvis været til ulempe for den etablerede netværksudbyder, Míla, mens to elementer sandsynligvis har begunstiget Míla til ulempe for potentielle nye aktører på markedet.
The tender process and the arguments made regarding the use of the chosen award criteria are described in detail in section I.2.1 above as well as in Decision No 299/14/COL.
Kriteriet om den private sælger fastsætter princippet om, at markedsprisen som en hovedregel svarer til den højeste pris, som en privat aktør, der handler på normalt konkurrencebetingelser, er parat til at betale.
As set out in Table 1, the multiple award criteria consisted of six separate items to be evaluated, each with the weight of 10 % or 15 %, except for the criterion of stimulation of competition, which had the weight of 40 %.
Dette princip er imidlertid ikke uden undtagelser.
The Icelandic authorities have now clarified that in addition to the rental price (representing 15 % of the award criteria), the tender criterion relating to the number of network termination points (a further 15 % of the award criteria) should also be considered a price component as termination points are indispensable for the service and the value of the service is positively linked to the number of termination points.
Undtagelser vedrører for det første tilfælde, hvor det kan fastslås, at det pågældende tilbud ikke er bindende eller troværdigt eller ikke er sammenligneligt med et lavere tilbud.
Each termination point requires substantial investment in equipment (see the estimate of the Mannvit study in section I.7 above), which will accrue to the lessor at the end of the lease, thus affecting the value of the lease right in question after the lease period [38].
Som anført i dommen i sagen Land Burgenland, præmis 94, er formodningen med forbehold af, at »en hensyntagen til andre økonomiske faktorer end prisen for det andet er ubegrundet«.
The Authority thus considers that the tender criteria related to price in total amounted to 30 % of the award criteria.
Et eksempel på en sådan begrundelse findes i sag T-244/08, Konsum Nord mod Kommissionen [39].
However, non-price considerations in relation to the stimulation of competition (40 %), a single tariff throughout the country (10 %) as well as the supply (10 %) and the commencement of services (10 %) still outweigh the price components.
I denne sag havde en kommune i Sverige solgt et jordstykke til en supermarkedskæde til en pris, der var lavere end den pris, som den højest bydende havde tilbudt.
At the time of the tender, Míla owned and operated most telecommunication facilities in the different areas of Iceland.
Retten fandt, at markedsværdien af salget af det pågældende jordstykke ikke alene kunne fastlægges på grundlag af tilstedeværelsen af et højere bud, men at der skulle tages højde for de særlige omstændigheder, som de svenske myndigheder havde lagt til grund.
In order for the NATO fibres to become operational, the operators of those fibres would need to invest in assembly points.
I sin dom i sag C-39/14, BVVG, fastslog Domstolen, at en national bestemmelse, der gør det muligt for en offentlig myndighed at afvise et bud på køb af landbrugsgrund, som efter dens opfattelse er uforholdsmæssigt højt og af spekulativ karakter, ikke udgør statsstøtte, forudsat at anvendelsen af denne bestemmelse gør det muligt at nå frem til en pris, som ligger så tæt som muligt på markedsværdien af den omhandlede grund [40].
In the Authority's view, the criteria on the commencement of services (10 %) and supply of services (10 %) would thus appear to favour Míla.
Denne retspraksis finder ikke direkte anvendelse på den foreliggende sag, eftersom Míla ikke indgav et bud.
In other words, the award criteria consisted of two price related items and four non-price related items.
De islandske myndigheder hævder alligevel, at deres valg af tildelingskriterier var begrundet i denne sag.
Of the non-price related items, one item, with the highest weight, is likely to have been to the disadvantage of the incumbent network provider, Míla, while two items are likely to have favoured Míla, to the detriment of potential new entrants.
De anfører navnlig, at det omtvistede kriterium vedrørende fremme af konkurrence havde til formål at afhjælpe den påstående monopolstruktur på det pågældende marked, som var domineret af den etablerede udbyder, Míla.
