natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Det Økonomiske og Sociale Udvalgs udtalelse om den 25. beretning om konkurrencepolitikken (EFT C 75 af 10.3.1997, s. 22)
Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the Twenty-fifth Competition Report (OJ C 75, 10.3,1997, p. 22) 3782.
Kommissionens svar på Det Økonomiske og Sociale Udvalgs udtalelse om den 25. beretning om konkurrencepolitikken
Reply of the Commission to the opinion on the Twenty-fifth Competition Report 389
A - Resumé af konkrete sager
A - Case summaries
Ulovlig praksis
Prohibitions
Kommissionen har forbudt den nederlandske speditørsammenslutning Fenex at udsende vejledende tariffer.
The Commission adopted a decision prohibiting the Dutch forwarding agents' association Fenex frompublishing recommended tariffs.
Fenex har i mange år sendt sine medlemmer vejledende tariffer for speditionsydelser i havne og ved landegrænser. Disse tariffer, der var angivet i gylden eller i procent, undertiden med et bestemt minimum, blev udarbejdet og ajourført af Fenex årligt, hvorefter de blev udsendt til samtlige medlemmer.
For many years, Fenex had fixed and circulated among its members recommended tariffs for shippingservices in seaports and at land frontiers.
Kommissionen mente, at denne praksis havde et konkurrencebegrænsende formål, ¡det den tog sigte på at harmonisere virksomhedernes tariffer på markedet.
The Commission took the view that these practices were anticompetitive in that they were aimed atharmonizing the pricing behaviour of firms on the market.
Når en brancheforening udsender vejledende tariffer, kan det nemlig betragtes som en opfordring til virksomhederne til at tilpasse deres tariffer, uanset deres kostpriser.
The circulation by a trade association ofrecommended tariffs is liable to prompt firms to align their charges, irrespective of their costs.
En sådan fremgangsmåde afskrækker virksomheder med de laveste kostpriser fra at sænke deres priser og giver således de virksomheder, der har den dårligste styring af produktionsomkostningerne, en kunstig fordel.
Suchan approach dissuades firms whose costs are lowest from lowering their prices and thus creates anartificial advantage for firms which have the least control over their production costs.
Kommissionen mente derfor, at det var nødvendigt at vedtage en beslutning om overtrædelsen for klart at fastslå, at tariffer, der udsendes af brancheforeninger, er ulovlige'.
The Commission accordingly considered it necessary to adopt a decision finding that an infringement hadbeen committed in order to make clear the unlawful nature of tariff schedules distributed by trade
Desuden har Kommissionen i sin beslutning foretaget en sondring mellem en brancheforenings vejledende tariffer, og de retningslinjer, den udsender for at gøre det lettere for virksomhederne at beregne deres egne kostprisstrukturer, således at de selv kan fastsætte deres salgspriser.
In its decision the Commission drew a distinction between, on the one hand, the circulation by a tradeassociation of such recommended tariffs and, on the other, the circulation of information that wouldhelp firms to calculate their own cost price structures so as to enable them to establish their sellingprices independently.
Vejledende tariffer er en opfordring til virksomhederne til at justere deres takster derefter, uden hensyn til deres salgspriser. En sådan risiko er derimod ikke nødvendigvis forbundet med retningslinjer for omkostningsberegning.
Recommended tariffs are liable to prompt the firms concerned to align theircharges, irrespective of their costs.
Kommissionen har derfor godkendt de retningslinjer for omkostningsberegning, som Fenex nu udsender, og som giver de enkelte virksomheder mulighed for at beregne deres salgspriser på grundlag af deres egne omkostninger.
The Commission thus accepted the cost-calculation system now used by Fenex inasmuch as it enableseach firm to determine its selling prices on the basis of its own costs.
Der er her tale om hjælp, som brancheforeninger lovligt kan yde deres medlemmer, hvilket er af stor betydning, især når medlemmerne er små virksomheder.
Trade associations may lawfullygive such assistance to their members, especially where the latter are of modest size.
ANVENDELSEN AF KONKURRENCEREGLERNE I DEN EUROPÆISKE UNION
APPLICATION OF COMPETITION RULES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Færgeselskaber
Ferry operators
Kommissionen har pålagt fem færgeselskaber, der driver sejlads mellem Det Forenede Kongerige og det europæiske kontinent - P & O European Ferries, Stena Line, Sea France, Brittany Ferries og North Ses Ferries - bøder på i alt 645 000 ECU for overtrædelse af EF-traktatens artikel 85.
