natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Under alle omstændigheder finder Retten, at Kommissionen har føje har fastslået, at reglementerne mærkbart kan påvirke efterspørgslen fra andre medlemsstater og
In that connection, it must be emphasized that in the course of thé administrative procedure the applicants stated repeatedly that the rules constituted a cohesive whole which should be granted an exemption as such.
I den forbindelse bemærkes, at den af sagsøgerne påberåbte sammenligning har karakter af en helhedssammenligning, hvorimod de fordele, som nederlandske virksomheder har, når de opererer i udlandet, bør bedømmes for det enkelte byggeog anlægsarbejde.
to reject the application for exemption are materially correct and whether the Commission committed any manifest error of assessment in rejecting the macroeconomic approach proposed by the applicants and in adopting a microeconomic approach to the rules.
Kommissionen har også med føje afslået at anerkende, at aftalerne inden for byggeog anlægsbranchen var uundgåelige, således som det hævdes af sagsøgerne.
Potentially, any competition is ruinous for the least efficient undertakings.
Det kan heller ikke accepteres, at virksomheder afbøder virkninger af lovgivningen, som de betragter som urimeligt gunstige for forbrugerne, ved at indgå aftaler for at svække de fordele, som lovgivningen indrømmer forbrugerne under påskud af, at denne skaber en uligevægt til skade for dem.
That is why, by taking action to counteract what they regard as ruinous competition, the applicants necessarily restrict competition and therefore deprive consumers of its benefits.
1) Særlige forhold på det pågældende marked
The indispensability of the restrictions and the impossibility of eliminating competition
Det er de virksomheder, som anmoder om fritagelse efter traktatens artikel 85, stk. 3, som selv ved fremlæggelse affornøden dokumentation må godtgøre, at en fritagelse er berettiget. Kommissionen kan derfor ikke kritiseres for, at den ikke har foreslået andre løsninger eller ikke har angivet de forhold, som ifølge den kunne begrunde en fritagelse.
In relation to those issues, the Court finds, first, that the Commission was right to consider that it was inappropriate to take as the starting point for analysing the effects of the rules at issue the fact that without them even more serious infringements of Article 85(1) of the Treaty would be committed on the Netherlands building market and that it could reasonably take the view that the formation of underground cartels was not inevitable.
I den foreliggende sag kritiserer sagsøgerne Kommissionen for at have foretaget en mikroøkonomisk analyse af reglementerne, uanset disses formål er at rette op på den makroøkonomiske uligevægt mellem udbud og efterspørgsel, som skyldes særlige forhold hos virksomhederne inden for denne sektor, de pågældende produkters karakteristika samt utilstrækkeligheder i den nederlandske lovgivning, som indebærer, at ansvaret lægges på hovedentreprenøren, og som ikke indeholder mulighed for en effektiv bekæmpelse af tingning om priserne.
The Court finds, secondly, that the Commission was also right to consider that the applicants have not managed to prove, in particular by relying on the macroeconomic studies which they produced, that a causal link exists between the rules and the performance of the Netherlands building industry; if substantiated, that performance might be attributable to numerous other factors.
Hertil bemærkes, at Kommissionen i sin beslutning har taget sagsøgernes beskrivelse af markedets kendetegn til efterretning, men har antaget, at de anførte forhold ikke begrundede en fritagelse.
In that connection, it must be observed, first of all, that the fact that the entire process culminating in the designation of an entitled undertaking takes place in the absence of the party having a contract to award does not in any respect seem indispensable for the attainment of the intended objectives.
Sagsøgernes argumenter vedrørende markedets kendetegn må derfor behandles i forbindelse med gennemgangen afafslaget på den anmodning om fritagelse for de anfægtede reglementer, som sagsøgerne indgav i henhold til traktatens artikel 85, stk. 3.
It is the awarding party itself which is best placed to reach a judgment, with the contractors, as to the comparability of their price tenders, so as to ensure that the information exchanged at the meeting does not affect competition, and to ensure that the prices tendered by the various contractors are not altered in order to increase the competitive advantage of some or reduce the competitive disadvantage of others.
I så henseende bemærkes, at sagsøgerne under den administrative procedure gentagne gange har fremhævet, at reglementerne udgjorde et sammenhængende hele, der som sådan burde fritages.
Moreover, because of that system, the party having a building contract to award can negotiate only with the entitled undertaking, whereas if the rules did not exist it could have negotiated both with the entitled undertaking and with the other contractors participating in the meeting.