The private vendor test sets the principle that as a main rule the market price corresponds to the highest price which a private operator acting under normal competitive conditions is ready to pay.
Tilsynsmyndigheden bemærker videre, at Míla selv havde erklæret, at det ikke havde økonomisk incitament til at deltage i udbuddet, eftersom selskabet allerede havde rigelig transmissionskapacitet i dets egne fibre.
However, this principle is not without exception.
I den foreliggende sag er de særlige omstændigheder, som de islandske myndigheder gør gældende, ikke tilstrækkelige til at godtgøre, at en privat sælger i samme situation ville have udformet udbuddet på en lignende måde.
Exceptions relate, firstly, to instances where it can be established that the offer in question is not binding or credible, or not comparable to a lower offer.
EFTA-Domstolen fastslog i sag E-1/13, at de tildelingskriterier, som ikke vedrørte pris, tilsyneladende afspejlede politiske eller lovgivningsmæssige hensyn, som en privat investor ikke ville have fundet relevante.
Secondly, as stated in Land Burgenland, paragraph 94, the presumption is subject to the reservation that ‘the consideration of economic factors other than the price is not justified’.
Tilsynsmyndigheden finder også, at de ikke-prismæssige udbudskriterier delvist afspejlede politiske eller lovgivningsmæssige hensyn, som f.eks. fremme af konkurrence, forbedring af offentlighedens bredbåndsadgang og regional samhørighed, som en privat investor ikke ville have fundet relevante.
An example of such a justification can be found in Case T-244/08, Konsum Nord v Commission [39].
Disse tildelingskriterier opvejer kriterierne vedrørende pris.
In that case, a municipality in Sweden had sold a plot of land to a supermarket chain at a price below the price offered by the highest bidder.
Tilsynsmyndigheden konkluderer derfor, at tildelingskriterierne i udbuddet ikke opfylder kravene i forbindelse med kriteriet om den private sælger.
The General Court held that the market value of the sale of land in question could not be established based solely on the presence of a higher bid without considering the particular circumstances invoked by the Swedish authorities.
Resultatet af udbuddet udgør derfor ikke en pålidelig indikator for fastlæggelsen af markedsprisen for den omhandlede leasingret.
Further, the Court of Justice held in Case C-39/14, BVVG that a rule of national law enabling a public authority to reject a tender offer for agricultural land that is disproportionately high and of a speculative nature does not entail state aid, provided that it results in a price that is as close as possible to the market value of the land in question [40].
Ekspertvurdering af leasingretten
This case law is not directly applicable to the case at hand, given that Míla did not submit a bid.
Som anført ovenfor udelukker den manglende gennemførelse af en tilstrækkelig udbudsprocedure ikke muligheden for, at Tilsynsmyndigheden anvender kriteriet om den private sælger.
Nevertheless, the Icelandic authorities argue that its choice of award criteria were justified in the present case.
Tilsynsmyndigheden skal imidlertid undersøge materialiteten af den omhandlede transaktion og navnlig sammenligne den aftalte pris med markedsprisen.
They argue that in particular the disputed criterion on promotion of competition was designed to address the alleged monopolistic feature of the relevant market dominated by the incumbent provider, Míla.
Til dette formål benytter Tilsynsmyndigheden sædvanligvis en uafhængig vurderingsundersøgelse som indikator for markedsprisen.
The Authority also notes that Míla itself declared that it had no economic reason for participating in the tender, given that it already had ample transmission capacity on its own fibres.
En sådan vurdering bør gennemføres på transaktionstidspunktet.
However, in the present case the particular circumstances invoked by the Icelandic authorities are not sufficient to demonstrate that a private vendor in the same situation would have designed the tender in a similar way.
Tilsynsmyndigheden kan dog også lægge en efterfølgende vurderingsundersøgelse [41] til grund for sin vurdering.
The EFTA Court in Case E-1/13 held that the award criteria other than price appeared to reflect public policy or regulatory considerations, which a private investor would not consider relevant.