The Commission fined five cross-Channel ferry operators - P & O European Ferries, Stena Line, Sea France, Brittany Ferries et North Sea Ferries - a total of ECU 645 000 for infringing Article 85 of the EC Treaty.
Selskaberne havde aftalt at indføre et valutatillæg på godstransport efter devalueringen af pund sterling i september 1992; tillægget skulle være på det samme beløb og indføres fra den samme dato.
The companies concerned had agreed on the amount and introduction date of a surchargeon freight shipments following the devaluation of the pound in September 1992.
Kommissionen modtog på det pågældende tidspunkt en klage over, at en række færgeselskaber havde meddelt, at de ville indføre identiske tillæg på godstransport mellem Det Forenede Kongerige og kontinentet.
At that time the Commission had received a complaint to the effect that a number of ferry operatorshad announced identical surcharges on freight carried on routes between the United Kingdom and the Continent.
Tillæggene blev indført fra den samme dato og beregnet efter den samme metode, og desuden var færgeselskabernes breve til deres kunder derom praktisk talt ens.
The surcharges were introduced on the same date with the same method of calculation,and what is more the letters which some operators had sent to their customers were practicallyidentical.
Kommissionen foretog uanmeldte kontrolbesøg hos en række færgeselskaber i 1993 og fik derved bevis på, at nogle af de pågældende selskaber havde fastsat valutatillægget i fællesskab.
The Commission carried out unannounced inspections on the premises of a number of ferry operatorsin 1993 and obtained proof that the surcharges had been agreed jointly by some of the companiesconcerned.
Denne samordnede praksis fik ikke helt de ventede virkninger og blev afkort varighed (tillægget blev indført den 1. november 1992 og ophævet den 31. december 1992), hvilket i vid udstrækning skyldes, at virksomhederne ikke var i stand til at anvende det fuldt ud, og at deres kunder var ¡mod det.
The concerted practice was only partly successful and was of short duration (the surcharge wasintroduced on 1 November 1992 and withdrawn on 31 December of the same year), owing largely tothe parties' inability to implement the measure fully and to customer resistance.The Commission felt that, while the imposition of very substantial fines was not justified, merelysymbolic fines were not appropriate either given the flagrant nature of the infringement.
Bøderne skal være betalt inden tre måneder.
The parties were given three months in which to pay the fines.
Kommissionen har ved en beslutning pålagt den tyske medicinalvareproducent Bayer AG en bøde på 3 mio. ECU for overtrædelse af EF-traktatens artikel 85, stk. 1.
The Commission imposed a fine of ECU 3 million on the German pharmaceuticals producer Bayer AGin a decision finding that the company had infringed Article 85(1) of the EC Treaty.
Ifølge dokumenter, der blev indsamlet ved kontrolundersøgelser hos de forskellige koncernselskaber, har Bayer-koncernen i hvert fald siden slutningen af 1980'erne modarbejdet paralleleksport af medicinalproduktet Adalat (i Frankrig Adalate) til Det Forenede Kongerige.
Documents obtained during investigations into the group's various companies showed that the Bayergroup had since at least the end of the 1980s been concerned at the phenomenon of parallel exportsof the drug Adalat (in France, Adalate) to the United Kingdom.
Dette produkt, der bruges til behandling af hjerte/karsygdomme, er en af de vigtigste typer patentmedicin, som koncernen forhandler.
Adalat, which is used in the treatmentof cardiovascular disease, is one of the most important pharmaceutical products marketed by the group.
Medicinalgrossisterne i Spanien og Frankrig, der var Bayers franske og spanske datterselskabers største kunder, bestilte indtil henholdsvis 1989 og 1991 større mængder Adalat end nødvendigt til forsyning af det nationale marked.
Before 1989 in Spain and 1991 in France, the main customers of the French and Spanish subsidiariesof Bayer, i.e. the pharmaceutical wholesalers in those Member States, used to order larger quantitiesof Adalat than they required for supplying the domestic market.
De overskydende mængder blev eksporteret til andre medlemsstater, bl.a. Det Forenede Kongerige.
The surpluses were exported to other Member States, including the United Kingdom.
Fra september 1991 måtte de franske grossister konstatere, at Bayer Frankrig ikke længere efterkom alle de ordrer på Adalat, som de afgav.
As from September 1991, the French wholesalers found that Bayer France was no longer prepared tosupply them with all of the quantities of Adalat which they ordered.
Det samme var sket i Spanien fra begyndelsen af 1989.
The same phenomenon had beenencountered in Spain since early 1989, Bayer Spain having set up a computerized system foridentifying exporting wholesalers.
Grossisterne i Frankrig og Spanien opretholdt deres handelsforbindelser med Bayer for at få leveret Adalat.
