natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Moreover, having regard to the interdependence between the markets on which Community undertakings operate, it is possible that such aid might distort competition within the Community.
Glede na medsebojno odvisnost trgov, na katerih delujejo podjetja Skupnosti, je mogoče celo, da bi takšna pomoč izkrivljala konkurenco v okviru celotne Skupnosti.
WAM SpA has subsidiaries all around the world, including in almost all the EU Member States, including France, the Netherlands, Finland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Belgium and Germany.
WAM S.p.A. ima odvisne družbe po vsem svetu. Več jih ima sedeže v skoraj vseh državah članicah EU, na primer v Franciji, na Nizozemskem, na Finskem, v Veliki Britaniji, na Danskem, v Belgiji in v Nemčiji.
In particular, the complainant stressed that it competed on the Community market directly with ‘WAM Engineering Ltd’, which is the subsidiary for the United Kingdom and Ireland of WAM SpA, and that it was losing many orders to the Italian company.
Zlasti je tožnik poudaril, da je na trgu znotraj Skupnosti v ostri konkurenci z „WAM Engineering Ltd“, ki je odvisna družba WAM S.p.A. za Združeno Kraljestvo in Irsko, ter da zaradi italijanske družbe izgublja mnogo naročil.
Furthermore, as regards outward-looking competition among Community undertakings, it transpired that the programme financed by the second loan and designed to support business penetration in China, was to be jointly carried out by WAM SpA and ‘WAM Bulk Handling Machinery Shangai Co Ltd’, a local firm wholly owned by WAM SpA.
Nadalje, v zvezi z navzven usmerjeno konkurenco med podjetji Skupnosti se je pokazalo, da sta program, ki ga je financirala druga pomoč in naj bi podpiral komercialni prodor na Kitajsko, izvajala WAM S.p.A. in „WAM Bulk Handling Machinery Shangai Co Ltd“, ki je lokalno podjetje pod 100 % nadzorom WAM S.p.A.
According to the case law of the Court of Justice, even if the recipient exports almost its entire production outside the EU, the EEA and the accession countries, any subsidising of export activities can affect trade between Member States.
V skladu s sodno prakso SES lahko subvencioniranje, četudi upravičenec vso svojo proizvodnjo izvaža zunaj EU, EGS in izven dostopajočih držav, ne glede na izvozne dejavnosti, vpliva na trgovino med državami članicami.
Moreover, in the case at hand, it has been ascertained that in the period 1995-1999 sales abroad accounted for between 52 % and 57,5 % of the overall annual turnover of WAM SpA, two thirds of which was generated inside the EU (in absolute figures, some EUR 10 million compared with EUR 5 million).
Nadalje, v tem primeru je bilo določeno, da je prodaja v tujini od leta 1995 do leta 1999 predstavljala od 52 % do 57,5 % skupnega letnega prometa WAM S.p.A., od tega dve tretjini znotraj EU (v absolutnih številkah okrog 10 milijonov EUR proti 5 milijonom EUR).
Accordingly, irrespective of whether the aid under consideration supports exports to other Member States or outside the EU, it has the potential to affect trade between Member States and is, therefore, caught by Article 87(1) of the Treaty.
Zato zadevna pomoč, ne glede na dejstvo, ali podpira izvoze v druge države članice EU ali izvoze zunaj EU, lahko vpliva na trgovino med državami članicami in je na podlagi tega predmet člena 87(1) Pogodbe.
Lawfulness of the aid
Zakonitost pomoči
The Italian authorities declared, in their letter of 11 October 1999 (A/37761), that the legal basis for the aid granted to WAM SpA, namely Law 394 of 29 July 1981, had been notified to the Commission and to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) under Article 25 of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (WTO-GATT 1994) [13].
Italijanske oblasti so v pismu z dne 11.10.1999 (A/37761) izjavile, da je bila pravna podlaga za pomoči, odobreni WAM S.p.A., ki ju predstavlja zakon 29. julij 1981, št. 394, Komisiji in STO sporočena v okviru člena 25 Sporazuma o subvencijah in izravnalnih ukrepih (WTO-GATT 1994) [13].
The Commission observes that, by way of notification, the Italian authorities intend to include some very concise data relating to the scheme in the aid schedule transmitted to the Commission for the purposes of the annual report on State aid in the European Union, at least since the sixth report (1996).
Komisija opozarja, da italijanske oblasti z obvestilom mislijo na zelo umetne številke, vsaj od šestega poročila (1996) dalje, ki se nanašajo na shemo, v razporedu pomoči, predloženem Komisiji v okviru letnega poročila o državni pomoči v EU.
