natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Given the exceptional challenges encountered by Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom authorities, by means of the notified measure, intend to provide risk capital finance of up to GBP 1500000 (EUR 2,2 million) in a single tranche to SMEs in Northern Ireland, thereby exceeding the maximum investment sizes per tranche as approved in the decision concerning the Small and Medium Enterprises Venture Capital and Loan Fund.
Glede na izjemne izzive, s katerimi se srečujejo v Severni Irski, nameravajo oblasti Združenega kraljestva s priglašenim ukrepom zagotoviti financiranje z rizičnim kapitalom do 1500000 GBP (2,2 milijona EUR) v eni tranši za MSP v Severni Irski in s tem prekoračiti največjo velikost naložbe na tranšo, kot je odobreno v odločbi glede sklada tveganega kapitala in posojilnega sklada za mala in srednje velika podjetja.
All other material aspects of the notified measure respect the conditions laid down in the decision concerning the Small and Medium Enterprises Venture Capital and Loan Fund.
Vsi ostali materialni vidiki priglašenega ukrepa spoštujejo pogoje, določene v odločbi glede sklada tveganega kapitala in posojilnega sklada za mala in srednje velika podjetja.
Description of the measure
Opis ukrepa
Legal basis of the scheme
Pravna podlaga za shemo
The legal basis of the scheme is Article 7 of the Industrial Development (Northern Ireland) Order 1982.
Pravno podlago sheme predstavlja člen 7 Odredbe o industrijskem razvoju (Severna Irska) iz leta 1982.
Budget of the scheme
Proračun sheme
The United Kingdom proposes to establish a GBP 15 million (EUR 22 million) to GBP 20 million (EUR 29 million) venture capital fund.
Združeno kraljestvo predlaga ustanovitev sklada tveganega kapitala s 15 milijoni GBP (22 milijonov EUR) do 20 milijoni GBP (29 milijonov EUR).
If less than GBP 20 million (EUR 29 million) is raised, the government contribution will reduce pro rata.
Če bo zbranih manj kot 20 milijonov GBP (29 milijonov EUR), se sorazmerno zmanjša državni prispevek.
If more than GBP 20 million (EUR 29 million) is raised, the fund will accept the additional investments from private sector investors.
Če bo zbranih več kot 20 milijonov GBP (29 milijonov EUR), bo sklad sprejemal tudi dodatne naložbe vlagateljev iz zasebnega sektorja.
The government funding will not be increased to a corresponding level.
Državno financiranje se ne bo povišalo na ustrezno raven.
Under no circumstances will the public contribution to the fund exceed 50 % of the total fund volume.
Državni prispevek ne bo v nobenem primeru presegel 50 odstotkov skupnega obsega sklada.
The fund will be newly set up as a 10-year limited partnership that can be extended with the consent of all investors to a maximum of 12 years to facilitate successful exits from the fund.
Sklad se ustanovi na novo z 10-letnim omejenim partnerstvom, ki se lahko s soglasjem vseh vlagateljev podaljša na največ 12 let, da se olajša uspešen izstop iz sklada.
Beneficiaries of the scheme
Upravičenci sheme
The scheme will only apply to small and medium-sized enterprises in Northern Ireland.
Shema se uporablja le za mala in srednje velika podjetja v Severni Irski.
Firms in difficulties are excluded under the scheme.
Podjetja v težavah so iz sheme izvzeta.
Funding will not be provided to businesses in sectors suffering from overcapacity, including shipbuilding, and European Coal and Steel Community sectors.
Financiranje se ne uporablja za podjetja na področjih s presežkom zmogljivosti, vključno z ladjedelništvom in sektorji Evropske skupnosti za premog in jeklo.
Size of investments
Velikost naložb
The fund will make investments in beneficiary SMEs in the range of GBP 250000 (EUR 367000) to GBP 1,5 million (EUR 2,2 million).
Sklad bo investiral v upravičena MSP sredstva v obsegu od 250000 GBP (367000 EUR) do 1,5 milijona GBP (2,2 milijona EUR).
On occasions, follow-on investments may be made for a further round of funding.
