natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
— Anbringendets første led om tilsidesættelse af kodeksens artikel 8, stk. 4 indtægterne — bevirker, at den meddelte støtte overstiger denne forskel, har som konsekvens, at den hertil svarende støttedel ikke længere er dækket af denne grundregel og derfor ikke er tilladt som driftsstøtte eller som støtte til aktivitetsindskrænkning i henhold til kodeksen. Følgelig falder en sådan støtte, der ikke har hjemmel i kodeksen, principielt ind under det absolutte forbud i EKSF-traktatens artikel 4, litra c)·
In those circumstances, the Commission was not wrong to take the view that the agreement in question, which covered almost the whole of the national territory and had been put into effect by undertakings representing about 90% of the relevant market, was capable of having an effect on trade between Member States.
Det skal først fremhæves, at den ændrede plan er en integrerende del af en retlig ramme, i hvilken den årlige tildeling af statsstøtte til kulindustrien skal placeres, og at Kommissionens positive udtalelse vedrørende nævnte plan afgiver hjemmel for Kommissionens tilladelse til den statsstøtte, som Tyskland påtænker at udbetale i den pågældende sektor i hvert af de år, som omfattes af planen.
As regards British Sugar's complaint concerning the proportionality of raising the fine by reference to the duration of the infringement, the second subparagraph of Article 15(2) of Regulation No 17 provides that '[i]n fixing the amount of the fine, regard shall be had both to the gravity and to the duration of the infringement'.
Inden for denne ramme ønsker sagsøgeren at anfægte lovligheden af de påtalte beslutninger forstået derhen, at ændringen af den oprindelige plan blev godkendt på en formelt urigtig måde.
Under the terms of that provision, therefore, the duration of the infringement constitutes one of the factors to be taken into account in assessing the amount of the financial penalty to be imposed on undertakings which have committed infringements of the competition rules.
Da de under sagen anfægtede beslutninger kun står i forbindelse med reglerne om forudgående kontrol, der er indført ved kodeksen, må Retten, henset til den ovennævnte retlige kontekst, undersøge, om Kommissionen var beføjet til ved den forudgående undersøgelse af den støtte, der var meddelt i forbindelse med den ændrede plan, at udelade de elementer, som angik fusionen, navnlig den angivelige statsstøtte og synergierne i tilknytning hertil, eller om dens valg om kun at undergive disse elementer en særskilt kontrol senere, må betegnes som en åbenbar skønsfejl.
In that respect, it is accepted in case-law that the Commission is not required to demonstrate that an agreement or concerted practice has an appreciable effect on trade between Member States. All that is required by Article 85(1) of the Treaty is that anticompetitive agreements and concerted practices should be capable of having an effect on trade between Member States.
Herved udtales, at ingen bestemmelse i kodeksens artikel 8 og 9 pålægger Kommissionen først at udstede en almindelig beslutning om godkendelse af planen og derefter en individuel beslutning, der på grundlag af den nævnte almindelige beslutning giver tilladelse til den statsstøtte, der er påtænkt for et af planen omfattet år.
In that assessment, the Commission held that it was dealing with an infringement of medium duration and therefore applied an increase of about 40% of the amount determined in relation to the seriousness. In that respect it should be noted that, according to settled case-law, the Commission has a margin of discretion when fixing the amount of each fine and cannot be considered obliged to apply a precise mathematical formula for that purpose.
— Anbringendets andet led om, at vurderingen af ændringerne af planen er sket på et ufuldstændigt grundlag
The plea in law alleging infringement of the principle of equal treatment
Med dette led, som fremsættes på samme måde i de to søgsmål, har sagsøgeren nærmere bestemt foreholdt Kommissionen, at den har misforstået betydningen af den fusion, der fandt sted i den tyske kulindustri.
The Court finds that the differences between the situation of British Sugar and that of Tate & Lyle, to which the Commission has drawn attention, are sufficient to justify a difference in treatment between those two undertakings. In the present case, as regards the proportionality of the fines imposed, the applicants in Cases T204/98 and T-207/98 essentially argue that the disproportionate nature of the fines is the consequence of the classification of the infringement as 'serious'.
Påkendelsen af dette led skal ske sammen med et led i et andet anbringende, som er rejst i sag T-12/99, og hvorefter der foreligger en tilsidesættelse af kodeksens artikel 3, der skyldes en misforståelse af fusionen i den tyske kulindustri.
Their argument can be summarised as being that, in the light of the Guidelines, their agreement, although of the horizontal type, should be classified as 'minor' because of the absence of substantial anticompetitive effects on the market.