Wholesalers in France and Spain maintained commercial relations with Bayer in an attempt to obtainsupplies of Adalat.
De forsøgte på forskellig måde at få leveret større mængder end nødvendigt til dækning af de nationale behov, således at de fortsat kunne eksportere til Det Forenede Kongerige.
They tried by various means to obtain larger quantities than their domesticrequirements so that they could continue exporting to the United Kingdom.
Grossisterne anvendte især et system med fordeling af eksportordrerne på deres forskellige afdelinger og et system med bestillinger hos andre små grossister, der ikke blev kontrolleret.
In particular, they useda system of spreading orders intended for export between their various agencies and a system ofplacing orders through other, small wholesalers not subject to monitoring.
De tilpassede således deres ordreafgivelse efter Bayers forbud mod, at de eksporterede produktet.
In this way, theyendeavoured to ensure that their orders appeared to comply with Bayer's requirement that the productshould not be exported.
Bayer Frankrig og Bayer Spanien foretog gradvise nedskæringer i leverancerne som straf, når en af grossisterne var blevet afsløret som eksportør.
When one of the wholesalers was found to be exporting, Bayer France and Bayer Spain penalized him by imposing successive reductions in the volumes supplied.
Alle disse elementer viser, at Bayer Frankrig og Bayer Spanien udsatte deres grossister for en permanent trussel om nedskæring i leverancerne, som flere gange blev ført ud i livet, når grossisterne ikke overholdt eksportforbuddet.
All these practices engaged in by Bayer France and Bayer Spain show that they subjected theirwholesalers to a permanent threat of a reduction in the quantities supplied, a threat which wasrepeatedly carried out if the wholesalers did not comply with the export ban.
Eksportforbuddet indgår som led i handelsforbindelserne mellem Bayer Frankrig og Bayer Spanien og deres respektive grossister.
The export ban forms part of the continuous commercial relations between Bayer France and Bayer Spain and their respective wholesalers.
Grossisterne i såvel Frankrig som Spanien har gennem deres adfærd vist, at de accepterede eksportforbuddet.
The wholesalers, both in France and in Spain, haveshown by their conduct that they accepted the export ban.
Der har således eksisteret en aftale mellem parterne, hvoraf eksportforbuddet udgjorde en integrerende del (Bayer Frankrig og dens grossister på den ene side og Bayer Spanien og dens grossister på den anden side); denne aftale falder ind under artikel 85, stk. 1.
It may thus be concluded that anagreement, of which the export ban forms an integral part, exists between the parties (Bayer Franceand its wholesalers on the one hand, and Bayer Spain and its wholesalers on the other), whichagreement is in breach of Article 85(1).
Ved fastsættelsen af boden i det foreliggende tilfælde tog Kommissionen i betragtning, at der var tale om en alvorlig overtrædelse af fællesskabsretten.
In determining the amount of the fine, the Commission took account of the fact that the practicesconstituted a serious infringement of Community law.
Den tog desuden i betragtning, at priserne på medicinalvarer ikke blev fastsat selvstændigt af virksomhederne, men tværtimod afhang af de forskellige nationale regler på området.
It also took account of the fact thatpharmaceutical product prices are not set automatically by companies, but are governed by the variousrelevant national rules and regulations.
Den 4. december 1996 pålagde Kommissionen den tyske fabrikant af computerprintere. Systemform GmbH, en bøde på 100 000 ECU.
On 4 December the Commission imposed a fine of ECU 100 000 on Systemform GmbH - a Germanmanufacturer of machinery for handling large computer printouts.
Kommissionen konstaterede, at Systemform anvendte et distributionssystem, der opdelte det europæiske marked for selskabets produkter efter nationale grænser, og som gav Systemform indflydelse på forhandlernes salgspriser.
The Commission found that Systemform operated a distribution system that divided up the European market for its products onnational lines and which gave Systemform influence over its distributors' resale prices.
Begge dele var en klar overtrædelse af EU's konkurrenceregler, især traktatens artikel 85.
Both of theseare clear breaches of the EC competition rules, in particular Article 85 of the EC Treaty.
Nogle af disse aftaler var indgået allerede i 1984.
Some of these had been signed as early as 1984.
Alle aftaler indeholdt et totalt forbud mod. at forhandlerne eksporterede Systemforms produkter uden for det nationale område, de havde fået tildelt.
All of these contracts contained a totalban on the distributor exporting Systemform products outside its assigned national territory.
Nogle af aftalerne forbod endog forhandlerne at sælge til virksomheder i deres aftaleområde, når de
Some ofthe contracts even prohibited the distributor from making sales to firms inside its own territory whohad the known intention of exporting the goods outside the territory.