De islandske myndigheder har fremlagt en vurderingsundersøgelse foretaget af Mannvit, et internationalt konsulentfirma med fokus på Island, som jævnligt yder ekspertrådgivning i forbindelse med infrastrukturprojekter.
The Authority also considers that the non-price criteria in the tender partly reflected public policy or regulatory considerations, such as the promotion of competition, improvement of public broadband access and regional cohesion, which a private investor would not consider relevant.
Vurderingen er dateret den 30. januar 2015.
These award criteria outweigh the criteria related to price.
Tilsynsmyndigheden bemærker, at Mannvit allerede havde rådgivet de islandske myndigheder om udbudsproceduren.
The Authority therefore concludes that the award criteria of the tender do not meet the requirements of the private vendor test.
Vurderingsundersøgelsen blev desuden bestilt af de islandske myndigheder som svar på det prisestimat, som klageren havde indgivet.
Accordingly, the outcome of the tender cannot provide a reliable proxy for establishing the market price for the lease right in question.
Tilsynsmyndigheden har ikke fundet tegn på, at disse omstændigheder har påvirket ekspertkonsulenternes objektivitet.
Expert valuation of the lease right
Under disse omstændigheder finder Tilsynsmyndigheden det imidlertid nødvendigt at undersøge vurderingsundersøgelsen i detaljer.
As stated above, the absence of a sufficient tender process does not exclude the possibility of the Authority applying the private vendor test.
Tilsynsmyndigheden bemærker i denne henseende for det første, at vurderingen af markedsværdien af den omtvistede leasingret er særlig kompleks i medfør af aktivets specifikke karakter (herunder NATO's opsigelsesret) og det forhold, at sektoren er reguleret.
However, the Authority will need to examine the substance of the transaction in question, and in particular compare the agreed price to the market price.
Eksistensen af to priselementer, dvs. leasingprisen og investeringerne i termineringspunkter, skal også tages i betragtning.
For this purpose, the Authority normally refers to an independent expert valuation study as a proxy for the market price.
Mannvit-undersøgelsen er baseret på en sammenligning mellem to forskellige scenarier for opnåelse af adgang til fiberkablet omkring Island: En operatør kunne enten lease NATO's fiber (som Vodafone har gjort) eller købe adgang fra Míla, som tilbyder et reguleret engrosprodukt (trunkleasede forbindelser) til en reguleret pris.
Such a study should ideally be prepared at the time of the transaction.
På grund af denne valgmulighed ville en markedsoperatør, der ønskede adgang til fiberkablet, ikke være parat til at betale mere end prisen for det regulerede engrosadgangsprodukt, som Míla tilbyder.
However, the Authority can also rely on an ex post valuation study in its assessment [41].
Den regulerede engrospris fungerer således som et prisloft ved fastsættelsen af prisen på leasingen af NATO's fiber, selv om den muligvis ikke direkte afspejler markedsprisen for leasingretten som følge af de elementer, der er beskrevet i det følgende.
The Icelandic authorities have provided a valuation study by Mannvit, an international consultancy with a focus on Iceland, which regularly provides expert advice on infrastructure projects.
Denne tilgang, som er baseret på en prissammenligning, er efter Tilsynsmyndighedens opfattelse rimelig, eftersom der findes to alternative metoder til at få adgang til parallelle fibre i det samme kabel [42].
The study is dated 30 January 2015.
Prissammenligningen i Mannvit-undersøgelsen og den seneste sammenligning, som klageren har fremlagt, er ikke baseret på de priser, der var gældende på udbudstidspunktet.
The Authority notes that Mannvit had already advised the Icelandic authorities on the tender process.
Under de særlige omstændigheder i den foreliggende sag er de fremlagte prishenvisninger efter Tilsynsmyndighedens opfattelse stadig en god indikator for markedsprisen på transaktionstidspunktet.
Furthermore, the valuation study was requested by the Icelandic authorities in response to the price estimate put forward by the complainant.