Priložnostno so mogoče nadaljevalne naložbe za dodatni krog financiranja.
These decisions will be independent of previous investment decisions and will be based on the performance of the recipient SME.
Te odločitve bodo neodvisne od predhodnih investicijskih odločitev in bodo temeljile na delovanju MSP – prejemnika.
Cumulation of aid under the scheme
Kumulacija pomoči v okviru sheme
The United Kingdom authorities have stated that any SMEs receiving risk capital funding under the scheme would, for the duration of the investment, have any further eligible regional aid and SME aid reduced by 30 % of the aid intensity that would otherwise have been found compatible by the Commission.
Oblasti Združenega kraljestva so izjavile, da bi se vsakemu MSP, prejemniku financiranja s tveganim kapitalom na podlagi sheme, za trajanje naložbe vsaka nadaljnja upravičena regionalna pomoč in pomoč za MSP zmanjšala za 30 % intenzivnosti pomoči, ki bi jo Komisija sicer obravnavala kot združljivo.
The Commission Communication on State aid and risk capital (hereafter referred to as the Communication) [6] recognises a role for public funding of risk capital measures limited to addressing identifiable market failures.
Sporočilo Komisije o državni pomoči in tveganem kapitalu (v nadaljnjem besedilu „sporočilo“) [6] priznava vlogo ukrepov za javno financiranje z rizičnim kapitalom, omejenem na obravnavo tržne nepopolnosti, ki jo je mogoče prepoznati.
The Communication states that specific factors adversely affecting the access of SMEs to capital, such as imperfect or asymmetric information or high transaction costs can cause a market failure that would justify State aid.
Sporočilo navaja, da lahko nekateri dejavniki, ki škodljivo vplivajo na dostop MSP do kapitala, kot so bodisi nepopolne ali nesimetrične informacije, bodisi visoki transakcijski stroški, povzročijo tržno nepopolnost, ki bi upravičila državno pomoč.
The Communication further states that there is no general risk capital market failure in the Community, but rather market gaps for some types of investments at certain stages of enterprises’ lives as well as particular difficulties in regions qualifying for assistance under Article 87(3)(a) and (c) of the EC Treaty (assisted areas).
Nadalje sporočilo navaja, da ni splošnega tveganja za nepopolnost trga kapitala v Skupnosti, vendar obstajajo tržne razlike nekaterih vrst naložb na določenih stopnjah življenja podjetja kot tudi posebne težave v regijah, ki izpolnjujejo pogoje za pomoč na podlagi člena 87(3)(a) in (c) Pogodbe ES („območja, upravičena do pomoči“).
The Communication goes on to explain that in general, the Commission will require provision of evidence of market failure before being prepared to authorise risk capital measures.
Nadalje sporočilo pojasnjuje, da Komisija na splošno zahteva zagotovitev dokazil o tržni nepopolnosti pred odobritvijo ukrepov rizičnega kapitala.
The Commission may however be prepared to accept the existence of market failure without further provision of evidence in cases where each tranche of finance for an enterprise from risk capital measures which are wholly or partially financed through State aid will comprise a maximum of EUR 500000 in non-assisted areas, EUR 750000 in areas qualifying for assistance under Article 87(3)(c) of the Treaty, or EUR 1 million in areas qualifying for assistance under Article 87(3)(a) of the Treaty.
Vendar pa bo Komisija pripravljena sprejeti obstoj tržne nepopolnosti brez nadaljnje zagotovitve dokazil v primerih, kjer vsaka tranša financ za neko podjetje iz ukrepov rizičnega kapitala, ki so v celoti ali delno financirani z državno pomočjo, vsebuje največ 500000 EUR na območjih, neupravičenih do pomoči, 750000 EUR na območjih, upravičenih do pomoči na podlagi člena 87(3)(c) Pogodbe ali 1 milijon EUR na območjih, upravičenih do pomoči na podlagi člena 87(3)(a) Pogodbe.
It follows that, for those cases where those amounts are exceeded, the Commission will require a demonstration of market failure justifying the proposed risk capital measure before assessing the compatibility of the measure in accordance with the positive and negative criteria listed under point VIII.3 of the Communication.
