natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Det andet anbringende: den anfægtede beslutning fejlagtigt begrundet eller ulovlig
The PMU also has exclusive rights to take bets abroad on races run in France and bets in France on horse­races run abroad.
Den del af Ladbroke's klage, der vedrørte den påståede ydelse af ulovlig statsstøtte, blev afvist ved skrivelse af 18. januar 1993 fra det medlem af Kommissionen, der er ansvarlig for konkurrence, med den begrundelse, at nævnte aftale mellem PMU og PMU beige ikke omfattede nogen støtte i traktatens artikel 92, stk. l's forstand.
That agreement was made against the background of the French legislation which provides that the sociétés de courses authorized to organize off­course totalizator betting may be empowered to collect bets placed in France on foreign races provided that the bets taken are centralized and incorporated in the pool to be distributed in direct liaison with the body or bodies responsible for operating totalizator betting in the country concerned.
På baggrund heraf har Ladbroke Belgique ved stævning indgivet den 22. marts 1993 i henhold til EØF-traktatens artikel 173 anlagt nærværende sag.
That article further provides that the bets thus collected are to be subject to the statutory and fiscal levies in force in the country in which the race is organized and that the proceeds of those levies are to be apportioned between the country in which the bets are collected and the country in which the race takes place.
Det første anbringende: manglende begrundelse
Such apportionment may include a special portion to cover administrative costs, to be levied prior to payment to the statutory recipients in each country.
Det bemærkes først, at Kommissionen i den anfægtede beslutning har fremstillet grundene til, at aftalen mellem PMU og PMU belge, som sagsøgeren har kritiseret, efter dens opfattelse ikke kan antages at have medført, at der blev ydet PMU beige støtte i traktatens artikel 92, stk.
The Pari Mutuel Unifié Belge, a non­profit­making association, and the SC Auxiliaire PMU Belge, a cooperative company associated with it (hereinafter together referred to as 'the Belgian PMU'), were set up in Belgium in 1974 and 1984 respectively by the 11 Belgian racecourse operators.
Sagsøgeren har anført, at det på grundlag af aftalen mellem PMU og PMU beige og den måde, hvorpå afgiften af indsatsen i væddemål i belgiske løb administreres i Frankrig, kan konstateres, at den franske stat af en indsats på 100 FF i disse løb opkræver 35 FF, hvoraf den kun beholder 630 FF, mens resten, dvs. 28,61 FF, indbetales til PMU (Frankrig), der på sin side tilbageholder 5,5 FF og overfører de 23,19 FF, der derefter er tilbage, til PMU beige.
The other authorized betting agencies in Belgium may take bets only on horse­races run abroad, in practice at fixed odds. On Belgian races, those agencies may take bets only as agents of the sociétés de courses where the bets are placed under the totalizator system or on authorization of the sociétés de courses and against payment of a fee where bets are at fixed odds.
Derimod opkræver den franske stat af en indsats på 100 FF i et fransk løb en afgift på 30 FF, hvoraf den beholder 18 FF, mens de resterende 12 FF indbetales til PMU.
The Belgian PMU was therefore set up by the racecourse operators with the object of jointly organizing the taking of bets on the races which they organize and was given the exclusive
Således er ikke blot satsen på 35% for afgiften på indtægten af væddemål, der afsluttes i Frankrig vedrørende belgiske hestevæddeløb — en indtægt, der skal tilgå PMU beige - højere end 30%-afgiften på væddemål, der afsluttes i Frankrig vedrørende franske løb, men også den andel af afgiften, der som slutresultat bliver overført til PMU beige,
On 12 Jury 1991, Tiercé Ladbroke SA (hereinafter 'Ladbroke'), a company incorporated under Belgian law in 1982 as a subsidiary of Ladbroke Group pic and which carries on business as a bookmaker, taking bets at fixed odds in Belgium on horse­races run abroad, lodged a complaint against the PMU, the Belgian PMU and the French Republic with the
ordningen i sin helhed i al fald fører til, at der overføres langt højere indtægter til PMU beige end tilfældet ville have været, hvis de to typer væddemål blev behandlet på samme måde i Frankrig.
considered sufficient, for the purposes of Article 190 of the Treaty, to support the Commission's conclusions since it contains a summary of the facts and the legal considerations essential to the decision and indicates that the Commission's refusal to accept the existence of aid within the meaning of Article 92(1) of the Treaty follows in substance from the finding that no advantage accrues to the Belgian PMU from the application of the agreement
nemlig 23,114%, er højere end den afgiftsandel, nemlig 12%, der overføres til PMU.