På denne baggrund har Kommissionen med rette begrænset sig til at undersøge i beslutningen, om de to elementer, som udgjorde kernen i reglementerne, og som særlig havde til formål at rette op på markedets påståede uligevægt i makroøkonomisk henseende — hvoraf det ene element var beskyttelsen af den forhandlingsberettigede og det andet udregningsvederlaget — opfyldte de fire betingelser for at yde fritagelse, som er fastsat i traktatens artikel 85, stk. 3.
Secondly, it must be observed that the fact that, under the rules on subcontracting, only subcontractors who have submitted a tender to the main contractor designated as successful tenderer receive reimbursement for calculation costs indicates that the applicants themselves do not consider that it is indispensable, in order to improve the transactional structure of the market, to allocate to each contract awarder all the calculation costs to which his invitation to tender gave rise.
Desuden bemærkes, at Kommissionen med rette, uden at blive modsagt på dette punkt af
As regards protection of the entitled undertaking, the Court observes that this takes place following
Andet led: misfortolkning af betingelserne for at indrømme fritagelse
As the Commission observed, it is impossible to distinguish between normal
1) Spørgsmålet, om reglementerne bidrager til en forbedring af varernes fordeling eller til at fremme den tekniske eller økonomiske udvikling og sikre forbrugerne en rimelig andel af fordelen herved man ikke ved analysen af de pågældende reglementers virkninger kunne basere sig på den forudsætning om, at der ville blive begået en række endnu grovere overtrædelser af traktatens artikel 85, stk. 1 inden for den nederlandske bygge- og anlægssektor, såfremt reglementerne ikke fandtes, og at Kommissionen lovligt kunne antage, at indgåelsen af hemmelige karteller ikke var uundgåelige.
As regards breach of the principle of subsidiarity, the Court finds that the second paragraph of Article 3B of the EC Treaty had not yet entered into force when the decision was adopted and that it is not to be endowed with retroactive effect.
Da de fire betingelser i traktatens artikel 85, stk. 3, for at indrømme fritagelse, er kumulative, skal Retten navnlig koncentrere sin undersøgelse vedrørende betingelsen om, at der skal sikres forbrugerne en rimelig andel af den pågældende fordel.
Moreover, the principle of subsidiarity did not, before the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union, constitute a general principle of law by reference to which the legality of Community acts should be reviewed.
For det andet må Retten fastslå, at Kommissionen ligeledes med føje har antaget, at sagsøgerne ikke, ved fremlæggelse af navnlig en række makroøkonomiske undersøgelser har været i stand til at påvise nogen kausalitetsforbindelse mellem reglementerne og resultaterne inden for den nederlandske byggeog anlægssektor, som — under den forudsætning, at disse overhovedet kan anses for godtgjort — kan tænkes at bero på mange forskellige faktorer.
The Court also considers that the Commission was right not to make any finding in its decision concerning the suggestions for amendments proposed by the applicants in their discussions with the Commission between April 1991 and January 1992, since the applicants had neither withdrawn their first notification nor formally notified those amendments to the Commission.
Sagsøgernes og Kommissionens argumentation herom har et forskelligt grundlag.
Third plea in law: infringement of Articles 4(2) (1) and 15(2) of Regulation No 17
De anfører således med henvisning til en række makroøkonomiske analyser, at resultaterne i den nederlandske bygge- og anlægsbranche, hvor priserne er meget lave og fortjenstmargenen stærkt begrænset, bekræfter, at reglementerne har en gunstig virkning.
The Court of Justice has held that the prohibition of imposing fines laid down in Article 15(5)(a) of Regulation No 17 applies only in relation to agreements which have actually been notified and not to agreements of which notification is unnecessary by virtue of Article 4(2)(1) of that regulation.
Ifølge sagsøgerne må de bedste af disse resultater tilskrives reglementerne, navnlig fordi de gør det muligt at undgå, at der indgås hemmelige karteller i Nederlandene, således som det er tilfældet i andre af Fællesskabets medlemsstater.
That solution does not mean that the applicants have no way of obtaining a review of the conformity with Article 85(3) of the Treaty of the informal rejection by the Commission of their suggestions for amendments.
Kommissionens argumentation er derimod baseret på en række mikroøkonomiske analyser, idet den tager udgangspunkt i den enkelte bygherres synspunkt og analyserer de virkninger, som reglementerne har for hans situation.
