natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
I beslutningen undersøgte Kommissionen lovligheden af den omtvistede støtte i henhold til traktatens artikel 92, stk. 3, litra c), og EØS-aftalens artikel 61, stk. 3, litra c).
Following a meeting and an exchange of correspondence with representatives of Air France and the French Government, the Commission opened the procedure under Article 93(2) of the Treaty.
Under denne undersøgelse fastslog den, at en egentlig omstrukturering af Air France var i overensstemmelse med den fælles interesse, at støttebeløbet ikke var urimeligt stort, og at støtten ikke påvirkede samhandelsvilkårene i et omfang, der var i strid med den fælles interesse.
It informed the French authorities to that effect by letter of 30 May 1994, which was the subject of a communication published in the Official Journal of the European Communities ('the communication of 3 June 1994').
Sagsøgerne i sag T-371/94 har gjort gældende, at Kommissionen endvidere har givet en utilstrækkelig begrundelse for dette punkt, selv om det under den administrative procedure var blevet oplyst over for den, at indkøbet af sytten nye fly ikke var et væsentligt element i omstruktureringsplanen for Air France og derfor burde annulleres.
In that communication, the Commission took the view that the planned capital injection constituted State aid, while pointing out that it had to examine whether the aid plan would affect trade to an extent contrary to the common interest.
Kommissionen har således ikke foretaget en seriøs undersøgelse af bemærkningerne i tredjemændenes svar på Kommissionens meddelelse af 3. juni 1994.
In that regard, the Commission took the view in particular that:
Ifølge fast retspraksis har Kommissionen et vidt skøn ved anvendelsen af traktatens artikel 92, stk. 3. Når dette skøn indebærer en kompliceret økonomisk og social bedømmelse må domstolsprøvelsen af en sådan beslutning begrænses til en kontrol af, om procedure- og begrundelsesforskrifterne er overholdt, om de faktiske omstændigheder, på grundlag af hvilke det anfægtede valg er foretaget, er materielt rigtige, samt til, om der foreligger en åbenbar fejl ved vurderingen af de nævnte faktiske omstændigheder, eller om der er begået magtfordrejning.
Article 2 of the contested decision made payment of the second and third tranches of the aid subject to fulfilment of those commitments and to the actual implementation of the Plan and achievement of the planned results, in order to ensure that the amount of aid remained compatible with the common market.
Særligt tilkommer det ikke Retten at sætte sit skøn med hensyn til økonomiske forhold i stedet for det, der er anlagt af den institution, der har vedtaget beslutningen.
Before release of the second and third tranches of aid in 1995 and 1996, the French Government was required to submit to the Commission a report on the progress of the restructuring programme and on the economic and financial situation of Air France.
Denne retspraksis findes at være lige så relevant for prøvelsen i medfør af EØS-aftalens artikel 61, stk. 3, litra c).
The Commission was to have the proper implementation of the Plan and the fulfilment of the conditions laid down for the approval of aid verified by independent consultants.
Det er dog samtidig Kommissionens opfattelse, at investeringen i fornyelsen af flåden i sig selv udgør et nødvendigt element i omstruktureringen af Air France.
In the contested decision, the Commission examined the legality of the disputed aid in the light of Article 92(3)(c) of the Treaty and Article 61(3)(c) of the EEA Agreement.
Det fremgår således, at det i beslutningen anerkendes, at støtten skal finansiere en investering i flåden ved indkøb af sytten nye fly. Under alle omstændigheder forbyder beslutningen ikke, at støtten kan anvendes, i det mindste delvis, til at finansiere denne investering.
In that examination, it found that a genuine restructuring of Air France would be in the common interest, that the amount of aid did not appear to be excessive and that the aid would not affect conditions of trade to an extent contrary to the common interest.
Det eneste selvstændige finansielle middel, Air France havde til at bidrage til finansiering af investeringen, nemlig
On 27 July 1994, the Commission adopted Decision 94/653/EC concerning the notified capital increase of Air France ('the contested decision').
salg af aktiver, antages kun at indbringe 7 mia. FRF, mens de pågældende investeringsomkostninger er på 11,5 mia. FRF.
to it by third parlies during the administrative procedure.