Commission pursuant to Articles 85 and 86 and Articles 92 and 93 of the EEC Treaty.
PMU belge opnår således indtægter, som der ikke ville have været tale om uden aftalen med PMU, med hjemmel i hvilken det er blevet muligt i Frankrig at afslutte væddemål i belgiske løb.
With regard to the latter Treaty provisions, Ladbroke's complaint, repeated and clarified on that point by letter of 5 February 1992, requested the Commission to find that the agreement made on 18 March 1991 between the PMU and the Belgian PMU entailed the provision by France of unlawful and unnotified State aid to the Belgian PMU.
Disse indtægter udgør en ulovlig statsstøtte, hvis nøjagtige størrelse er det beløb, som PMU beige modtager i henhold til nævnte aftale ud over det beløb, der skal til for at dække de omkostninger, som afslutningen i Frankrig af væddemål vedrørende belgiske løb er forbundet med.
The part of Ladbroke's complaint concerning the alleged grant of unlawful State aid was rejected by letter dated 18 January 1993 signed by the Commissioner for Competition on the ground that the abovementioned agreement between the two PMUs contained no aid within the meaning of Article 92(1) of the EEC Treaty.
Sagsøgeren har til støtte for det synspunkt, at den hermed beskrevne økonomiske fordel for PMU beige udgør en statsstøtte, anført, at udbetalingen af den del af afgiften, der tilkommer PMU beige, sker efter den franske stats instrukser og gennem en organisation, som denne kontrollerer, nemlig PMU, hvilket fremgår af sidstnævnte sammenslutnings vedtægter.
Those are the circumstances in which, by application lodged on 22 March 1993, Ladbroke brought this action under Article 173 of the EEC Treaty.
Det bemærkes, at Kommissionen efter at have undersøgt de oplysninger, som sagsøgeren i klagen havde gjort den bekendt med, nåede til det resultat, at anvendelsen af den omtvistede aftale ikke giver PMU belge en fordel, der udgør en statsstøtte, men blot bevirker, at denne sammenslutnings omsætning stiger, idet det af en sammenligning af den andel af afgiften, der tilfalder PMU beige i Frankrig, og den andel, der ville tilfalde sammenslutningen, såfremt væddemålene i belgiske løb blev afsluttet gennem den uden PMU's mellemkomst, fremgår, at indtægterne procentuelt er de samme og i begge tilfælde andrager ca. 20% af spilleindsatserne.
The Court points out that, in the contested decision the Commission set out the reasons for its view that the agreement between the two PMUs, impugned by the applicant in its complaint of 12 July 1991 confirmed by its letter of 5 February 1992, cannot be considered to entail the grant of aid, within the meaning of Article 92(1) of the Treaty, to the Belgian PMU and for which it consequently rejected the applicant's complaint.
Retten finder ikke, at denne argumentation i sig selv er tilstrækkelig til at anfægte Kommissionens bedømmelse.
In contrast, on every FF 100 bet on a French race the French State levies FF 30 of which it retains FF 18 and pays the remaining FF 12 to the PMU.
Hvad for det første angår de indtægter, PMU beige har haft i Frankrig, kan — såfremt det i overensstemmelse med sagsøgerens anbringende lægges til grund, at de pågældende væddemål ikke ville være blevet afsluttet uden den omtvistede aftale mellem PMU og PMU beige - de indtægter, PMU beige har haft i kraft af den, ikke af den grund anses for støtte i traktatens artikel 92, stk. l's forstand.
Consequently, not only is the rate of the levy of 35% on the proceeds of bets placed in France on Belgian horseraces which is to go to the Belgian PMU higher than the levy of 30% imposed on bets taken in France on French races but also the share of the levy ultimately transferred to the Belgian PMU, namely 23.114%, is therefore higher than the share of the levy transferred to the PMU, namely 12%.
Åbningen af det franske marked for væddemål i hestevæddeløb, hvorved PMU beige gennem PMU har kunnet udbyde sine ydelser til franske spillere og forøge sine indtægter med indsatserne i de af dem afsluttede væddemål, er nemlig udtryk for, at den franske lovgivningsmagt har truffet et valg med hensyn til indretningen af det nationale marked for væddemål i hestevæddeløb og vedrørende reglerne for PMU's udnyttelse af de enerettigheder, der er tillagt denne sammenslutning ifølge den franske lovgivning om afslutning af væddemål i udenlandske hestevæddeløb (jf. ovenfor præmis 1).