This cannot be deemed to be in compliance with Article 88(3) of the EC Treaty, which states that ‘the Commission shall be informed, in sufficient time to enable it to submit its comments, of any plans to grant or alter aid.’
Tega ni mogoče obravnavati v skladu s členom 88(3) Pogodbe ES, ki navaja „Komisija mora biti obveščena o vseh načrtih za dodelitev ali spremembo pomoči dovolj zgodaj, da lahko predloži pripombe.“
The Commission has been also informed of the existence of the scheme as part of its survey on national support schemes for foreign direct investment (FDI) outside the European Union that exist in the Member States.
Komisija je bila obveščena tudi o obstoju sheme v okviru raziskave o nacionalnih shemah podpor za tuje neposredne naložbe zunaj EU (zunanje NTN), ki obstaja v državah članicah.
Since it was not previously notified to the Commission as regards its compatibility with the State aid rules, the aforementioned aid scheme has been implemented in breach of Article 88(3) of the EC Treaty and is therefore unlawful.
Ker Komisija v zvezi z njeno združljivostjo s pravili o državni pomoči ni bila predhodno obveščena, se zgoraj omenjena shema pomoči izvaja v nasprotju s členom 88(3) Pogodbe ES. Zato je nezakonita.
As the aid to WAM SpA was granted under that scheme, it too is unlawful.
Pomoč, odobrena WAM-u, je nezakonita, ker je bila odobrena v okviru te sheme.
Compatibility of the aid with Article 87 of the EC Treaty
Skladnost pomoči s členom 87 Pogodbe ES
To the extent that the support measures in question fall within the scope of Article 87(1) of the EC Treaty, they have to be assessed to verify whether they are elgible for any exemption under the relevant Community State aid rules.
Če zadevni podporni ukrepi spadajo v okvir člena 87(1) Pogodbe, jih je treba oceniti, da se preveri, ali lahko koristijo kakršno koli izjemo v okviru ustreznih pravil o državni pomoči Skupnosti.
First loan granted to WAM SpA
Kar zadeva prvo pomoč, ki je bila odobrena WAM-u
Evidence has been provided by the Italian Government that, at the time of the granting of the first loan (1995), WAM SpA fulfilled the requirements for it to be considered an SME within the meaning of Commission recommendation 96/280/EC [14].
Italijanska vlada je predložila dokaze, da je WAM v času, ko mu je bila odobrena prva pomoč (1995), izpolnjeval vse zahteve za obravnavo kot MSP, ki jih določa priporočilo Komisije 96/280/ES [14].
To be more precise, WAM SpA was a medium-sized enterprise as it had 163 employees, an annual turnover of EUR 16,8 million and a balance sheet total of EUR 20,1 million. Lastly, it was controlled by two finance companies which were themselves SMEs within the meaning of the above mentioned recommendation.
Če gremo še globlje, WAM je bil srednje veliko podjetje, saj je zaposloval 163 ljudi, imel je 16,8 M EUR letnega prometa, njegova bilanca stanja pa je znašala 20,1 M EUR. Končno, nadzorovali sta ga dve finančni družbi, ki sta v skladu z zgoraj omenjenim priporočilom sami bili MSP.
To the extent that the Commission bases its assessment of presumed unlawful aid on the rules in force at the time the aid was granted [15], it has to be verified whether the aid granted to WAM SpA in 1995 was in compliance with the SME guidelines of 1992 [16], which were in force at the time the specific aid was granted.
Kolikor ocena domnevne nezakonite pomoči Komisije temelji na pravilih, ki so veljala, ko je bila pomoč odobrena [15], je treba preveriti, ali je bila pomoč, odobrena WAM-u v letu 1995, v skladu s smernicami za MSP iz leta 1992 [16], ki so veljale v času, ko je ta pomoč bila odobrena.
As WAM SpA is deemed to belong to the upper end of the SME range, it has to be borne in mind that, at the time of the first loan, the 1992 guidelines on State aid for SMEs stipulated that even investment aid, if available in non-assisted areas for medium-sized companies, not only involves a danger of distortion of competition but also reduces the incentive for smaller SMEs to invest in disadvantaged areas.
Ker se šteje, da je WAM v času prve pomoči spadal v srednje velik del nabora MSP, je treba opozoriti, da so smernice o državni pomoči za MSP iz leta 1992 določale, da tudi pomoč za naložbe, če je srednje velikim podjetjem na voljo na področjih brez pomoči, predstavlja nevarnost za izkrivljanje konkurence in zmanjšuje spodbujanje manjših MSP, da investirajo v prikrajšana območja.
They also stated that, while the risk of such a perverse effect may be low for very small companies, it obviously increases as the company expands.