Iz tega sledi, da v primerih, ko so ti zneski preseženi, Komisija zahteva prikaz tržne nepopolnosti, ki upravičuje predlagan ukrep rizičnega kapitala pred ocenitvijo združljivosti ukrepa v skladu s pozitivnimi in negativnimi merili, naštetimi pod točko VIII.3 sporočila.
The Invest Northern Ireland Venture 2003 scheme proposed by the United Kingdom foresees risk capital investments in the range of GBP 250000 (EUR 367000) to GBP 1,5 million (EUR 2,2 million) per investment tranche for SMEs in Northern Ireland.
Shema Invest Northern Ireland Venture 2003, ki jo predlaga Združeno kraljestvo, predvideva naložbe rizičnega kapitala v obsegu od 250000 GBP (367000 EUR) do 1,5 milijona GBP (2,2 milijona EUR) na naložbeno tranšo za MSP v Severni Irski.
According to the Regional Aid Map 2000-2006 for the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland is currently classified as an area qualifying for assistance pursuant to Article 87(3)(c) of the EC Treaty.
Glede na regionalni zemljevid pomoči 2000–2006 za Združeno kraljestvo, je Severna Irska trenutno opredeljena kot območje, ki izpolnjuje pogoje za pomoč v skladu s členom 87(3)(c) Pogodbe ES.
In line with the provisions of the Communication, the Commission would hence be prepared to accept the existence of market failure without further provision of evidence if risk capital funding for SMEs in Northern Ireland wholly or partially financed through State aid would be limited to the maximum amount of EUR 750000 as foreseen for assisted areas pursuant to Article 87(3)(c) of the EC Treaty under point VI.5 of the Communication.
V skladu z določbami sporočila bi bila Komisija tako pripravljena sprejeti obstoj tržne nepopolnosti brez nadaljnje zagotovitve dokazil, če bi bilo financiranje tveganega kapitala za MSP v Severni Irski v celoti ali delno financirano z državno pomočjo, omejeno na najvišji znesek 750000 EUR, kot je predvideno za območja, upravičena do pomoči, v skladu s členom 87(3) (c) ES pod točko VI.5 sporočila.
In the notification, the United Kingdom has clarified that with the exception of the proposed maximum tranche size of GBP 1,5 million (EUR 2,2 million), all other material aspects of the proposed measure will be in line with the already approved Small and Medium Enterprises Venture Capital and Loan Fund.
V priglasitvi je Združeno kraljestvo pojasnilo, da so razen predlagane najvišje velikosti tranše v višini 1,5 milijona GBP (2,2 milijona EUR), vsi ostali materialni vidiki predlaganega ukrepa v skladu z že odobrenim skladom tveganega kapitala in posojilnim skladom za mala in srednje velika podjetja.
The Commission therefore considers that its decision on the Small and Medium Enterprises Venture Capital and Loan Fund covers all those investments proposed under the Invest Northern Ireland Venture 2003 scheme ranging from GBP 250000 (EUR 367000) to GBP 510000 (EUR 750000) per single investment tranche.
Zato Komisija meni, da njena odločitev o skladu tveganega kapitala in posojilnem skladu za mala in srednje velika podjetja zajema vse naložbe, predlagane v shemi Invest Northern Ireland Venture 2003, ki znašajo od 250000 GBP (367000 EUR) do 510000 GBP (750000 EUR) na eno naložbeno tranšo.
In line with the provisions of the Communication, risk capital investments proposed under the Invest Northern Ireland Venture 2003 scheme ranging from GBP 510000 (EUR 750000) to GBP 1,5 million (EUR 2,2 million) would necessitate the provision of evidence of market failure by the United Kingdom.
V skladu z določbami sporočila bi se z naložbami rizičnega kapitala, predlaganimi v shemi Invest Northern Ireland Venture 2003, ki znašajo od 510000 GBP (750000 EUR) do 1,5 milijona GBP (2,2 milijona EUR) od Združenega kraljestva zahtevala zagotovitev dokazil o tržni nepopolnosti.