The Belgian PMU thus receives revenue which it would not have received if there had been no agreement with the French PMU permitting bets to be taken in France on Belgian races.
Lovligheden af dette af den franske lovgivningsmagt trufne valg, i kraft af hvilket PMU og PMU beige kunne afslutte den omtvistede aftale, kan ikke i sig selv anfægtes efter traktatens artikel 92, stk. 1, alene under anbringende af, at gennemførelsen af nævnte aftale kan føre til større indtægter ikke blot for PMU på løb i udlandet, men også for PMU beige på væddemål i hestevæddeløb, der gennemføres i Belgien, og som sidstnævnte sammenslutning normalt selv direkte står for afslutningen af.
That revenue constitutes unlawful State aid the exact amount of which is the amount by which the sum received by the Belgian PMU pursuant to the agreement exceeds the sums necessary to cover the expenses of taking bets in France on Belgian races.
Hvad for de andet angår sagsøgerens kritik af, at de to typer væddemål ikke behandles på samme måde i Frankrig, og selv hvis det måtte anerkendes, at sagsøgeren, der ikke afslutter væddemål i hestevæddeløb på det franske marked, havde retlig interesse i at klage over, at tredjemand opnår en fordel i kraft af en forskellig afgiftsmæssig behandling, der faktisk kun kan berøre de virksomheder, som har tilladelse til at virke på dette marked, det vil her sige PMU, finder Retten, at heller ikke denne kritik fra sagsøgerens side kan skabe tvivl om
The contested decision contains a series of observations of fact and of law concerning the nature of the levy on amounts staked on horse races and the retentions on that levy, the justification of the treatment in France of that levy and, in particular, the fact that the Belgian PMU does not in fact gain any advantage from the application of the agreement between the two PMUs and that, even if there were such an advantage during the first phase of the agreement, it would be cancelled out during the later phases.
Sagsøgeren har imødegået Kommissionens argumentation på dette punkt og har anført, at alle overvejelser om, hvilke indtægter PMU beige ville have haft, såfremt den omtvistede aftale ikke havde foreligget, og sammenslutningen selv havde stået for væddemålene i belgiske løb, har en teoretisk karakter, idet der ikke er holdepunkter for at antage, at disse væddemål ville være blevet afsluttet uden denne aftale.
In support of its argument that the financial advantage thereby conferred on the Belgian PMU constitutes State aid, the applicant emphasizes that the payment of the part of the levy accruing to the Belgian PMU is made on the instructions of the French State and through an organization which, as can be seen from its statutes, is
gøre gældende, at ordningen for beløbsmæssig fastlæggelse og behandling af afgiften af indsatser i væddemål vedrørende udenlandske løb udgør en statsstøtteordning, og at det med henblik på at hindre, at der ydes en sådan støtte, er nødvendigt at give afgiften vedrørende belgiske væddeløb samme behandling, som den, der gives den afgift af indsatsen i væddemål i franske løb, der tilkommer PMU.
Consequently, the choice made by the French legislature which permitted the agreement at issue between the two PMUs to be made cannot in itself be impugned as contrary to Article 92(1) of the Treaty solely because application of the agreement at issue may have the effect of increasing the revenue not only of the French PMU on foreign races but also of the Belgian PMU on bets on horseraces run in Belgium which are normally taken by it directly.
rigtigheden af Kommissionens bedømmelse, hvorefter de indtægter, PMU belge som slutresultat opnår af den omhandlede afgift med hjemmel i den omtvistede aftale, procentvis svarer til de indtægter, sammenslutningen ville have haft af denne afgift, såfremt væddemålene i belgiske løb direkte blev afsluttet af den.
After examining the information provided by the applicant in its complaint, the Commission concluded that the effect of the agreement at issue was merely to increase the Belgian PMU's turnover without conferring on it any advantage constituting State aid, given that a comparison of the share of the levy accruing to the Belgian PMU in France and the share of the levy which would accrue to it if the bets on Belgian races were taken by it without the intervention of the French PMU shows that the revenue is equivalent being in both cases some 20% of the stakes placed.
