natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Kommissionens indgreb var nødvendigt for at sikre, at andre udbydere af beta-lings-tv og dertil knyttede systemer og tjenester fortsat kunne få adgang til de nye markeder i den ne sektor, bl.a. til kabelnettene, digital dekoder teknologi baseret på set-top-bokse samt film og andet programindhold.
This intervention was necessary to prevent foreclosure of the emerging markets in this sector to other suppliers of pay­TV and related systems and services — notably cable network access, set­top digital decoder technolo­gy, and films and other programming.
De to fusioner ville have skabt en gruppe, der ville have stået meget stærkt inden for alle de vigtigste komponenter i den ud styrs- og tjenestepakke, man er nødt til at råde over
The two mergers would create a grouping with major strengths in all the key components of the package of goods and services required to bring digital TV services onto the market, one or other of the par­ties having a very strong position in each of the sectors concerned, even though the horizontal overlaps produced were not, in all instances, so significant.
Infrastrukturer og adgangstjenester til Internet
This decision underlines the Commission's determination to act where neces­
Kommissionen har i årets løb behandlet flere sager, der drejede sig om levering af inter-
The Commission dealt during the year with a number of cases concerning the supply of Internet services.
( ' ) Dom af 31.3.1998 i de forenede sager C-68/94 og C-30/95, Frankrig mod Kommissionen og Den Franske Republik, SCPA og EMC mod Kommissionen.
(') Joined Cases C­68/94 and C­30/95 French Republic.
Lybrand. der også gennemgås nedenfor. (') Sag nr. IV/M.993 og IV/M. 1027.
(:) See, for example, Case No IV/M.1016, Price Waterhouse/Coop­crs and Lybrand, also discussed below. (■') Cases Nos IV/M.993 and IV/M. 1027.
Boks 6: Revision af fusionskontrolreglerne
Box 6: Merger review
Et andet fremtrædende træk ved fusionskontrollen i det forløbne år har været, at udviklingen er gået stadig hurtigere.
The quickening pace of developments has been the year's second keynote.
Efter afslutningen af gennemgangen af fusionsforordningen sidste år, som blev beskrevet i XXVII beretning om konkurrencepolitikken ('), er der foretaget en række ændringer med virkning fra begyndelsen af marts.
Following the completion of the review of the regulation last year, described in the XXVIIth Competition Report ('), a package of changes was introduced with effect from the beginning of March.
Den væsentligste ændring i praksis var nok den, der drejede sig om godkendelse af tilsagn i fase 1, som nævnt ovenfor.
Probably the most significant change, in practical terms, was that regarding acceptance of undertakings in phase I, mentioned above.
At der nu også formelt er mulighed for fase 1-tilsagn, har vist sig at være en fordel for både fusionsparterne og for Kommissionen.
The formalisation of phase I undertakings has proved of interest and benefit to merging parties and the Commission alike.
Denne mulighed har afkortet sagsbehandlingstiden og dermed reduceret uvisheden om sagens udfald, ligesom både parterne og Kommissionen undgår at skulle sætte de betydelige ekstra ressourcer ind, der kræves for en tilbundsgående fase 2-under-søgelse og for vedtagelse af den beslutning, den afsluttes med. Erfaringerne med denne nye mulighed viser tydeligt, at man med det reviderede system er i stand til at håndtere de fusioner, hvor der kan blive tale om en potentielt dominerende stilling, både hurtigt — nemlig på få uger ï stedet for på flere måneder — og effektivt.
It enables die delay and consequent uncertainty over the outcome of a notified transaction to be reduced, and avoids the need to deploy some of the substantial extra resources (at the Commission as well as by the parties) required for a full phase II investigation and decision. Experience with the new power shows clearly that the revised system is able to deal both quickly — in a matter of weeks, rather than several months — and efficaciously with mergers where a potential dominant position may be created.
Men en forudsætning for at anvende den nye procedure er, at problemerne kan identificeres klart, at der findes effektive — og let gennemførlige — løsninger på dem, som man kan enes om på så kort tid.
How ever, for the new procedure to be applicable, it is essential that the issues can be clearly identified and effective — and readily implementable — remedies found and agreed wimin the short timescale.