De regulerede engrospriser, der er anvendt til sammenligningen, er baseret på historiske omkostninger og er sædvanligvis uændrede over en årrække [43].
The Authority has not found any indications that these circumstances have affected the objectivity of the expert consultants.
Efter indregning af denne indeksregulering kan den fremlagte beregning, der er foretaget på grundlag af dagspriser, dog give en indikation af, om leasingretten blev indrømmet på markedsvilkår på transaktionstidspunktet.
However, under these circumstances the Authority considers it necessary to examine the valuation study in detail.
Som forklaret i afsnit I.7 ovenfor har Mannvit fremhævet en række forskelle mellem det regulerede engrosprodukt, som Míla tilbyder, og NATO's fiber, som skal tages i betragtning ved sammenligningen af priserne.
In this regard, the Authority first notes that the assessment of the market value of the lease right at issue is particularly complex, given the specific nature of the asset (including the NATO termination rights) and the existence of regulation in the sector.
Det er for det første efter Tilsynsmyndighedens opfattelse rimeligt, at Mannvit tilpasser den længde af NATO's fiber, der skal tages i betragtning ved beregningen af prisen, da priser sædvanligvis beregnes fra punkt til punkt (dvs. som direkte linjer mellem de relevante termineringspunkter).
Furthermore, the existence of two price elements, namely the rental fee and the investments in termination points, has to be taken into consideration.
Med udgangspunkt i de eksisterende termineringspunkter på NATO's fiber på transaktionstidspunktet konkluderer Mannvit i sin undersøgelse, at den samlede længde, der skal tages i betragtning, er 1283 km.
The Mannvit study is based on a comparison between two different scenarios for gaining access to the fibre cable around Iceland: An operator could either lease the NATO fibre (as Vodafone has done) or, alternatively, procure access from Míla, which offers a regulated wholesale product (trunk leased lines) at a regulated price.
Mannvit vurderer derefter, hvilken engrospris og rabat der er mest hensigtsmæssig i den foreliggende sag.
Given this choice, a market operator looking for access to the fibre cable would not be prepared to pay more than the price for the regulated wholesale access product offered by Míla.
Mannvit foreslår derfor, at en anden operatørs, Orkufjarskiptis, engrospris anvendes som grundlag for beregningen af markedsprisen.
The price comparison in the Mannvit study as well as the most recent one provided by the complainant are not based on prices at the time of the tender.
Orkufjarskiptis pris er 5020 pr. km/måned.
However, the Authority considers that under the specific circumstances of the case at hand, the price references provided still offer a good proxy for the market price at the time of the transaction.
Mannvits undersøgelse omhandler også rabatsatser og konkluderer, at en rabat på 25 % bør anvendes på engrosprisen i stedet for den maksimale sats på 15 %, der i øjeblikket gælder for treårige aftaler.
The regulated wholesale prices used as a comparison are based on historic costs and usually remain unchanged over a number of years [43].
Mannvit begrunder denne justering ved at påpege, at leasingperioden er ti år, hvilket er betydeligt længere end den varighed, der ligger til grund for Mílas og Orkufjarskiptis regulerede priser.
For instance, Míla's regulated tariff of ISK 7609 per km/month is based on a cost analysis prepared in 2010 and finalised in May 2011 [44].
Den begrundes videre af det forhold, at Míla tilbød kunder, der leasede et fiber af samme længde som NATO's fiber, en rabat på 25 % på udbudstidspunktet.
The tariff has been in force unchanged from 1 August 2011 until 2015.
Tilsynsmyndigheden er enig i, at Mílas regulerede pris for trunkleasede forbindelser ikke er et passende benchmark for prissammenligningen i den foreliggende sag.
This demonstrates that the regulated wholesale tariffs used in the price comparison usually remain stable over time, and that the Míla tariff in particular is based on a cost analysis undertaken at around the same time as the contract of 1 February 2010 with Vodafone.