If the applicants had wished to have that rejection reviewed by the Court, they needed only to make those changes to the rules and re-notify them or amend the notification.
Ifølge Kommissionen er den mikroøkonomiske betragtningsmåde den eneste mulige, fordi den i modsætning til sagsøgerne kategorisk nægter at anerkende, at hemmelige karteller mellem entreprenørerne inden for bygge- og anlægssektoren skulle være uundgåelige, og ikke mener, at reglementerne kan tillægges den virkning, at de forhindrer sådanne karteller.
If the Commission had failed to give a ruling in response to those notifications, the applicants would have been able to compel it to give a ruling by bringing proceedings for failure to act.
Herved må det særlig fremhæves, at berettigelsen af den opfattelse, som Kommissionen har anlagt, bl.a. godtgøres af, at sagsøgerne gentagne gange har anført, at ordningen til beskyttelse af den forhandlingsberettigede havde til formål at forhindre priserne i at nå op på et urimeligt niveau, hvilket viser, at sagsøgerne selv erkender, at formålet med denne ordning i reglementerne var at fastholde et højere prisniveau, end der ville bestå, såfremt konkurrencen ikke var berørt af reglementerne.
Consequently, even if the previous rules were covered by Article 4(2) of Council Regulation No 17, the Commission was entitled to impose fines on the applicants which applied them, since those rules had not been notified.
Bekæmpelsen af tingning om priserne — forudsat denne i øvrigt kan anses for lovlig - kommer således entreprenørerne til gode.
The Court also finds that the Commission was right to consider that the rules constituted an infringement of Article 85(1) of the Treaty.
Retten skal undersøge, om de faktiske omstændigheder, hvorpå Kommissionen har baseret sit afslag på ordningen om fritagelse, er materielt korrekte, og om Kommissionen har foretaget et åbenbart fejlskøn ved at afvise den makroøkonomiske betragtningsmåde, som sagsøgerne har anlagt og i stedet foretaget en mikroøkonomisk analyse af reglementerne.
Nor can the applicants rely on the fact that immediate modification of the rules would have had excessively far-reaching consequences for their functioning and that they could not therefore undertake such a modification without any guarantee of obtaining an exemption from the Commission. In order for the Commission to be required to give a decision on the proposals for amendments submitted by the applicants, the latter do not necessarily have to bring them into force but need merely adopt them and notify them formally to the Commission.
I så henseende skal Retten for det første fastslå, at Kommissionen med føje har lagt til grund, at
Third limb: breach of the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity
Herover kan sagsøgerne ikke med føje indvende, at sådanne forhandlinger uvægerligt vil medføre en ruinerende konkurrence, som i sidste ende vil komme bygherren selv til skade.
It is settled law that, in order for an infringement to be regarded as having been committed intentionally, it is not necessary for the undertaking to have been aware that it was transgressing the prohibition laid down by Article 85 of the Treaty; it is sufficient that it could not have been unaware that the conduct concerned had the object or effect of restricting competition in the Common Market.
Som Kommissionen har anført, er det ikke muligt at sondre mellem en normal og en ruinerende konkurrence, da enhver konkurrence potentielt er ruinerende for de mindst effektive virksomheder.
Since the Court has found that the Commission was right to consider that the notified rules did not fulfil the second and third conditions for the grant of an exemption under Article 85(3) of the Treaty, there can be no question of any breach of the principle of proportionality.
Derfor fører sagsøgernes bekæmpelse af det, som de betegner som en
In the present case, in view of the seriousness of the restrictions of competition resulting both from the rules introduced in 1987 and from the previous rules, the applicants could not have
fælles beslutninger i stedet for, at det er bygherren, som træffer valget ruinerende konkurrence uvægerlig til en konkurrencebegrænsning og til, at forbrugerne berøves de pågældende fordele.
been unaware that the agreements to which they were parties restricted competition.
2) Begrænsningernes nødvendighed og den manglende mulighed for at udelukke konkurrencen
Similarly, the applicants could not have been unaware that the rules introduced in 1987 and the previous rules were liable to affect trade between Member States.
Herved er sagsøgerne ikke afskåret fra at få prøvet under et søgsmål, om Kommissionens uformelle afslag på sagsøgernes ændringsforslag er foreneligt med traktatens artikel 85, stk. 3.
First, examination of the first plea in law shows that the infringement was indeed as serious as stated in the decision.