Navajale so tudi, da je možnost tako izkrivljenih učinkov sicer majhna za majhne družbe, a se očitno poveča, če se poveča družba.
Furthermore, the aid granted to WAM SpA in 1995 is intended to support neither productive investments nor any other admissible aim laid down in the 1992 SME guidelines, namely aid for general investment outside or inside national assisted areas, aid for environmental protection investment and aid for research and development, training or dissemination of knowledge, the only exception being ‘soft’ aid for SMEs, which can include consultancy help, market surveys and participation in fairs and exhibitions.
Nadalje, pomoč, ki je bila WAM-u odobrena leta 1995, ni bila namenjena niti za podporo produktivnih naložb niti za kakršno koli dopustno obliko pomoči, določeno v smernicah za MSP iz leta 1992, in sicer pomoč za splošne naložbe, zunaj ali znotraj nacionalnih območij pomoči, pomoč za investicije za varstvo okolja, pomoč za raziskave in razvoj, izobraževanje ali razširjanje znanja, z edino izjemo tako imenovane ugodne pomoči v korist MSP, ki izpolnjujejo pogoje za svetovalno pomoč, tržne raziskave in sodelovanje na sejmih in razstavah.
Accordingly, the Commission is of the opinion that the bulk of the eligible costs for the establishment of permanent structures abroad which were taken into consideration by the Italian Government in granting the first subsidised loan to WAM SpA in 1995, namely rent of premises (ITL 81,21 million), insurance and related facilities, as well as other operating costs such as personnel, fittings and equipment for premises (ITL 10,82 million, ITL 30,55 million and ITL 556,94 million respectively), are costs which the firm had itself to bear; the same applies to display models and spare parts for after-sales service (ITL 38,23 million).
V skladu s tem Komisija meni, da bi moral WAM večino upravičenih stroškov, namenjenih ustanovitvi trajnih struktur v tujini, ki jih je italijanska vlada upoštevala pri odobritvi prvega ugodnega posojila temu podjetji v letu 1995, zlasti pa najemnino prostorov (81,21 milijonov ITL posojila), zavarovanje in podobne ugodnosti, pa tudi druge stroške poslovanja, kot so osebje, pohištvo in oprema za omenjene prostore (10,82 + 30,55 + 556,94 milijonov ITL posojila) nositi sam; podobno velja tudi za stroške za vzorce in rezervne dele za poprodajno pomoč (38,23 milijonov ITL posojila).
In the same way, with respect to the eligible costs intended to support trade promotion, the cost of storage of goods (ITL 456,28 million) does not comply, in the Commission’s opinion, with the SME guidelines as it is not deemed to represent an initial investment; nor do the advertising costs (ITL 94,39 million) or business trips (ITL 7,52 million).
Enako, v zvezi z upravičenimi stroški, namenjenimi podpori pospeševanja prodaje, Komisija meni, da se stroški skladiščenja blaga (456,28 milijonov ITL) ne skladajo s smernicami za MSP, saj ne velja, da predstavljajo začetne naložbe, niti stroške za oglaševanje (94,39 M ITL) in potovanja osebja in podjetnikov (7,52 M ITL).
In the Commission’s view, none of these costs can in any way be regarded as productive investment; aid towards them has to be classified as operating aid.
Po mnenju Komisije nobenih od teh stroškov na noben način ni mogoče obravnavati kot produktivno naložbo, zato je pomoč za te postavke treba opredeliti kot pomoč za poslovanje.
Furthermore the Commission considers that aid towards all the costs mentioned above has to be classified as aid for export related activities in the sense that it is directly linked to the establishment and operation of a distribution network or to other current expenditure related to the export activity.
Nadalje, Komisija je tudi mnenja, da je pomoč za vse zgoraj omenjene stroške treba opredeliti kot pomoč za dejavnosti, namenjene izvozu, v smislu, da je neposredno povezana z ustanovitvijo in delovanjem distribucijskega omrežja ali drugimi trenutnimi stroški, povezanimi z izvozno dejavnostjo.
Therefore this aid cannot be regarded as being linked to foreign direct investment (FDI).
Zato te pomoči ni mogoče obravnavati kot povezane z neposrednimi tujimi naložbami.
This not only results from the analysis of the actual expenditure taken into consideration in granting the loan (see the table at point 37 and point 89) but has also been borne out by the objective of the loan contract, namely the subsidisation of a commercial penetration programme, and by the purposes of the fund that financed the aid, namely the subsidisation of export undertakings with a view to commercial penetration programmes to be carried out outside the European Union.