Selv om dette indkøb i forbindelse med salg af ældre fly klart udgør en modernisering af Air France's flåde, indeholder beslutningen ingen stillingtagen til relevansen af den retspraksis, som er kommet til udtryk i sagen Deufil mod Kommissionen (Domstolens dom af 24.2.1987) og sagen Exécutif régional wallon mod Kommissionen (Domstolens dom af 8.3.1988), og som de berørte parter har påberåbt sig.
Since that discretion involves complex economic and social appraisals, the Court must, in reviewing a decision adopted in this context, confine itself to verifying whether the Commission complied with the rules governing procedure and the statement of reasons, whether the facts on which the contested finding was based have been accurately stated and whether there has been any manifest error of assessment or misuse of powers.
Kommissionen har således undladt nærmere at angive, om den undtagelsesvis accepterede den pågældende finansiering, fordi den mente, at denne retspraksis var uden enhver relevans under den konkrete sags omstændigheder, eller om den mente at fravige princippet, der var fastslået i denne retspraksis.
In particular, it is not for the Court to substitute its own economic assessment for that of the author of the decision. The Court takes the view that this case-law is equally relevant to the examination under Article 61(3)(c) of the EEA Agreement.
Kommissionen (Domstolens dom af 14.2.1990) udtalte, at når en virksomhed kunstigt bliver holdt i gang, svækker det konkurrenceevnen for andre producenter, der har måttet gennemføre deres omorganisering uden at modtage statsstøtte.
A - The contention that the Commission was wrong to authorise the purchase by Air France of 17 new aircraft
Kommissionens stillingtagen hertil var så meget desto mere nødvendig, som den i sin egen praksis i beslutninger i princippet har modsat sig al driftsstøtte, der skal finansiere almindelig modernisering af udstyr. Kommissionen har anlagt den opfattelse, at investeringer til sådanne moderniseringer ikke kan anses for en omstrukturering og derfor skal finansieres med de berørte virksomheders egne midler uden statens indblanding.
As is clear from that reasoning, the contested decision took the view that, while it would serve to reduce Air France's indebtedness, the State aid in dispute was also intended to finance the achievement of the restructuring plan, also financed by the disposal of assets.
Det fremgår således ikke af beslutningens begrundelse, at Kommissionen faktisk undersøgte, om moderniseringen af Air France's flåde trods ovennævnte retspraksis og praksis i Kommissionens egne beslutninger delvis kunne finansieres af støtte til omstrukturering af selskabet — og i bekræftende fald af hvilke grunde.
It thus appears that the contested decision acknowledged that the aid was intended to finance the fleet investment involving the acquisition of 17 new aircraft.
Β - Anbringendet om, at Kommissionen med urette tillod finansiering af Air France's driftsomkostninger og operationelle foranstaltninger
In any event, the decision did not preclude the possibility that the aid might be used, at least in part, for the purpose of financing such investment.
Sagsøgeren i sag T-394/94 har anført, at den anfægtede beslutning godkender, at den pågældende støtte fordrejer konkurrencen inden for EØS.
The applicants consider that it was disproportionate to approve aid the purpose of which was to permit Air France to purchase 17 new aircraft.
Sagsøgeren har henvist til, at den i de bemærkninger, den indgav til Kommissionen under den administrative procedure, havde foreslået, at Kommissionen foretog en analyse af hvert enkelt geografiske marked, der var berørt af støtten, nemlig de særlige ruter, hvor de berørte luftfartsselskaber står i et direkte konkurrenceforhold.
The Commission, they claim, was clearly wrong in concluding that the amount of aid could not be reduced by cancelling or postponing the orders placed by Air France for a value of FF 11.5 billion.
Denne fremgangsmåde har støtte i Domstolens dom af 14. februar 1990 i sagen Frankrig mod Kommissionen, hvor Domstolen fandt, at der skulle foretages en undersøgelse af støttens virkning på samtlige konkurrenter til den støttemodtagende virksomhed.
The costs of the periodically necessary renovation of the fleet, being an investment in capital assets, in principle form part of an airline's operating costs.
Sagsøgeren har nærmere anført, at den konkurrerer med Air France på ruterne London/Nice, London/Paris og Glasgow/Paris.
Such renovation must be carried out without State intervention.
Ikke desto mindre konkluderede Kommissionen, at alle de negative virkninger på samhandelsvilkårene var acceptable.
In any event, the acquisition of new aircraft was not essential for Air France.