Hvis sagsøgerne havde ønsket, at dette afslag skulle prøves af Retten, havde de nemlig blot behøvet at indføre disse ændringer i reglementerne og anmelde dem på ny eller ændre den første anmeldelse.
In that connection, it must be emphasized that the fine relates to the previous rules for a period of six-and-a-half years and to the rules introduced in 1987 for nine-and-a-half months.
Hvis Kommissionen i så fald havde undladt at tage stilling til en sådan anmeldelse, havde sagsøgerne kunnet tvinge Kommissionen til at ophøre med sin passivitet ved indgivelse af et passivitetssøgsmål.
It is important to have regard to the particular seriousness of the restrictions of competition inherent in the previous rules, particularly as regards the concerted action on prices.
Herved bemærkes for det første, at den omstændighed, at hele proceduren frem til udpegelsen af en forhandlingsberettiget afvikles uden bygherrens tilstedeværelse, ingenlunde forekommer nødvendigt for at nå disse formål.
It must next be observed that all the attenuating circumstances referred to by the applicants were taken into consideration in determining the amount of the fine, as indicated by the fact that the Commission imposed on the applicants a fine representing only 0.5% of the average annual value of the contracts concerned.
Sagsøgerne kan heller ikke i denne forbindelse med føje gøre gældende, at en umiddelbar ændring af reglementerne ville have haft for indgribende følger for deres virksomheder, og at de derfor ikke kunne foretage en sådan ændring uden at have garanti for, at Kommissionen indrømmede fritagelse.
Finally, the Court finds that the applicants are wrong in their assertion that the fine exceeds the upper limit laid down in Article 15(2) of Regulation No 17, namely 10% of the turnover achieved during the preceding business year.
Det er ikke nogen nødvendig betingelse for, at Kommissionen er forpligtet til at tage stilling til de af sagsøgerne fremsatte ændringsforslag, at disse også faktisk træder i kraft, men blot, at sagsøgerne vedtager dem, og at de formelt anmeldes til Kommissionen.
It must be borne in mind that the general term 'infringement' used in Article 15(2) of Regulation No 17 covers, without distinction, agreements, concerted practices and decisions of associations of undertakings and that its use indicates that the upper limits laid down in that provision apply in the same way to agreements and concerted practices as to decisions of associations of undertakings.
For det andet må det fremhæves, at den omstændighed, at kun de underentreprenører, som har afgivet tilbud over for den hovedentreprenør, der er udpeget som bygherre, ifølge reglementet om underentreprise får betalt et udregningsvederlag, viser, at sagsøgerne ikke selv anser det for nødvendigt til en forbedring af markedets transaktionelle struktur, at hver enkelt bygherre betaler alle de udregningsomkostninger, som hans opfordring til afgivelse af tilbud har givet anledning til.
It follows that the upper limit of 1 0% of the turnover must be calculated by reference to the turnover achieved by each of the undertakings that are parties to the agreements and concerted practices concerned or by all the members of the associations of undertakings, at least where the internal rules of the association empower it to bind its members.
Retten finder ikke, at proportionalitetsprincippet kan være tilsidesat, når det er fastslået, at Kommissionen med føje antog, at de anmeldte reglementer ikke opfyldte den anden og tredje betingelse, som er nødvendige for at indrømme fritagelse efter traktatens artikel 85, stk. 3.
The correctness of this analysis is confirmed by the fact that, in determining the amount of the fines, account may be taken inter alia of such influence as the undertaking may have been able to exercise in the market, in particular by reason of its size and economic power, of which its turnover may give an indication.
Hvad angår tilsidesættelsen af subsidiaritetsprincippet må det fastslås, at EF-
The influence which an association of undertakings may have had on the market depends not on its own 'turnover', which reveals neither its size nor its economic power,
Hvad angår beskyttelsen af den forhandlingsberettigede bemærkes, at denne opstår efter, at de entreprenører, som ønsker at afgive bud, har foretaget samråd, som bygherren er afskåret fra at deltage i, og hvorved entreprenørerne på egen hånd træffer en række
It will be observed, however, that, important as they may be, particularly in so far as they relate to the public nature of the rules, those attenuating circumstances must not conceal the fact that the applicants did not exercise their right to notify the rules to the Commission with a view to obtaining a negative clearance or an exemption under Article 85(3) of the Treaty.