Det er opløftende at se, at fusionsparterne i mange af disse sager lige fra begyndelsen ærligt erkendte, at der kunne opstå konkurrenceproblemer, og var villige til at tilbyde konkrete løsninger — der normalt inde bærer afhændelse af en del af deres bestående eller overtagne interesser — og til at samarbejde fuldt ud med Kommissionen om at finde frem til en løsning.
It is encouraging to note that in several of these cases the merging parties frankly acknowledged, from the outset, both the likely existence of competition problems, and also their willingness to offer suitably specific remedies — which generally involve the divestment of part of the existing or acquired businesses — and to cooperate fully with the Commission in the search for a solution.
Der vil naturligvis fortsat være sager, hvor det til trods for en velvillig indstilling og en omhyggelig forberedelse stadig er nødvendigt med en tilbundsgående undersøgelse for at få klarlagt og vurderet konkurrenceproblemerne ordentligt og undersøge alternative udfald på sagen — herunder også forbud mod fusionen.
There will, of course, continue to be cases where, even with good will and careful preparation, a full investigation is needed in order to properly identify and assess the competition problems, and examine alternative outcomes — including prohibition.
Men uden disse positive faktorer vil udsigterne til en hurtig afslutning af sagen nødvendigvis være stærkt begrænsede.
But without the positive factors just mentioned, the prospects for early resolution are bound to be severely reduced.
De supplerende omsætningstærskler (2), der blev indført på grund af problemerne med, at fusionsparter ofte var nødt til at anmelde den samme transaktion til flere nationale myndigheder, ser også ud til at give de forventede resultater.
The supplementary turnover thresholds (2), introduced with the aim of reducing the problem of merging parties having to notify the same transaction to several national authorities, also appear to be having the expected effect.
I 1998 blev der anmeldt i alt 14 fusioner af denne type, svarende til 6 % af alle anmeldte sager.
Fourteen cases in all of this type were notified in the year, amounting to 6 % of all cases notified.
Det stemmer stort set overens med, hvad Kommissionen havde regnet med. I de fleste af disse sager havde parterne desuden omfattende aktiviteter i fiere medlemsstater, således at der måtte for ventes at opstå en påvirkning af konkurrencen på nationale markeder og EU-markedet, og fusionen skulle sandsynligvis have været anmeldt i flere medlemsstater.
This is broadly in line with the Commission's estimates. Moreover, in most of the cases in question, the parties had substantial operations in several Member States, such that an effect on competition in national or EU markets might be expected to arise, and notification to several Member States was likely to have been necessary.
I marts blev der desuden udsendt reviderede kommissionsmeddelelser om forskellige aspekter af fusionskontrolreglerne, og arbejdet med at revidere den vigtige meddelelse om accessoriske begrænsninger fortsatte hele året igennem.
Revised Commission notices on various aspects of the regime were also published in March, and work on the important task of producing a revised version of the notice on restrictions ancillary to a concentration continued throughout the year.
Andre ændringer, der blev foretaget efter gennemgangen af fusionsforordningen — bl.a. med hensyn til behandlingen af selvstændigt fungerende joint ventures — behandles andetsteds i denne beretning.
Other changes that were introduced following the review — notably regard ing the treatment of full-function joint ventures — are discussed elsewhere in this report.
Under gennemgangen af forordningen kom det imidlertid også klart frem, hvor vigtigt det er, at Kommissionen fortsat stræber efter at forbedre sin fusionskontrol, dels på baggrund af det stigende antal sager, og dels på grund af nødvendigheden af at undgå ressourcespild.
The review of the regulation has also, however, highlighted the importance of the Commission continuing to strive to optimise its merger control processes, against a background of the increasing caseload on the one hand and the need to contain resource expenditure on the other.
Af væsentlig betydning i den henseende er det store antal anmeldte sager, der umiddelbart ikke ser ud til at rejse konkurrenceproblemer.
A significant issue in this area is the treatment of the substantial number of notified cases which are prima facie unlikely to raise competition problems.
Kommissionen er derfor begyndt at undersøge, hvordan den kan strømline og forenkle behandlingen af disse sager.
The Commission has therefore begun exploring options for streamlining and simplifying the handling of these cases.
var tale om en ny sektor, måtte Kommissionen basere sin afgrænsning af det relevante marked på oplysninger indsamlet specielt til formålet.
especially for the purpose. Reliable and comprehensive information on, for example, market shares was not publicly available, and — together with the US DoJ — the.