Kommissionen favoriserede derved Air France, der var en virksomhed i den offentlige sektor, i forhold til sagsøgeren, der var en uafhængig virksomhed i den private sektor.
The Commission thus failed to specify whether it would tolerate, exceptionally, the financing in question because it considered that case-law to be irrelevant in the specific circumstances of the present context or whether it intended to depart from the actual principle laid down therein.
Kommissionen foretog derved en forskelsbehandling, der
A statement of position by the Commission was all the more necessary in the light of its own decision-making practice reflecting its opposition in principle to all operating aid intended to finance normal modernisation of installations.
Sagsøgerne har gjort gældende, at støtten ændrer samhandelsvilkårene på en måde, der strider mod den fælles interesse.
The applicants in Case T-371/94 also claim that the Commission provided an inadequate statement of reasons in that regard, even though it had been informed during the administrative procedure that the purchase of 17 new aircraft was not an essential clement in Air France's restructuring plan and ought therefore to be cancelled.
Støtten har til formål kunstigt at reducere Air France's omkostninger og påfører derved de luftfartsselskaber, der ikke modtager støtte, byrden ved reduktionen af omkostningerne.
The Commission failed to consider seriously the third-party comments filed in response to its communication of 3 June 1994.
Sagsøgerne har herved henvist til, at Kommissionen selv i sagen Frankrig mod
The applicant in Case T-394/94 and the Maersk companies, in intervention, argue generally that the Commission neglected to provide a proper statement of reasons by failing, in particular, to deal properly with the detailed submissions made
formålstjenlige i betragtning af den konkurrencesituation, der herskede inden for EØS.
The applicant states that it is in competition with Air France on the routes between London and Nice, London and Paris, and Glasgow and Paris.
På baggrund af de anbringender, sagsøgerne og de parter, der er interveneret til støtte for deres påstande, har fremført, skal Retten for det første undersøge, om beslutningen indeholder en tilstrækkelig begrundelse med hensyn til vurderingen af støttens virkninger på Air France's konkurrenter og på de relevante flyruter.
In the light of the contentions of the applicants and the interveners supporting them, it is appropriate first to ascertain whether the contested decision is adequately reasoned with regard to the assessment of the effects of the aid on the companies competing with Air France and on the relevant air routes.
Retten skal henvise til, at den har anmodet sagsøgerne og intervenienterne om at fremlægge de bemærkninger, de havde indgivet til Kommissionen under den administrative procedure i deres egenskab af »interesserede parter« i traktatens artikel 93, stk. 2's forstand.
The Court called on those applicants and interveners to submit the observations which they had lodged with the Commission during the administrative procedure in their capacity as parties concerned within the meaning of Article 93(2) of the Treaty.
Det fastslås imidlertid, at beslutningens begrundelse ikke indeholder nogen som helst henvisning til Air France's konkurrencesituation uden for EØS.
It serves to lower Air France's costs artificially and thereby shifts the burden of cost adjustment on to unsubsidised airlines.
For det første mangler der en undersøgelse af Air France's internationale net, hvor der ses på de flyruter, hvor Air France konkurrerer med andre selskaber med hovedsæde inden for EØS.
The applicants point out that the Commission itself took the view, in Case C-301/87 France ν Commission [1990] ECR 1-307, that the artificial maintenance in existence of a company weakens the competitive position of other producers which have had to carry out the necessary reorganisation of their activities without the benefit of State aid.
For det andet gælder de vilkår for godkendelsen, der vedrører niveauet for Air France's udbud, Air France's prispolitik, og et maksimum for antallet af ruter, selskabet beflyver, ikke for de ruter, Air France beflyver eller har til hensigt at beflyve til lande uden for EØS, dvs. fjernruter, navnlig over Atlanten.
In its judgment in that case, the Court of Justice upheld the Commission's decision refusing to authorise State aid on the ground that it had reduced the competitiveness of other manufacturers within the Community, at the risk of forcing them to withdraw from the market even though they had previously been able to continue their activities by virtue of restructuring financed by their own resources.
Ud fra Kommissionens synspunkt står det således Air France ganske frit for - økonomisk styrket af den godkendte støtte - at øge sin kapacitet, forøge antallet af ruter og sætte sine priser så lavt, den vil, på de internationale ruter ud af EØS.