ANVENDELSEN AF KONKURRENCEREGLERNE I DEN EUROPÆISKE UNION vidste, at disse virksomheder havde planer om at eksportere varerne uden for området.
APPLICATION OF COMPETITION RULES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION distribution agreements.
Desuden indeholdt alle aftaler bestemmelser om, at salgspriserne enten skulle fastsættes af Systemform og forhandleren i fællesskab, eller at Systemform i hvert fald skulle holdes underrettet om salgspriserne.
In addition, all of the contracts required either that resale prices be set jointlyby Systemform and the distributor, or at least that Systemform be kept informed of resale prices.
Ved fastsættelse af bødens størrelse tog Kommissionen hensyn til, at Systemform ikke benægtede de forhold, Kommissionen havde omtalt i sin formelle klagepunktsmeddelelse, og at selskabet begyndte at ændre sine aftaler, før det fik forelagt klagepunktsmeddelelsen.
In deciding the amount of the fine the Commission also took into account the fact that Systemform did not dispute the Commission's findings as set out in the formal Statement of Objectionsissued by the Commission, and started to amend its contracts before a Statement of Objections wasissued to it.
Den oprindelige klage fra den franske forhandler af kontorudstyr Novalliance SA gik ud på, at Systemform havde håndhævet disse områdebegrænsninger ved at afslå at levere til Novalliances eneforhandler i Grækenland, Novapost, efter at Novapost havde udført ordrer fra Novalliance (passivt salg).
The original complaint by Novalliance SA, a French dealer in office equipment, alleged that Systemform had acted to enforce these territorial restrictions by refusing to supply its exclusivedistributor for Greece, Novapost, after Novapost had fulfilled unsolicited orders from Novalliance. Oninvestigating this allegation the Commission found that:
Ved en undersøgelse af klagen konstaterede Kommissionen følgende: i) Der forelå ikke nogen klar leveringsnægtelse fra Systemforms side. ii) Novapost og Novalliance havde indgået en distributionsaftale, der indebar, at et eventuelt salg fra Novapost til Novalliance ikke var "passivt", men "aktivt", iii) Novapost og Novalliance blev begge kontrolleret af et tredje selskab.
(i) No clear refusal to supply by Systemform had taken place.(ii) A distribution contract was in force between Novapost and Novalliance, implying that any salesfrom Novapost to Novalliance were "active" rather than "passive" in nature.(iii) Novapost and Novalliance appeared to be under the common control of a third company.
En sådan virksomhedsgruppe udgør en enkelt økonomisk enhed, og ethvert forsøg fra en sådan enhed på at sælge varer uden for aftaleområdet gennem nogle af sine selskaber ville være et aktivt forsøg på at eksportere.
Sucha group of companies forms a single economic entity, and any attempt by such an economicentity, through any of its component parts, to put goods on sale outside its assigned territorywould be an active attempt to export.
Novalliances salg i Frankrig skulle betragtes som en sådan virksomhedsgruppes aktive salg uden for sit aftaleområde.
Any sales by Novalliance in France would be an active saleoutside its assigned territory by this group of companies.
Kommissionen gav derfor ikke klageren medhold på dette punkt.
This aspect of the complaint was not, therefore, upheld.
Godkendt praksis
Authorizations
Den 16. januar 1996 godkendte Kommissionen den samarbejdsaftale, som Lufthansa og SAS havde indgået den 11. maj 1995, og som tog sigte på etablering af en varig alliance mellem parterne gennem et integreret luftfartssystem på det operationelle og kommercielle område.
The parties intend through the agreement to create a long-term alliance, establishing an operationallyand commercially integrated air transport system.
Ved aftalen oprettes et joint venture, der får eneret til at varetage de to selskabers ruteflyvning med passagerer og fragt mellem Skandinavien og Tyskland.
The agreement provides for the setting-up of a joint venture to act on behalf of the two airlines as theirexclusive vehicle for offering scheduled passenger and cargo air transport services between Scandinavia and Germany.
Desuden vil parterne uden at oprette noget joint venture etablere et verdensomspændende integreret transportsystem, bl.a. for planlægning af trafiknettet, fælles prispolitik og harmonisering af produkter og service.
As regards worldwide cooperation, the parties intend to establish an integrated transport systeminvolving joint network planning, a joint pricing policy and the harmonization of product and servicelevels, though without creating a common entity.
Ifølge parterne tjener deres samarbejde to formål, nemlig at etablere et langt større europæisk og verdensomspændende net, og at iværksætte en plan for nedskæring af de to selskabers omkostninger.