Det må nu vel antages, at Kommissionen råder over et skøn ved udøvelsen af sin kontrol, men den principielle opfattelse hos Kommissionen og intervenienterne er overdreven.
It is undisputed that the meetings complained of commenced and were organised on the initiative of British Sugar and it is also undisputed that, during those meetings, the latter informed its competitors of its pricing policy.
Det må påpeges, at driftsstøtten og støtten til aktivitetsindskrænkning i medfør af kodeksens artikel 3, stk. 1, er bestemt til »dækning af forskellen mellem produktionsomkostningerne og den salgspris, som de kontraherende parter frit har aftalt under hensyntagen til betingelserne på verdensmarkedet«.
In response to that argument, it is sufficient to note, first, that the agreement complained of should be regarded as horizontal, since the Merchants participated in it in their capacity as competitors of the producers, and, second, that it concerned the fixing of prices. Such an agreement has always been regarded as particularly harmful and is classified as Very serious' in the Guidelines.
Heraf følger, at ethvert element af økonomisk karakter, som - ved at reducere omkostningerne eller ved at øge
Moreover, as the Commission has emphasised in its pleadings, the classification of the agreement in question as 'serious', because of its limited impact on the market, already represents an attenuated classification in relation to the criteria generally applied when fixing fines in price cartel cases,
Under alle omstændigheder viser intet i sagen, at denne sum helt eller delvist skal henregnes til et år efter eller inden 1998.
The first plea in Case T-202/98, alleging misapplication of the notice on cooperation
element i betragtning, den er blevet bekendt med, og som efter al sandsynlighed har direkte indflydelse på produktionsomkostningerne og/eller på indtægterne efter betydningen i kodeksens artikel 3, stk. 1, første tankestreg, i det omfang, hvori det pågældende element kommer til udtryk ved en klart ulovlig statsstøtte af en bestemt størrelsesorden, der ikke er ubetydelig.
In the present case, in view of the fact that British Sugar is a large undertaking with the legal and economic knowledge necessary to enable it to recognise that its conduct constituted an infringement and to be aware of the consequences stemming from it under competition law, and in view of the fact that it had just been the subject of a Commission inquiry for infringement of Article 86 of the Treaty, it cannot claim that it acted neither negligently nor deliberately.
- Spørgsmålet om der foreligger støtte i forbindelse med salget af Saarbergwerke til en pris af 1 DEM
The plea concerning the account to be taken of the deterrent effect of fines
Under disse omstændigheder kan det ikke fastslås, at Kommissionen på det pågældende relevante tidspunkt modtog nøjagtige oplysninger i den forstand, at RAG havde opnået en åbenbart ulovlig støtte af et nøjagtigt beløb på 1 mia. DEM.
Under the terms of the notice on cooperation, undertakings which fulfil the conditions laid down in point B, (a) to (e) of the notice are to be allowed a reduction of at least 75% of the fine which would have been imposed in the absence of cooperation or exempted from the fine altogether.
Kommissionen havde kun rådighed over visse indicier vedrørende dette, som desforuden havde en vag karakter, var i strid med den tyske regerings oplysninger og ikke ledsaget af nogen dybtgående analyse af den økonomiske situation.
In particular, point Β (d) establishes that, in order to benefit from the reduction provided for in point B, the undertaking concerned must have maintained continuous and complete cooperation throughout the investigation.
Kommissionen har derfor ikke gjort sig skyldig i nogen åbenbar skønsfejl i sagen ved at finde, at den forudgående undersøgelse ikke var den mest egnede procedure til at vurdere virkningen af eventuelle støtteelementer i salgsprisen for Saarbergwerke på undersøgelsen af den støtte, som der lovligt var givet meddelelse om i forbindelse med den ændrede plan.
It therefore needs to be established whether the cooperation of Tate & Lyle can be described as continuous and complete within the meaning of point Β (d) of the notice. In the present case, which involves a classic type of infringement of competition law, the illegality of which has been stated by the Commission many times ever since its first interventions in competition matters, it was legitimate for the Commission to regard it as necessary to fix the amount of the fine having regard to its deterrent effect.
- Spørgsmålet om der foreligger støtte i forbindelse med garantien på 200 mio. DEM
The plea concerning cooperation during the administrative procedure
Sagsøgeren anslog oprindeligt, at den reelle gevinst opnået ved erhvervelsen af andelene af Saarbergwerke til en pris af 1 DEM ligger på 7-8 mia. DEM. Den samlede støttepakke, RAG krævede for at erhverve Saarbergwerke, skal bedømmes i sin helhed.