In order to demonstrate the existence of market failure, the United Kingdom referred to several distinctive particularities of the venture capital market in Northern Ireland as underlined by a study [7].
Da bi prikazali obstoj tržne nepopolnosti, je Združeno kraljestvo navedlo številne razločne posebnosti trga tveganega kapitala v Severni Irski, kot je poudarila študija.
The main arguments brought forward were:
Glavni navedeni argumenti so bili:
there is a gap in the provision of venture capital for SMEs in Northern Ireland in the deal size range of GBP 250000 (EUR 367000) to GBP 1,5 million (EUR 2,2 million);
Pri zagotavljanju tveganega kapitala za MSP v Severni Irski obstaja razlika v velikosti poslov od 250000 GBP (367000 EUR) do 1,5 milijona GBP (2,2 milijona EUR);
whilst such a market failure also exists in other regional economies, it is more pronounced in Northern Ireland for the following reasons:
Čeprav takšna tržna nepopolnost obstaja tudi v drugih regionalnih gospodarstvih, je najbolj izrazita v Severni Irski zaradi naslednjih razlogov:
the venture capital market in Northern Ireland lags many years behind the rest of the United Kingdom in terms of total investment, number of deals, number of funds and availability of fund management skills;
Trg tveganega kapitala v Severni Irski glede celotnega obsega naložbe, števila poslov, števila skladov in razpoložljivosti usposobljenih upravljavcev skladov zaostaja za preostalim Združenim kraljestvom;
the size of the Northern Ireland market, the fact that it is physically separated from the rest of the United Kingdom, and the long lasting impact of civil unrest in Northern Ireland have resulted in an absence of any wholly private sector venture capital funds, either locally based or investing in Northern Ireland SMEs from mainland United Kingdom;
Zaradi velikosti trga Severne Irske, dejstva, da je fizično ločen od preostalega Združenega kraljestva in dolgotrajnih vplivov državljanskih nemirov v Severni Irski ni skladov tveganega kapitala povsem zasebnega sektorja, bodisi takšnih z lokalnim sedežem, bodisi takšnih, ki v severnoirska MSP vlagajo iz Združenega kraljestva;
in addition, it is difficult to attract experienced fund managers to Northern Ireland.
Poleg tega je težko privabiti izkušene upravljavce skladov v Severno Irsko.
By letter dated 26 November 2003, the Commission informed the United Kingdom of its decision to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty in respect of the Invest Northern Ireland Venture 2003 scheme.
V pismu z dne 26. novembra 2003, je Komisija Združeno kraljestvo obvestila o svojem sklepu, da v zvezi s shemo Invest Northern Ireland Venture 2003 sproži postopek, določen v členu 88(2) Pogodbe ES.
In its letter, the Commission stated that it had doubts as to whether the arguments presented by the United Kingdom in support of the existence of market failure could sufficiently justify the granting of risk capital investment tranches considerably exceeding the maximum amounts foreseen by the Communication for areas qualifying for assistance pursuant to Article 87(3)(c) of the EC Treaty.
V tem pismu je Komisija podvomila, da argumenti, ki jih je predložilo Združeno kraljestvo v podporo obstoja tržne nepopolnosti, zadostno upravičujejo odobritev naložbenih tranš rizičnega kapitala, ki znatno presegajo najvišje zneske, predvidene v sporočilu za območja, ki izpolnjujejo pogoje za dodelitev pomoči v skladu s členom 87(3)(c) Pogodbe ES.
The Commission went on to explain that it considered a more thorough analysis of the issue to be necessary.
Komisija pojasnjuje tudi, da je potrebna bolj temeljita analiza vprašanja.
Such an analysis would need to include any observations made by interested parties.
Takšna analiza bi morala vsebovati vse pripombe zainteresiranih strank.
Only after consideration of third party comments could the Commission decide whether the measure proposed by the United Kingdom affects trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest.