Mílas pris er ikke kun baseret på investerings- og driftsomkostningerne for fibre i det samme kabel som NATO's fiber (som sandsynligvis allerede er blevet amortiseret), men også på nyere investeringer i andre fibre.
Moreover, the rent payable by Vodafone is adjusted by the building cost index as from June 2008 (i.e. at the time of the tender).
Tilsynsmyndigheden bemærker imidlertid, at Orkufjarskiptis pris, som Mannvit har oplyst, heller ikke er det ideelle referencepunkt, eftersom den er baseret på den individuelle omkostningsstruktur for denne operatør, som er en forsyningsvirksomhed.
Once this indexation has been taken into account, the calculation provided based on today's prices can thus provide a good indication of whether the lease right had been granted on market terms at the time of the transaction.
Tilsynsmyndigheden anerkender, at det tilsyneladende ikke er muligt at foretage en præcis prissammenligning, da der ikke findes markedspriser, som gælder specifikt for både NATO's fibre og de parallelle fibre i det samme kabel.
As explained in section I.7 above, Mannvit highlights a number of differences between the regulated wholesale product offered by Míla and the NATO fibre that should be taken into account when comparing prices.
Tilsynsmyndigheden har samme indvendinger med hensyn til den rabat, der bør finde anvendelse.
First, the Authority considers it reasonable when Mannvit adjusts the length of the NATO fibre to be taken into account for the price calculation, as prices are usually calculated on a point-to-point basis (i.e. as direct lines between the relevant termination points).
De aktuelt tilgængelige engrostilbud omfatter alene en rabat på 15 % for en treårig aftale.
When applied to the existing termination points on the NATO fibre at the time of the transaction, the Mannvit study concludes that the total length to be taken into account is 1283 km.
Det er imidlertid sandsynligt, at en markedsoperatør ville yde betydeligt større rabatter for en aftale med længere varighed og meget store mængder.
Mannvit then assesses which wholesale price and discount would be most appropriate to be applied in the case at hand.
Tilsynsmyndigheden bemærker, at Míla tidligere tilbød en rabat på 25 % til næsten samme formål [45].
The study highlights that Míla's regulated tariff (ISK 7609 per km/month) might not be the right benchmark to determine the market price, as the regulated tariff is based on the costs and utilisation ratio of Míla's whole fibre network, including all of Míla's relevant termination points, and not only a fibre network comparable to that of the NATO fibre.
I lyset af ovennævnte er det efter Tilsynsmyndighedens opfattelse rimeligt at udtrykke markedsprisestimatet for leasingretten til NATO's fiber som et prisinterval baseret på engrosadgangsprisen og de rabatforudsætninger, der er omhandlet ovenfor.
Mannvit points out that the NATO fibre is simpler and has much fewer termination points, which indicates that the appropriate cost basis should be lower.
Tabel 3
Mannvit therefore proposes to rather use the wholesale tariff of another operator, Orkufjarskipti, as the basis for calculating the market price.
Anslåede markedsprisintervaller (leasingpriser pr. år) baseret på tilgængelige priser og rabatforudsætninger
The tariff of Orkufjarskipti is ISK 5020 per km/month.
Pris pr. km/måned
The Mannvit study also examines discount rates and concludes that a discount of 25 % should be applied to the wholesale price, instead of the maximum of 15 % currently available for three-year contracts.
15 % rabat
Mannvit justifies this adjustment by pointing out that the lease term is 10 years, which is well in excess of the duration contemplated in the regulated tariffs of Míla and Orkufjarskipti.
(× 1283 km × 12)
It is further justified by the existence of a 25 % discount Míla offered to customers renting a similar length of fibre as the NATO fibre at the time of the tender.
25 % rabat
The Authority concurs that the regulated tariff of Míla for trunk leased lines does not provide an appropriate market price comparison in the case at hand.
99,6 mio.
In particular, Míla's tariff is based not only on the investment and operating costs of fibres in the same cable as the NATO fibre (which have most likely been amortised already) but also on newer investments in other fibres.