In view of the above, this Court considers that the Commission erroneously characterised the cooperation of Tate & Lyle as not being continuous and complete within the meaning of point Β (d) of the notice and that, in consequence, the extent of that cooperation has not been correctly assessed in the contested decision. In those circumstances, it falls to the Court, in the exercise of its power of unlimited jurisdiction, to alter the decision in relation to the amount of the fine imposed on Tate & Lyle. This plea must also be rejected.
Under alle omstændigheder påhvilede det Kommissionen at kontrollere enhver form for statsstøtte, den har kendskab til, og at træffe beslutning disse vedrørende.
The documents before the Court and a reading of the contested decision show that British Sugar did no more than give information which it was obliged to supply to the Commission during a competition investigation.
Kommissionen havde tilstrækkelig tid til at undersøge købsprisen på 1 DEM, eftersom den fik oplysning herom ved sagsøgerens klager i maj 1998.
The plea alleging prejudice arising from the Commission's delay in adopting the decision
Kommissionen har påpeget, at dens tjenestegrene stadig undersøger spørgsmålet, om prisen for købet af Saarbergwerke indebærer statsstøtte.
In that respect, the Court must, within the scope of its jurisdiction in the matter, assess for itself the circumstances of the case in order to determine the amount of the fine (Case 322/81 Michelin ν Commission).
Det må for det første fastslås, at det beløb på mellem 7 og 8 mia. DEM, sagsøgeren oprindelig har anført som Saarbergwerke's reelle værdi, skal nedsættes til 1 mia. DEM. Sagsøgeren har faktisk i mellemtiden frafaldet sine klagepunkter om, at der i den forbindelse forelå ulovlig statsstøtte med beløb på 4 og 2,5 mia. DEM.
When it fixes the general level of fines, the Commission may take account, inter alia, of the lengthy duration and obviousness of an infringement of Article 85(1) of the Treaty, which has been committed despite the warning which the Commission's previous decision­making policy should have constituted.
I så henseende skal det blot bemærkes, at sagsøgeren slet ikke har forelagt konkrete oplysninger, på grundlag af hvilke man kunne fastslå eksistensen af en sådan forskel, ligesom sagsøgeren navnlig ikke har anfægtet tallet 0,125%, der påberåbes af den tyske regering, eller har gjort gældende, at RAG aldrig ville have kunnet opnå en sådan garanti på markedet; sagsøgeren har blot udtalt, at den af
In the matter of fines, therefore, undertakings subject to a proceeding for infringement of the competition rules cannot, as the Commission has maintained, have a legitimate expectation that it will apply a certain level of fine, provided the limit set out in Article 15(2) of Regulation No 17 has been complied with.
For det andet må det påpeges, at fusionen blev effektiv den 1. oktober 1998, og at man af bogholderimæssige grunde fastsatte en legal tilbagevirkning til den 1. januar 1998. Det kan
On the one hand, having regard to the significance and the continuous and complete character of Tate & Lyle's cooperation, a reduction of 50% of the fine which would have been imposed upon it in the absence of cooperation is not sufficient. On other hand, as has been held in paragraph 160 above, even if Tate & Lyle did not make a retraction from its original statements when replying to the second statement of objections, it did nevertheless partially alter the characterisation of the facts which it had set out previously. This Court considers that that fact, as well as the significant role which Tate & Lyle played within the cartel, The application for annulment in Case T-202/98
Uden at gøre sig skyldig i nogen åbenbar skønsfejl kunne Kommissionen således forbeholde spørgsmålet om eventuelle synergier som følge af fusionen til en senere kontrol.
of Council Regulation (EC) No 1103/97 of 17 June 1997 on certain provisions relating to the introduction of the euro, to 5.6 million euros.
RAG betalte pris utvivlsomt blev fastsat under markedsprisen. Under disse omstændigheder har sagsøgeren ikke ført et retligt fyldestgørende bevis for, at Kommissionen har gjort sig skyldig i en åbenbar skønsfejl ved ikke at vurdere, om der eventuelt forelå statsstøtte, da den handlede i den specifikke kontekst, som hedder forudgående kontrol.
There is therefore no need to examine Tate & Lyle's second plea in law, alleging an inadequate statement of reasons. In view of all the above considerations, the Court finds it appropriate, exercising its unlimited jurisdiction under Article 172 of the EC Treaty (now Article 229 EC) and Article 17 of Regulation No 17, to reduce the amount of the fine, expressed in euros pursuant to Article 2(1)
Spørgsmål om manglende eller utilstrækkelig begrundelse ligger i forlængelse af spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt der foreligger tilsidesættelse af væsentlige formforskrifter og udgør derfor et anbringende om grundlæggende retsprincipper, som Fællesskabets retsinstanser skal tage under påkendelse ex officio.