Sagsøgerne kunne heller ikke være uvidende om, at såvel de i 1987 indførte som de gamle reglementer kunne påvirke samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne.
ψ" ■ but rather on the turnover of its members which gives an indication of its size and economic power.
Tredje led: bøden uforholdsmæssig stor
The Court:
Det bemærkes indledningsvis, at det fremgår af gennemgangen af det første anbringende, at overtrædelsen var af den i beslutningen konstaterede grovhed.
Orders the applicants jointly and severalty to pay the costs, including those relating to the appucation for interim measures.'
Herved må navnlig fremhæves den særlig grove karakter af de konkurrencebegrænsninger, som de gamle forordninger indebar, navnlig for så vidt angår samråd om priserne.
Case T-472/93 Campo Ebro Industrial, SA, Levantina Agrícola Industrial, SA, Cerestar Ibérica, SA ν Council of the European UnionAgriculture
Endvidere bemærkes, at der ved fastsættelsen af bødens størrelse blev taget hensyn til samtlige de formildende omstændigheder, som sagsøgerne har fremhævet, hvilket fremgår af, at den bøde, som Kommissionen har pålagt sagsøgerne, kun udgør 0,5% af den årlige gennemsnitsværdi af de pågældende kontrakter.
(Action for annulment — Regulation — Alignment of the price of sugar in Spain with the common price —No compensation for producers of isoglucose —Admissibility —Action for damages — Legislative measure involving choices of economic policy) (First Chamber)
17, pålægge de sagsøgere bøder, som havde anvendt disse reglementer, når de ikke var blevet anmeldt.
The facts out an examination of prices after the first five years and adopted Regulation (EEC) No 1716/91.
I den forbindelse skal Retten endvidere henvise til, at Kommissionen med føje antog, at reglementerne var i strid med traktatens artikel 85, stk. 1.
The Council decided to prolong the period for moving towards price alignment to 1 July 1995 and to introduce an alignment in two stages.
Selv om der forelå væsentligt formildende omstændigheder, navnlig på grund af reglementernes offentlige karakter, må der herved heller ikke overses, at sagsøgerne ikke har gjort brug af deres mulighed for at anmelde reglementerne til Kommissionen for enten at opnå negativattest eller fritagelse efter traktatens artikel 85, stk. 3.
Under Council Regulation (EEC) No 1718/91 the intervention price for sugar in Spain was reduced for the 1991/1992 marketing year. Council Regulation (EEC) No 1749/92 did the same for the 1992/1993 marketing year.
Andet led: mangel på forsæt eller uagtsomhed
The respective reductions were ECU 0.41 and ECU 1.72 per 100 kilograms of white sugar.
Retten bemærker indledningsvis, at det ved bedømmelsen af, om en overtrædelse kan antages at være begået forsætligt, er uden betydning, om en virksomhed vidste, at den overtrådte forbuddet i traktatens artikel 85.
Article 70(3)(a) of the Act concerning the Conditions of Accession of the Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic, which by virtue of Article 108 is applicable to sugar and isoglucose, provides that where the price of an agricultural product in Spain at the time of accession is higher than the common price, the price in Spain is to be frozen at the higher level and that alignment of prices is to result from the development of common prices during the seven years following accession.
Det er tilstrækkeligt, at den ikke kunne være uvidende om, at formålet med den påtalte handlemåde var at begrænse konkurrencen inden for det fælles marked.
If, at the end of the fourth year following accession, the price in Spain of an agricultural product is significantly higher than the common price, the Council is required, under Article 70(3)(b) of the Act of Accession, to carry out an analysis of the developments towards price alignment on the basis of an opinion from the Commission accompanied, where appropriate, by suitable proposals.
Endelig finder Retten, at det er urigtigt, når sagsøgerne gør gældende, at bøden overstiger det i artikel 15, stk. 2, i forordning nr. 17 fastsatte maksimumsbeløb på 10% af omsætningen inden for det sidste regnskabsår.
Council Regulation (EEC) No 3814/92 ('the contested regulation') provides for full alignment of prices from 1 January 1993 with a view to achieving the single market.
Heraf følger, at maksimumbeløbet på 10% af årsomsætningen skal beregnes på grundlag af omsætningen for hver af de virksomheder, som har deltaget i
The intervention price for sugar in Spain was thus reduced by ECU 5.16 per 100 kilograms of white sugar, this new price replacing the higher price fixed pursuant to the transitional measures adopted under the Act of Accession, that is to say, inter