Pålidelige og omfattende oplysninger om f.eks. markedsandele var endnu ikke offentligt tilgængelige, og sammen med det amerikanske justitsministerium måtte Kommissionen indsamle oplysninger og indhente udtalelser om fusionen fra de mange virksomheder, der opererer i branchen, såvel som fra parterne selv.
Commission organised the collection of information and views on the merger from the many businesses active in the sector as well as from the parties themselves.
Det var i sig selv et stort arbejde, som dog blev betydeligt let tet af, at det var muligt — via Internettet — at kommunikere og hurtigt udveksle oplysninger med et stort antal tredjeparter i hele verden.
This was in itself a considerable task, albeit greatly facilitated by the ability — via the Inter net — to communicate and exchange data rapidly worldwide with a large number of third parties.
Udtalelser fra tredjeparter bekræftede, at der fandtes et særskilt marked for revisions- og regnskabsydelser (navnlig lovpligtig revision) til meget store, normalt multinationale, virksomhe der. Det var af afgørende betydning at kunne til byde disse kunder en omfattende service med et verdensomspændende net af kontorer og personale med de fornødne lokalt anerkendte kvalifikationer og brancheekspertise.
Third party con tacts confirmed the existence of a separate mar ket for the supply of accountancy services (and, in particular, statutory audits) to very large, usually multinational, firms.
Bortset fra nødvendigheden af at vælge et revisionsfirma med et etableret omdømme for at bevare aktionærernes tillid til regnskaberne betød det, at markedet for mange store virksomheder i realiteten kun bestod af de såkaldte Big Six-revisionsfirmaer — og hvis de to planlagte fusioner kom i stand, ville der kun være fire tilbage.
Together with the importance of choosing a firm with an established reputation in order to maintain share holder confidence in the financial results, this meant in effect that, for many large companies, the market was restricted to the socalled 'Big Six' accountancy firms — which would reduce to four if the two proposed mergers went ahead.
Forsikringssektoren
Insurance markets
Af fase 2-undersøgelsen fremgik det i særdeleshed, at selv om Internettet overfladisk set frembød mange af de træk, der normalt gør sig gældende for et fragmenteret marked uden større adgangsbarrierer, var den grundlæggende mar kedsstruktur ikke desto mindre hierarkisk eller pyramideformet, med forskellige karakteristika på forskellige niveauer.
It became clear from the phase II investigation in particular that, although superficially the Internet presented many of the characteristics of a fragmented market with low entry barriers, the basic market structure was in fact hierarchical or pyramidal, with different characteristics at different levels.
På de lavere niveauer var der generelt mange udbydere og få adgangsbarrierer, men i toppen af pyramiden var der en langt større koncentration.
Whereas at the lower levels there were generally a range of suppliers and few barriers to entry, at the top of the pyramid the industry was much more concentrated.
Såkaldt universel konnektivitet — hvorved forstås muligheden for at tilbyde adgang til alle punkter på Internettet i hele ver den, uden at skulle betale andre for at fuldende opkoblingen — viste sig at være en altafgørende komponent i enhver internet-tjenestepakke.
Socalled 'universal connectivity' — the ability to offer access to all points on the Internet, worldwide, without having to pay others to complete the connection — was found to be a vital component of any package of Internet services.
Der var imidlertid betydelige adgangsbarrierer på dette niveau, som blev forstærket af den såkaldte netværkseffekt, som betyder, at abonnenterne normalt foretrækker at lade sig tilslutte det mest omfattende net.
Entry barriers at this level were, however, significant, enhanced by the socalled 'network effect', whereby subscribers will prefer to connect to the largest available network.
Det blev derfor fastslået, at dette aspekt af internettjenesteme udgjorde et særskilt — verdensomspændende — marked, hvor der kun fandtes ganske få (meget store) udbydere, deriblandt parterne.
This aspect of Internet services was accordingly found to constitute a separate — worldwide — market, in which_there was only a small number of (very large) suppliers, among them the parties.
Revisions- og regnskabsydelser
Accountancy services
I forsikringssektoren har fusioner sjældent givet anledning til konkurrenceproblemer, selv om sektoren i de seneste år er blevet mere koncentreret.
The insurance company sector is one in which mergers have rarely been found to give rise to competition problems, even though in recent years the sector has become more concentrated.