The applicants also refer to the Opinion of Adocate General Sir Gordon Slynn in Case 84/82 Germany ν Commission [1984) ECR 1451 and the judgment in Case 730/79 Philip Morris ν Commission [1980] ECR 2671 to the effect that the Commission, when applying Article 92(3)(c) of the Treaty, must take account of the Community context, in particular the overall position in the sector in question.
Af denne begrundelse fremgår det, at Kommissionen undlod at undersøge konkurrencesituationen »rute for rute«, selv om dette var foreslået af de berørte parter og havde været Kommissionens hensigt.
On a reading of its reasoning as thus stated, it is clear that the Commission did not examine the competitive position on a 'route-by-route' basis, although such an examination had been proposed by the parties concerned and envisaged by the Commission itself.
I stedet for at foretage en detaljeret analyse af støttens virkninger på de forskellige ruter, Air France befløj, valgte Kommissionen at pålægge den franske stat de seksten vilkår for godkendelse af støtten, der er medtaget i beslutningens artikel 1.
Instead of analysing in detail the effects which the aid would have on the various routes served by Air France, the Commission chose to impose on the French Slate the 16 conditions governing authorisation of the aid set out in Article 1 of the contested decision.
Det følger heraf, at Kommissionen anså disse vilkår for at være formålstjenlige og tilstrækkelige til at sikre, at støttens virkninger på luftfartssektoren i henhold til EF-traktatens artikel 92 og EØS-aftalens artikel 61 ikke var i strid med den fælles interesse.
It thus took the view that those conditions were appropriate and sufficient to ensure that the effects of the aid on the civil aviation sector coming within the scope of Article 92 of the EC Treaty and Article 61 of the EEA Agreement would not be contrary to the common interest.
Air France's omstruktureringsplan omfatter imidlertid udtrykkeligt videreudvikling af fjernruter og øgning af afgangene på overskudsruter, og de franske myndigheder annoncerede en udbudsforøgelse i Air France på 10,2% på fjerndistancetrafikken.
In the context of the reasoning given for the decision, the Court takes the view that thii manner of addressing the problem indicates that the Commission did in fact concentrate on the
Det fastslås, at Kommissionen på baggrund af denne praksis i dens beslutninger og i betragtning af bemærkningerne fra de berørte parter var forpligtet til at tage stilling til spørgsmålet om de flyruter ud af EØS, som støttemodtageren Air France befløj i konkurrence med andre selskaber i EØS.
The applicant in Case T-394/94 emphasises that the contested decision confirms that the aid in question distorts competition within the EEA.
De berørte parter blev derved i stand til at konstatere Kommissionens reaktion på deres bemærkninger, undersøge rigtigheden af Kommissionens fremgangsmåde og varetage deres rettigheder ved Fællesskabets retsinstanser ved at anfægte, at de seksten vilkår var fyldestgørende og
It points out that, in its observations submitted to the Commission in the course of the administraiive procedure, it had suggested that the Commission should undertake an analysis of each geographical market affected by the aid, namely the individual routes on which the air
bekostning af andre knudepunkter inden for EØS, ville tilførselstrafikken til Paris øges i takt hermed og på bekostning af tilførselstrafikken til de andre knudepunkter.
the fact that Air France had attempted, by means of an advertising campaign, to attract customers in the Netherlands for flights via Paris to nonEEA destinations, Air France thereby itself demonstrating that such flights were largely substitutable by means of appropriate feeder traffic, and, third, to the vital character of such flights for the longterm survival of several European companies.
Det fremgår således, at de berørte parters argument vedrørende situationen for de små luftfartsselskaber, der ofte er afhængige af nogle få bestemte ruter, er af væsentlig betydning, og Kommissionen burde også have udtalt sig herom.
competitive situation within the EEA, it being understood that the question whether the above conditions governing authorisation are in fact sufficient and appropriate to that end falls within the examination of the substance.
oplysninger om situationen på de pågældende markeder, navnlig den støttemodtagende virksomheds og de konkurrerende virksomheders stilling herpå, et væsentligt element i begrundelsen for en beslutning vedrørende spørgsmålet, om et støtteprojekt er foreneligt med fællesmarkedet i henhold til traktatens artikel 92.