Sagsøgeren har nemlig ikke i klagen eller under sagen for Retten fremlagt oplysninger, på grundlag af hvilke det kan fastslås, at Kommissionen i forbindelse med den sammenligning, den gennemførte af PMU beige's indtægter i henholdsvis Frankrig og Belgien, har handlet ud fra en åbenbar faktisk vildfarelse eller har fejlvurderet de talmæssige oplysninger om størrelsen af de forskellige indeholdelser i og skatter af de afgifter, som i Frankrig og Belgien opkræves af indsatsen i væddemål i hestevæddeløb, der arrangeres i Belgien.
In order to rebut that argument by the Commission, the applicant submits that any speculation as to the revenue which the Belgian PMU would have realized if, in the absence of the agreement at issue, it had itself taken the bets on Belgian races is theoretical because nothing indicates that without that agreement the bets concerned would in fact have been placed.
Retten finder derfor, at den anfægtede beslutning med afvisningen af, at PMU beige har nogen reel fordel af den omtvistede aftale, ikke er udtryk for en fejlagtig vurdering, der kan danne grundlag for en annullation af beslutningen.
Furthermore, even if the Belgian PMU's revenue proved to be substantially the same in both cases, this would in any event be the result of discrimination, created by the agreement at issue, in applying to bets on Belgian races a rate of levy higher than that applied to bets on French races, the whole system leading in any event to a much higher transfer of revenue to the Belgian PMU than would have been the case if the two bets had been treated in France in the same way.
Behandlingen i Frankrig af afgiften på væddemål i belgiske løb — hvorefter PMU beige får udbetalt en lige så stor andel af denne afgift, som sammenslutningen ville opnå, såfremt der foretoges indeholdelser og betaltes afgifter efter belgisk lovgivning - kan nemlig ikke udgøre en statsstøtteordning, da en sådan behandling ikke udgør en undtagelsesforanstaltning i forhold til den almindelige ordnings system, men tværtimod er i overensstemmelse hermed, idet dette netop er kendetegnet ved, at der af indsatserne i væddemål i løb, der arrangeres i udlandet, foretages de indeholdelser og betales de afgifter, som anvendes i det land, hvor de pågældende hestevæddeløb arrangeres.
With regard, secondly, to the applicant's argument criticizing the fact that the two bets are not treated in France in the same way, even if it is accepted that the applicant, which does not operate on the French market in taking bets on horse-races, can complain about the grant to a third party of an advantage due to a difference in fiscal treatment which could in fact affect only those authorized to operate on that market and hence in this case the French PMU, the Court considers that that argument likewise cannot put in question the validity of the Commission's assessment that the revenue ultimately received by the Belgian PMU on the levy concerned under the agreement at issue is equal to the revenue which it would receive on that levy if the bets on Belgian races were taken directly by it.
Retten skal i øvrigt tilføje, at Kommissionen ikke, fordi den med henblik på at afgøre, om der var tale om nogen reel fordel for PMU beige, gennemførte en sammenligning af PMU's i Frankrig opnåede indtægter og de indtægter, sammenslutningen ville have opnået ved selv at afslutte væddemålene i belgiske løb, kan antages at have gjort sig skyldig i en retlig vildfarelse.
In the absence of any evidence adduced by the applicant in its complaint or in the proceedings before the Court demonstrating that in comparing the rates of revenue realized by the Belgian PMU in France and in Belgium the Commission committed a manifest error in its findings of fact or in its assessment of the data relating to the rates of the various retentions and taxes on the levies which are imposed in Belgium and in France on amounts staked on horseraces run in Belgium, the Court considers that the contested decision, by assuming that the Belgian PMU draws no real advantage from the application of the agreement at issue, is not the result of an erroneous assessment justifying its annulment.
Heraf følger, at sagsøgeren heller ikke kan gives medhold i anbringendet om, at behandlingen i Frankrig af indsatserne i belgiske væddeløb — hvilket er det forhold, som giver anledning til den kritiserede fordel for PMU beige — skal ske i overensstemmelse med den behandling, der gives den andel af afgiften, der tilgår PMU.
With regard, first, to the revenue realized in France by the Belgian PMU, even if, as the applicant claims, without the agreement at issue between the two PMUs the bets concerned would not have been placed, the revenue deriving therefrom for the Belgian PMU could still not be regarded as aid within the meaning of Article 92(1) of the Treaty.