Forsikringer (og genforsikringer) mod større risici tegnes normalt på et internationalt grundlag, hvor kunderne (enten på egen hånd eller med bistand fra en mægler) kan vælge mellem mange udbydere i forskellige lande.
Insurance (and reinsurance) for large risks tends to be carried out on an international basis, with customers able to chose (either on their own or with the aid of a broker) between a number of suppliers in various countries.
Markederne for forsikringer til små virksomhe der og private er stadig hovedsageligt nationale markeder på grund af sprogbarrierer, sædvane samt lokale love og skatteregler.
At the level of supply to the small business or private consumer, markets remain predominantly national owing to issues of language, custom and local laws and taxation provisions.
På de fleste af disse markeder findes der desuden et tilstrækkeligt stort antal udbydere, både små og store, og det er generelt ikke vanskeligt at få adgang til markedet, i det mindste ikke for etablerede finansielle virksomheder som banker.
In most such markets there is, again, a satisfactory range of suppliers, large and small, and entry is not generally difficult, at least for established financial institutions such as banks.
På udbudssiden er produkterne desuden relativt let substituerbare, således at de fleste store forsikringsselskaber kan tilbyde et fuldt produktsortiment og uden vanskeligheder gå ind på nye produkt områder.
Moreover, supply-side substitution between products is generally relatively easy, so that most large insurers can offer a full product range and move into new product areas without difficulty.
I Allianz/AGF (2) fandt Kommissionen imidlertid, at der fandtes særskilte markeder for bestemte produkter, bl.a. de såkaldte delkrederekreditforsikringer (dvs. forsikring af en leve-
In Allianz/AGF (2), however, the Com mission found that certain products constituted distinct markets, notably socalled 'del credere' credit insurance (i.e. insurance against the risk that, as a result of the insolvency of the buyer, a supplier will not be paid).
Da Kommissionen skulle behandle to store fusioner i revisionsbranchen, måtte den først udvikle en metode til afgrænsning af mar kedet for revisions- og regnskabsydelser.
In analysing, for the first time, two major concentrations in the sector, the Commission was required to develop an approach to market definition in the provision of accountancy services.
De planlagte fusioner mellem Price Waterhouse og Coopers & Lybrand (der blev godkendt efter en fase 2-undersøgelse (') og mellem KPMG og Ernst & Young (der senere blev opgivet) ville ikke have rejst nogen større problemer, hvis vur 52
The proposed mergers between Price Waterhouse and Coopers and Lybrand (cleared after a phase II investigation (') and between KPMG and Ernst & Young (subsequently abandoned) would have revealed little cause for concern if measured in terms of overall market share, whether nationally or on a wider geographic basis. However, in an assessment which bore certain similarities to that of the Internet sector just discussed, the Com mission found that at the highest levels of this sector's pyramidal structure there was a very 2
Il — FUSIONSKONTROL randørs risiko for ikke at få sin betaling i tilfælde af købers insolvens).
Il — MERGER CONTROL not be accurately quantified.
Kommissionen fandt derfor, at der på dette pro duktområde var tilstrækkeligt store adgangsbarrierer til, at der måtte være tale om et særskilt marked.
Entry barriers were therefore found to be sufficiently high for this product area to constitute a separate market.
Af de efterfølgende undersøgelser fremgik det, at fusionen ville føre til en dominerende stilling på dette marked, og parterne afgav tilsagn om at afhænde AGF's interesser i et datterselskab, der opererede på dette marked, for at løse dette problem.
Subsequent analysis identified a risk that the merger would create a dominant position in this market, and the parties gave undertakings to divest AGF's holding in a subsidiary active in it, in order to resolve this problem.
Denne fælles inter esse kan fremgå af en analyse af faktorer som f.eks. graden af symmetri i de pågældende virksomheders markedsandele, produktionskapacitet og omkostningsstrukturer.
Joint/collective dominance degree of symmetry of the market shares, production capacities and cost structures of the alleged dominant firms.
Kommissionen tog i en vis grad hensyn til alle disse faktorer i sin oprindelige beslutning.
The Commission con sidered all these factors, to some extent, in its original decision.
Men selv om Domstolen anerkendte vanskelighederne ved at foretage analyser og indsamle oplysninger på så kort tid, som der er til rådighed i fusionssager, fandt den, at de ikke var tilstrækkeligt dokumenterede til at danne en tilstrækkelig begrundelse for beslutningen, og annullerede den derfor.