Annuls Article 3 of Commission Decision 1999/210/EC of 14 October 1998 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 85 of the EC Treaty (Case TV/F-3I33.708 — British Sugar pic, Case TV/F-3133.709 - Tate & Lyle pic, Case IV/F-3/33.710 - Napier Brown & Company Ltd, Case IV/F-3/33.711 — James Budgett Sugars Ltd) in so far as it concerns the applicant in Case T202/98; 2.
I lyset af de ovenstående betragtninger skal det afgøres, om Kommissionen har tilsidesat sin begrundelsespligt.
Fixes the amount of the fine imposed on the applicant in Case T-202/98 by Article 3 of Decision 1999/210 at 5.6 million euros;
•1) Kommissionen for De Europæiske Fællesskaber frifindes.
Orders the applicant in Case T204/98 to pay its own costs and those incurred by the Commission in that case, including those relating to the proceedings for interim relief;
Sagsøgeren bærer sine egne omkostninger samt de omkostninger, der er afholdt af Kommissionen og intervenienten RAG Aktiengesellschaft.
Case T-120/99 Christina Kik ν Office for the Harmonization of the Internal Market (trade marks and designs) (OHIM) Intellectual property
Forbundsrepublikken Tyskland bærer sine egne omkostninger.«
The trade mark in respect of which registration was requested is the word KIK the applicant, which was not to indicate one of the five languages of the Office as a 'second language'.
Forenede sager T-202/98, T-204/98 og T-207/98 Tate & Lyle plc, British Sugar plc, Napier Brown & Co. Ltd / Kommissionen for De Europæiske Fællesskaber Konkurrence 12. juli 2001
The services covered by the application for registration are within class 42 of the Nice Agreement concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks of 15 June 1957, as revised and amended.
»Konkurrence — markedet for sukker — overtrædelse af EF-traktatens artikel 85 (nu artikel 81 EF) - bøder« (Fjerde Afdeling)
The applicant claims that the Court of First Instance annul or alter the contested decision.
Dansk tekst foreligger endnu ikke.
The Hellenic Republic submits that the Court should find for the applicant.
Sag T-120/99 Christina Kik/ Kontoret for Harmonisering i det Indre Marked (Varemærker og Design) (KHIM) Immaterialrettigheder
The Kingdom of Spain and the Council submit that the Court should dismiss the action.
»Artikel 115 i forordning (EF) nr. 40194 - sprogordningen ved Kontoret for Harmonisering i det Indre Marked (Varemærker og Design) — ulovlighedsindsigelse — ligebehandlingsprincippet« (Fjerde Udvidede Afdeling)
By a decision of 20 March 1998 the examiner dismissed the application on the ground that a formal condition, that is to say the requirement that the applicant indicate English, French, German, Italian or Spanish as a 'second language' was not satisfied.
Tvistens baggrund nr. 40/94 en ansøgning til Harmoniseringskontoret om registrering af et ordmærke som EF-varemærke.
On 4 May 1998 the applicant brought an appeal against that decision in which she argued, inter alia, that the decision by which the examiner had dismissed her application for registration was unlawful because it was based on unlawful legislation.
Der er ansøgt om registrering af ordet KIK
On 2 June 1998 the appeal was remitted to the Board of Appeal of the Office.
Sagsøgeren, der er advokat og varemærkeagent i Nederlandene i en virksomhed, der er specialiseret inden for industriel ejendomsret, indgav den 15. maj 1996 i henhold til forordning
On that point, the Board of Appeal was right to find that the term "second language' in Article 115(3) of Regulation No 40/94 can refer only to a language other than that used for the application for registration.
Sagsøgeren har nedlagt påstand om annullation eller ændring af den anfægtede afgørelse.
Findings of the Court to be artificial, fictitious or application hypothetical.
De tjenesteydelser, for hvilke der er ansøgt om registrering, findes i klasse 42 i Nicearrangementet af 15. juni 1957 vedrørende international klassificering af varer og tjenesteydelser til brug ved registrering af varemærker, som revideret og ændret.
It must be observed that, in so far as the applicant challenges the obligation set out in Article 115 of Regulation No 40/94 to indicate a 'second language', the plea of illegality she raises satisfies all the conditions for admissibility established by the case-law cited above.
Den Hellenske Republik har nedlagt påstand om, at sagsøgerens påstande tages til følge.
First, the contested decision is addressed to the applicant.