Sagsøgeren kan ikke i denne forbindelse med føje
It must also be added that in comparing, for the purposes of examining whether there is any real advantage to the Belgian PMU, the revenue realized by the PMU in France with that which it would realize in itself taking bets on Belgian races, the Commission cannot be regarded as committing an error of law.
Sag T-548/93 Ladbroke Racing Ltd / Kommissionen for De Europæiske Fællesskaber Konkurrence
The applicant cannot be justified in maintaining that the mechanism for determining the amount and the treatment of the levy on amounts staked on foreign races constitutes a State aid mechanism and that, to prevent such aid from being granted, the levy on Belgian races would have to be treated in the same way as the levy on amounts staked on French races accruing to the French PMU.
»Konkurrence — traktatens artikel 85 og 86 — formidling af væddemål i hestevæddeløb — enerettighederfor en national virksomhedsgruppe — aftaler - misbrug af dominerende stilling — traktatens artikel 90 — ingen interesse for Fællesskabet — tidligere overtrædelser af konkurrencebestemmelserne* (Første Udvidede Afdeling)
It follows that the applicant's argument that the way in which stakes on Belgian races are treated in France, which allegedly produces the advantage to the Belgian PMU it complains of, should be the same as the way in which the levy accruing to the French PMU is treated, cannot be accepted either.
Retten finder, at det i denne sag er anbringendet om behandlingen af klagens to dele om de påståede overtrædelser af henholdsvis traktatens artikel 85 og 86 og dens artikel 90, der først skal undersøges, for så vidt som der hermed rejses kritik af den måde, hvorpå Kommissionen generelt har gennemført behandlingen af klagen.
(Competition —Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty — Taking of bets on horseraces — Exclusive rights of a national grouping of undertakings —Agreements and concerted practices —Abuse of dominant position — Article 90 of the Treaty — Lack of Community interest — Past infringements of the competition rules) (First Chamber, extended composition)
Det må derfor undersøges, om Kommissionen endeligt kunne afvise sagsøgerens klage i henhold til traktatens artikel 85 og 86 og forordning nr. 17 uden forinden at have afsluttet behandlingen af klagen i henhold til traktatens artikel 90.
Facts and procedure extend its activities to Member States other than the French Republic
Retten fastslog i denne sag, som Kommissionen påstod afvist fra realitetsbehandling, at Kommissionen ikke efter at have modtaget en opfordring til at handle, jf. traktatens artikel 175, er forpligtet til at udstede en beslutning til en medlemsstat, og at sagsøgeren derfor ikke kunne anlægge passivitetssøgsmål under anbringende af, at Kommissionen havde undladt at udnytte sine beføjelser i henhold til traktatens artikel 90, stk. 3.
The applicant, Ladbroke Racing Limited (hereinafter 'Ladbroke'), is a company incorporated under the law of England and Wales, controlled by Ladbroke Group pic, one of whose activities is the organization and provision of betting services for horse-races, which it carries on through its branches and subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and in other countries of the European Community.
Kommissionen meddelte ved skrivelse af 9. februar 1993 Ladbroke, at den ikke havde i sinde at stille sig imødekommende til de dele af Ladbroke's klage, der vedrører de overtrædelser af traktatens artikel 85 og 86, som de franske væddeløbsselskaber og PMU påstås at have gjort sig skyldige i.
Secondly, in its complaint Ladbroke requested the Commission to find and order the termination of infringements of Article 86 of the EEC Treaty arising from, first, the grant to the PMU of the exclusive rights to manage and organize off-course betting and, secondly, the securing by the PMU of illegal State aid and the use of advantages procured by that aid to meet competition.
Ved en i en skrivelse af 29. juli 1993 indeholdt beslutning (herefter benævnt »beslutningen«) afviste Kommissionen Ladbroke's klage.
On 24 November 1989 Ladbroke, acting in its own name and in the name of its subsidiaries and associated companies, lodged a complaint (IV/33.374) with the Commission against: (a) the French Republic; (b) the ten main racing companies (sociétés de courses) in France, which are the only bodies permitted under French legislation to organize totalizator betting on horse-races, initially on their racecourses (Article 5 of the French Law of 2 June 1891 governing the authorization and operation of horse-races) and subsequently off-course (Article 186 of the French Finance Law of 16 April 1930), the other sociétés de courses being authorized to accept only on-course bets on races organized by them and (c) the Pari Mutuel Urbain (hereinafter 'PMU').