According to the parties, the object of the cooperation is twofold: firstly, to enhance the two airlines'European and worldwide networks and, secondly, to carry out a plan for reducing their costs.
Det skal understreges, at transaktionen har stor økonomisk betydning.
The economic significance of the arrangement is considerable.
Målt efter passagerkilometer i Europa ligger Lufthansa og SAS på henholdsvis anden- og tredjepladsen blandt de europæiske flyselskaber.
In terms of passenger-kilometres within Europe, Lufthansa and SAS are respectively the second and third largest European airlines.
Deres samarbejdsaftale vil derfor begrænse konkurrencen mærkbart, især på ruterne mellem Skandinavien og Tyskland.
Theircooperation agreement will thus have the effect of restricting competition significantly, particularly onroutes between Scandinavia and Germany.
Der skal dog også tages hensyn til de positive aspekter ved denne aftale, der skal analyseres på baggrund af omstruktureringen af den europæiske lufttransport.
Account should also be taken, however, of the positive aspects of the agreement, which must beanalysed in the light of the restructuring of European air transport.
Gennem alliancen kommer de to selskaber til at råde over et langt mere effektivt verdensomspændende net og vil få bedre betingelser for at imødegå konkurrencen fra andre selskaber, især fra tredjelande. Planen for nedskæring af omkostningerne, der indgår i aftalen mellem Lufthansa og SAS, er også et vigtigt element, der skal tages i betragtning.
The alliance between the two airlines will give them a much more efficient worldwide network,enabling them to stand up more effectively to competition from other, notably non-European, airlines.The cost-reduction plan accompanying the agreement between Lufthansa and SAS is a furtherimportant factor to be taken into consideration.
Aftalen vil indebære fordele for forbrugerne, dels fordi den medfører mere omfattende ydelser, bl.a. med hensyn til geografisk dækning, transitforbindelser og et fælles bonussystem, dels fordi selskabernes omkostningsreduktion indirekte gavner forbrugerne.
Consumers will derive benefit from the agreement, firstly, by having much more extensive servicesavailable, notably as regards network size, better connections and the availability of a jointfrequent-flyer programme and, secondly, by benefiting indirectly from the airlines' lower costs.
Kommissionen fandt derfor, at dette samarbejde kunne godkendes i en tiårig periode, men at der måtte knyttes betingelser dertil, således at også andre selskaber kunne udnytte ruterne mellem Skandinavien og Tyskland i konkurrence med Lufthansa og SAS.
The Commission has therefore concluded that the cooperation can be authorized for a period often years, but that conditions should be imposed to allow other airlines to operate services on theroutes between Scandinavia and Germany in competition with Lufthansa and SAS.
Disse betingelser består hovedsagelig i, at der skal stilles slots til rådighed i de trafiktætte lufthavne, at afgangsfrekvenserne for Lufthansa og SAS fastfryses, at der indgås en interlining-aftale med nytilkomne virksomheder, som også skal kunne deltage i Lufthansas og SAS's bonussystemer, og at de pågældende parter opgiver nogle af deres samarbejdsaftaler med andre selskaber.
These conditions concern essentially the giving-up of slots at saturated airports, a freeze on the numberof frequencies operated by LH and SAS, the conclusion of interlining agreements with new entrants,participation by the latter in the frequent-flyer programmes of LH and SAS, and termination by theparties of some of their cooperation agreements with other airlines.
Den 17. juli 1996 godkendte Kommissionen Atlas-projektet, der er et joint venture mellem Deutsche Telekom AG (DT) og France Télécom (FT), som skal yde teletjenester til erhvervskunder i Europa. Dette gælder bl.a. nettjenester, udlicitering og satellittjenester (VSAT).
On 17 July the Commission authorized the Atlas project, a joint venture between Deutsche Telekom AG (DT) and France Telecom (FT) aimed at providing telecommunications services to large users in Europe.
Kommissionen godkendte også oprettelsen af joint venture-selskabet GlobalOne, der etablerer et samarbejde mellem Atlas og Sprint Corporation (Sprint) om levering af disse ydelser på verdensplan. Inden for GlobalOne leverer parterne de samme tjenester som inden for Atlas, men dertil kommer tjenester til rejsende og teletjenester til andre teleoperatorer.
The Commission also authorized the proposed GlobalOne joint venture, analliance between Atlas and Sprint Corporation (Sprint) for the supply of the above services worldwide.Within GlobalOne, the parties will provide the same services as within Atlas, together with travellerservices and telecommunications services to other telecommunications organizations (TOs).