The Court, however, whilst recognising the difficulties of analysis and evidence-gathering posed by the short timescales for investigation under the merger regulation, found that they had not been sufficiently well estab lished to properly motivate the decision, and accordingly annulled it.
Kommissionen måtte derefter tage sagen op til fornyet overvejelse i lyset af dommen, og dette arbejde beskrives nær mere andetsteds i denne beretning (se afsnittet om Regler og procedurer).
It was then necessary for the Commission to reexamine the case in the light of the judgment, and an account of that action is given elsewhere in this report (see 'Rules and procedures' below).
Siden da har Kommissionen taget sin behandling af oligopoler i fusionssager op til for nyet gennemgang, og overvejelserne er stadig i gang.
Since the decision, the Commission has been reviewing its approach to oligopoly in merger cases, and this work is continuing.
Der er mange aspekter, der kræver nær mere overvejelse, bl.a. vurderingen af omkostningsstrukturer.
Many aspects require further consideration; for example, the assessment of cost structures.
Oligopolspørgsmålet spillede også ind i to andre fase 2-sager i 1998, nemlig Price Waterhouse/Coopers & Lybrand, der dre jede sig om revisionsbranchen, og Enso/Stora, der drejede sig om den skandinaviske papir- og kartonindustri ('). 149.
However, the oligopoly issue was examined in some detail in two other phase II cases in 1998 — the accountancy case Price Waterhouse/Coopers & Lybrand and the Scandinavian paper and board case Enso/Stora (')· 149.
I Price Waterhouse/Coopers & Lybrand blev det konstateret, at det relevante produktmarked — markedet for revisions- og regnskabsydelser til store virksomheder (jf. ovenfor under afsnittet om Markedsdefinition) — var stærkt koncentreret, selv om der ikke kunne peges på noget enkelt dominerende firma. Efter fusionen ville parterne tilsammen ikke have fået markeds andele på over 40 % i nogen medlemsstat, og de ville fortsat stå over for fire konkurrenter. I sin analyse af duopol/oligopol-aspekterne i sagen 147.
In Price Waterhouse/Coopers & Lybrand, the relevant product market, for auditing and accountancy services to large firms (see above under 'Market definition'), was found to be highly concentrated, although there was not found to be a single dominant firm. Combined market share postmerger would be below 40 % in any Member State and four other competitors would remain. To analyse the oligopoly aspects of the case, the Commission based its approach on the criteria used previously in, among others, the Gencor/Lonrho case of 1996 (2), which also appear to have been broadly accepted by the Court in Kali und Salz. Essentially, these are that collective dominance is more likely to arise in heavily concentrated markets where there are in addition features likely to further restrict com petitive behaviour — such as homogeneous products, transparent pricing, high entry barriers, mature technology, static or falling demand, links between suppliers, absence of countervailing buyer power, etc. In these conditions there are likely to be incentives for suppliers to engage in parallel pricing and other oligopolistic behaviour. The Commission found that several of these 147.
Den væsentligste udvikling i Kommissionens politik på dette område var dikteret af EF-Domstolens dom i marts i Kali + Salz-sagen.T disse sager, der var anlagt af den franske regering og de franske fusionsparter, behandlede Domstolen en række procedurespørgsmål og materielle spørgsmål og drog den konklusion, at Kommissionens beslutning (fra 1993) om at godkende fusionen på visse nærmere betingelser måtte annulleres.
The most significant development in the Commission's approach to this subject was the delivery, in March, of the judgment of the ECJ in the Kali und Salz case. The judgment, in response to applications by the French Government and the French parties to the merger, dealt with various procedural and substantive points, and con cluded that the Commission's (1993) decision to allow the merger, but subject to certain undertakings, should be annulled.
Det var den første sag, hvor Domstolen skulle tage stilling til Kommissionens vurdering af oligopolsituationer (kollektiv dominans) set i forhold til de mere klassiske former for dominans, hvor én virksomhed (eller højst to virksomheder) indtager en dominerende stilling.
It was, however, also notable as the first instance in which the ECJ had had to examine the Commission's approach to the analysis of oligopoly ('collective dominance') as opposed to the more classical dominance by a single firm (or, at most, two firms).