The Court takes the view that, having regard to that decision-making practice and bearing in mind the observations which the parties concerned made in that connection, the Commission was obliged to set out its views on the problem of nonEEA air routes served by Air France, the beneficiary of the authorised aid, in competition with other companies within the EEA As the Court of Justice held in Joined Cases C-329/93, C-62/95 and C-63/95 Germany and Others ν Commission [1996] ECR 1-5151, information as to the situation on the markets in question, in particular the positions of the undertaking benefiting from the aid and of competing undertakings, constitutes an essential element in the reasoning of a decision relating to the compatibility of projected aid with the common market within the meaning of Article 92 of the Treaty.
Selv om den ovennævnte dom vedrørte anvendelsen af artikel 92, stk. 1, finder Retten, at en begrundelse vedrørende dette punkt også skal gives i forbindelse med traktatens artikel 92, stk. 3, litra c), og artikel 61, stk. 3, litra c), i EØS-aftalen med hensyn til spørgsmålet, om støtten ændrer samhandelsvilkårene på en måde, der strider mod den fælles interesse.
Although that judgment was delivered in relation to Article 92(1), this Court holds that such a statement of reasons is also required under Article 92(3)(c) of the Treaty and Article 61(3)(c) of the EEA Agreement in regard to the question whether the aid adversely affects trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest.
Det følger heraf, at beslutningens begrundelse ikke opfylder kravene i traktatens artikel 190 med hensyn til vurderingen af støttens virkninger på Air France's konkurrencemæssige stilling på nettet af ruter ud af EØS og tilførselstrafikken hertil.
It must, however, be held that the statement of the grounds of the contested decision docs not contain the slightest indication as to Air France's competitive position outside the EEA.
På grund af den mangelfulde begrundelse finder Retten ikke at kunne tage stilling til den materielle rigtighed af argumenterne.
First, there is no analysis of Air France's international network, taking account of the routes on which it is in competition with other airline companies based within the EEA.
Retten er ligeledes ikke i stand til at tage stilling til argumentationen vedrørende Air France's prispolitik på nettet ud af EØS, som det er gjort gældende, er blevet finansieret af støtten som driftsmæssige foranstaltninger.
From the Commission's point of view, Air France — financially strengthened by the aid authorised — was thus entirely free to extend its capacity, increase the number of its connections, and to apply tariffs as low as it wished on international routes outside the EEA.
Endvidere er det klart, at når Air France øgede sin kapacitet og førte an med lave billetpriser på en given rute ud af EØS fra sit knudepunkt i lufthavnen Paris (CDG), kunne det få en afsmittende virkning på flytilførselstrafikken til knudepunktet.
In addition, it is obvious that an increase in Air France's capacity and its leadership in terms of low tariffs on a given nonEEA route from its hub at Paris (CDG) Airport may have repercussions on feeder traffic to that hub.
I det omfang den erhvervsmæssige betydning af knudepunktet i Paris blev øget på
If the economic significance of the Paris hub increases at the expense of other hubs within the EEA, the feeder traffic to Paris will increase proportionately and, consequently, at the expense of the feeder traffic to those other hubs.
2) Kommissionens beslutning 94/653/EF af 27. juli 1994 om den anmeldte forøgelse af Air France's kapital annulleres.
The argument of the parties concerned regarding the situation of the small airline companies, frequently dependent on a few specific routes, thus appears to be fundamental, and the Commission ought therefore also to have set out its views in this regard.
3) Kommissionen betaler sagens omkostninger, herunder de af intervenienterne Maersk Air I/S og Maersk Air Ltd afholdte.
However, Air France's restructuring plan expressly envisaged the development of long-haul flights and an increase in frequencies on profitable routes, and the French authorities had announced a 10.2% increase in Air France's supply on long-haul flights.
4) Compagnie nationale Air France, Den Franske Republik, Kongeriget Danmark, Det Forenede Kongerige Storbritannien og Nordirland, Kongeriget Sverige og Kongeriget Norge bærer deres egne omkostninger.*
In addition, the parties concerned had drawn the Commission's attention, first, to the problem of defining the relevant market in regard to air transport, which, in their view, consisted of those specific routes which users regarded as substitutable, second, to
Sag T-120/96 Lilly Industries Ltd / Kommissionen for De Europæiske Fællesskaber Miljø- og forbrugerbeskyttelse
Nor, moreover, is the Court in a position to rule on the argument relating to Air France's pricing practices or, its nonEEA network, allegedly operational measures financed by the aid.