Šele po upoštevanju pripomb tretjih strank se lahko Komisija odloči ali ukrep, ki ga je predlagalo Združeno kraljestvo, vpliva na trgovinske pogoje v obsegu, ki bi bil v nasprotju s skupnimi interesi.
In response to the publication of its decision to open the formal procedure in the Official Journal of the European Union, the Commission received observations from the following interested parties:
Kot odgovor na objavo svojega sklepa o sprožitvi formalnega postopka v Uradnem listu Evropske Unije je Komisija prejela pripombe naslednjih zainteresiranih strank:
All comments received were positive and underlined the importance of the measure as well as the appropriateness of the proposed maximum investment amounts.
Vse prejete pripombe so bile pozitivne in so poudarile pomen ukrepa in primernost predlaganih najvišjih naložbenih zneskov.
The arguments put forward by the interested parties highlight the difficulty for local companies in Northern Ireland to raise equity funding of GBP 1 million (EUR 1,5 million) to GBP 1,5 million (EUR 2,2 million).
Argumenti, predloženi s strani zainteresiranih strank, izpostavljajo težave lokalnih družb v Severni Irski pri zbiranju sredstev za zagotavljanje razvoja 1 milijona GBP (1,5 milijona EUR) do 1,5 milijona GBP (2,2 milijona EUR).
This is mainly a result of the following factors:
To je zlasti posledica naslednjih dejavnikov:
venture funds in the rest of the United Kingdom are increasing minimum investment levels and this is also being mirrored in Northern Ireland;
Skladi tveganega kapitala v ostalem Združenem kraljestvu povišujejo najnižje naložbene stopnje, kar se odraža tudi v Severni Irski.
the peripherality of Northern Ireland adversely influences funds in terms of cost;
Obrobnost Severne Irske negativno vpliva na sklade glede stroškov;
funds from the rest of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland are largely uninterested in investments of this deal size and there is no local Northern Ireland fund capable of undertaking such investments;
Skladi iz ostalega Združenega kraljestva in Republike Irske se večinoma ne zanimajo za naložbe v posle takšne velikosti in ni lokalnega severnoirskega sklada, ki je sposoben izvajati takšne naložbe;
a general misplaced negative perception due to civil unrest in the past that continues to adversely affect the attitude of investors when considering Northern Ireland as an investment location.
Splošno napačno negativno dojemanje zaradi državljanskih nemirov v preteklosti, ki nadalje negativno vpliva na odnos vlagateljev pri obravnavi Severne Irske kot morebitne naložbene lokacije.
The United Kingdom’s comments on the Commission’s decision to open the formal procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty, as well as on the observations from third parties will be summarised in the following recitals.
Pripombe Združenega kraljestva na sklep Komisije o sprožitvi formalnega postopka, določenega v členu 88(2) Pogodbe ES, pa tudi pripombe tretjih strank so povzete v naslednjih uvodnih izjavah.
There are a number of general economic weaknesses that must be addressed in order to improve the competitive position of Northern Ireland:
Obstajajo številne splošne gospodarske šibkosti, ki so potrebne obravnave, da bi izboljšali konkurenčni položaj Severne Irske:
Northern Ireland’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is below the United Kingdom average (77,5 % of United Kingdom average).
Bruto domači proizvod (BDP) na prebivalca v Severni Irski je manjši od povprečja Združenega kraljestva (77,5 % povprečja Združenega kraljestva).