Sagsøgeren har i sin ansøgning, der var affattet på nederlandsk, angivet nederlandsk som det »andet sprog«.
It follows from the foregoing that, in so far as the plea of illegality raised by the applicant in support of her action for annulment or alteration of the contested decision relates to the obligation under Article 115(3) of Regulation No 40/94 and Rule l(l)(j) of Article 1 of Regulation No 2868/95, it is admissible.
Ved afgørelse af 20. marts 1998 afviste undersøgeren ansøgningen, idet en formforskrift, hvorefter ansøgeren skal angive tysk, engelsk, spansk, fransk eller italiensk som det »andet sprog«, ikke var opfyldt.
To that extent, the subject-matter of the plea of illegality encompasses the obligation laid down by those provisions, as clarified — in regard to its scope and legal effects — by certain other paragraphs of Article 115 of Regulation No 40/94.
Sagsøgeren påklagede den 4. maj 1998 denne afgørelse, hvorunder hun navnlig gjorde gældende, at undersøgerens afgørelse om at afvise ansøgningen var ulovlig, idet den havde hjemmel i ulovlige fællesskabsbestemmelser. Sagsøgeren indgav klagen på nederlandsk og også, under forbehold, på engelsk.
Secondly, contrary to the submissions of the Office and the Spanish Government, there is a direct legal connection between the contested decision on the one hand and the requirement the legality of which the applicant is challenging on the other (see, in that connection, Case 21/64 Macchiorlati Dalmas e Figli v High Authority; Joined Cases 275/80 and 24/81 Krupp v Commission; and Joined Cases T-6/92 and T52/92 Reinan v Commission).
Harmoniseringskontoret har indledningsvis anført, at den foreliggende sag må afvises, idet den har til formål at fastslå, at artikel 115 i forordning nr. 40/94 er ulovlig.
However, in so far as the plea of illegality raised by the applicant relates to the remainder of Article 115 of Regulation No 40/94, it is inadmissible.
Harmoniseringskontoret har den opfattelse, at selv hvis Retten fastslog, at begrænsningen af det sproglige valg i artikel 115 i forordning nr. 40/94 er ulovligt, kan dette ikke føre til, at den anfægtede afgørelse annulleres. Harmoniseringskontoret (først undersøgeren, derefter Appelkammeret) har ikke afvist sagsøgerens registeringsansøgning, fordi sagsøgeren ikke havde angivet et af Harmoniseringskontorets sprog som et »andet sprog«, men fordi, at hun overhovedet ikke havde valgt et »andet sprog«.
The provisions in the remainder of Article 115 did not constitute any basis for the contested decision, since that decision related only to an application for registration and the obligation on an applicant to indicate a second language which he accepts as a possible language of proceedings for opposition, revocation or invalidity proceedings that might be filed against him.
Renens bemærkninger
Substance
Det skal fastslås, at i det omfang sagsøgeren anfægter forpligtelsen i artikel 115 i forordning nr. 40/94 til at angive et »andet sprog«, opfylder den ulovlighedsindsigelse, hun har gjort gældende, alle de betingelser for at kunne antages til realitetsbehandling, der fremgår af den ovenfor omtalte retspraksis.
Thirdly, it is common ground that the applicant was not entitled, under Article 173 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment, Article 230 EC), to bring an action for annulment of the rules governing languages laid down by Regulation No 40/94 (order of the Court of Justice in Case C270/95 Ρ Kik ν Council and Commission, upholding on appeal the order of the Court of First Instance in Case T-107/94 Kik ν Council and Commission).
For det første er den anfægtede afgørelse rettet til sagsøgeren.
The action is based on a single plea, namely infringement of the principle of non­discrimination in Article 6 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment, Article 12 EC).
For det andet er der, i modsætning til det af Harmoniseringskontoret og den spanske regering anførte, en umiddelbar retlig forbindelse mellem dels den anfægtede afgørelse og dels den
In that regard, the Court finds first of all that the file does not contain sufficiently clear grounds for concluding that the applicant is not genuinely interested in the word claimed being registered as a trade mark in Class 42.
I den anfægtede afgørelse havde Appelkammeret ligeledes anført, at Harmoniseringskontoret, herunder dets appelkamre, alene kan anvende forordning nr. 40/94, selv i tilfælde, hvor det har den opfattelse, at forordningen ikke er i overensstemmelse med primær fællesskabsret.
Furthermore, the Office dealt with the applicant's application for registration in the normal way, by referring it to the examination division and then assigning the dispute to the Board of Appeal; those bodies then applied the rules and did not find the