The gap has only narrowed marginally over the course of the 1990s (three percentage points since 1989);
Ta razlika se je v devetdesetih letih le delno zmanjšala (3 odstotne točke od leta 1989);
whole economy productivity as measured by GDP per employee in Northern Ireland is below that of the United Kingdom (89 % of United Kingdom average);
Celotna gospodarska produktivnost v Severni Irski, merjena v BDP na zaposlenega, je manjša od te v Združenem kraljestvu (89 % povprečja Združenega kraljestva);
high dependency on small businesses: 85000 businesses in total, of which 99 % employ fewer than 50 people, and 93 % employ fewer than 10 people;
Visoka odvisnost od malih podjetij: skupno 85000 podjetij, od katerih jih 99 % zaposluje manj kot 50 ljudi in 93 % manj kot 10 ljudi;
manufacturing remains dependent on low value-added ‘traditional sectors’, the high value added business services sector is only half the size of its United Kingdom equivalent;
Proizvodnja ostaja odvisna od „tradicionalnih sektorjev“ nizke dodane vrednosti, sektor poslovnih storitev visoke dodane vrednosti je pol manjši od enakovrednega sektorja v Združenem kraljestvu;
a small number of knowledge-based businesses compared with other United Kingdom regions;
Manjše število podjetij, ki temeljijo na znanju, v primerjavi z drugimi regijami Združenega kraljestva;
low levels of innovation and R&D activity;
Nizke stopnje inovacij in dejavnosti R&R;
one of the lowest start-up rates of any United Kingdom region;
Ena izmed najnižjih stopenj ustanavljanja podjetij v vseh regijah Združenega kraljestva;
shortage of debt and equity finance available for start-up companies.
Pomanjkanje dolžniškega in lastniškega financiranja, ki je na voljo na novo ustanovljenim podjetjem.
In addition to the general economic weaknesses, the venture capital market in Northern Ireland is underdeveloped compared to other United Kingdom regions:
Poleg splošne gospodarske šibkosti je trg tveganega kapitala v Severni Irski manj razvit v primerjavi z ostalimi v regijah Združenega kraljestva:
the level of venture capital investment in Northern Ireland over the period 1985-2002 represented only 0,7 % of the United Kingdom’s total venture capital investment as compared with Northern Ireland’s share of United Kingdom GDP of 2,2 %;
Stopnja naložb tveganega kapitala v Severni Irski je v obdobju od leta 1985 do 2002 predstavljala le 0,7 % vseh naložb tveganega kapitala v Združenem kraljestvu v primerjavi z deležem Severne Irske pri BDP Združenega kraljestva, ki znaša 2,2 %;
venture capital activity in Northern Ireland would have to increase by four times its current level to match the per capita levels of other United Kingdom regions such as Wales or Scotland.
Sedanja stopnja dejavnosti tveganega kapitala v Severni Irski bi se morala štiri krat povečati, da bi se ujemala s stopnjami na prebivalca v drugih regijah Združenega kraljestva kot sta Wales in Škotska.
There are a number of general factors that are related to this phenomenon:
Obstajajo številni splošni dejavniki, povezani s tem pojavom:
peripheral location: Northern Ireland is significantly disadvantaged by its geographical location;
Obrobna lokacija: Severna Irska je občutno prikrajšana zaradi svoje zemljepisne lokacije;
growth of indigenous business: Growth in the local economy has been severely limited over the last years due to civil unrest;
Rast avtohtonega poslovanja: Rast lokalnega gospodarstva je bila v zadnjih letih resno omejena zaradi državljanskih nemirov;
grant culture: This has arisen due to the government’s need to intervene in Northern Ireland industrial development activities at a much higher level than elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
Kultura posojil: Do tega je prišlo zaradi potrebe vlade po posredovanju v severnoirskih industrijskih razvojnih dejavnosti na višji stopnji kot drugje v Združenem kraljestvu.
Accordingly, businesses have not been disposed to consider taking in new equity.
Skladno s tem podjetja niso bila pripravljena za preučitev sprejemanja novega kapitala.
While some funds have been established in recent years, much more needs to be done, especially in generating adequate deal flow, but also in broadening the range and quantity of investors:
Čeprav so bili v zadnjih letih ustanovljeni mnogi skladi, je treba narediti še veliko več, zlasti pri ustvarjanju zadostnega pretoka poslovanja, pa tudi pri razširitvi obsega in količine vlagateljev:
Northern Ireland is poorly represented for venture capital and has only a small number of locally based funds which are mainly focused on small deal sizes;
Severna Irska je glede tveganega kapitala slabo zastopana in ima le majhno število skladov z lokalnim sedežem, ki se večinoma osredotočajo na manjše posle;
only three venture capital fund managers maintain a full-time presence in the region;
Samo trije upravljavci skladov tveganega kapitala so redno prisotni v regiji;