To ne izhaja samo iz analize dejanskih stroškov, ki so se upoštevali pri odobritvi posojila in so bili izpostavljeni v razporedu v točki 37 ter našteti v točki 89 zgoraj, ampak je bilo dodatno potrjeno tudi s ciljem posojilne pogodbe, ki je subvencioniranje programa komercialnega prodora, in z namenom sklada, iz katerega je bila pomoč financirana, ki je subvencioniranje izvoznih podjetij glede na programe komercialnega prodora, ki bi se naj izvedli izven Evropskih skupnosti.
By contrast, aid to consultancy services (ITL 29,43 million) and market surveys (ITL 40,95 million) may qualify for an exemption on the ground that WAM SpA was an SME and to the extent that they were provided and carried out by external advisers; the same goes for aid for participation in fairs and exhibitions (ITL 12,19 million). This falls within the 1992 guidelines, and in particular points 4.3 ‘Aid for consultancy help, training and dissemination of knowledge’ and 4.5 ‘Aid for other purposes’.
Nasprotno je pomoč svetovalnim storitvam (29,43 M ITL) in tržnim raziskavam (40,95 M ITL) mogoče opredeliti kot izjemo na podlagi tega, da je bil WAM MSP in kolikor so jo izvedli zunanji svetovalci, pa tudi pomoč za sodelovanje na sejmih in razstavah (12,19 M ITL) v okviru smernic iz leta 1992, zlasti točk 4.3 „pomoč za svetovalno pomoč, izobraževanje in razširjanje znanja“ ter 4.5 „pomoč za druge namene“.
The Commission has long recognised that not all aid is liable to have an appreciable impact on trade between Member States.
Komisija že dolgo nazaj priznala, da vsaka pomoč ne more imeti občutnega vpliva na trgovino med državami članicami.
This concept was laid down for the first time in the de minimis rule, as included in the 1992 SME guidelines [17].
Ta koncept je bil prvič določen z de minimis pravilom, kot je bilo vključeno v smernice za MSP leta 1992 [17].
It was subsequently reworded in the Commission notice on the de minimis rule for State aid [18] and finally confirmed in Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 994/98 of 7 May 1998 on the application of Articles 92 and 93 of the EC Treaty to certain categories of horizontal State aid [19], on the basis of which Commission Regulation (EC) No 69/2001 [20] was adopted.
Kasneje je bil preoblikovan v Obvestilu Komisije o de minimis pravilu za državno pomoč [18] in končno potrjen s členom 2 Uredbe Sveta (ES) št 994/98 z dne 7. maja 1998 o uporabi členov 92 in 93 Pogodbe o ustanovitvi Evropske skupnosti za določene vrste horizontalne državne pomoči [19], na podlagi katere je bila sprejeta Uredba Komisije (ES) št. 69/2001 [20].
The Commission also recognizes that the wording of the 1992 de minimis rule, which was in force when the first aid measure was granted, did not explicitly exclude export aid; as a consequence, an amount of aid of up to ECU (now EUR) 50000 could be deemed admissible, even with respect to the costs taken into consideration in granting the aid under examination, to the extent that WAM SpA did not benefit from any other subsidy in the form of de minimis aid during the relevant three-year period. This has been confirmed by the Italian authorities.
Komisija priznava tudi, da besedilo de minimis pravila iz leta 1992, ki je veljalo v času, ko je pomoč bila odobrena, ni izrecno izključevalo izvozne pomoči; zato bi lahko bil dopusten znesek pomoči v višini do 50000 ECU (zdaj EUR), tudi glede na upravičene stroške, ki so se upoštevali pri odobritvi zadevne pomoči, kolikor WAM S.p.A. ni imel koristi od nobene druge subvencije v „de minimis“ obliki v ustreznem triletnem obdobju, kar so italijanske oblasti potrdile.
In addition, in the light of the last paragraph of the Commission notice on the determination of the applicable rules for the assessment of unlawful State aid [21], where, at the time of a decision, guidelines have been replaced by a regulation, the Commission considers that the rules set out in the regulation must apply to the extent that they are more favourable than those of the guidelines [22].
Glede na zadnji pododstavek Obvestila Komisije o določitvi veljavnih pravil za ocenjevanje nezakonite državne pomoči [21], kjer je v času sklepa smernice nadomestila uredba, Komisija meni, da so pravila, določena v Uredbi, ugodnejša od pravil, določenih v smernicah [22].
Thus, an additional assessment of the aid in question has to be made in the light of Commission Regulations (EC) No 70/2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises [23] (aid in favour of SMEs) and (EC) No 69/2001 [24]de minimis.
Zato je treba ob upoštevanju obeh Uredb Komisije (ES) št. 70/2001 z dne 12. januarja 2001 o uporabi členov 87 in 88 Pogodbe Evropske skupnosti pri pomoči za majhna in srednje velika podjetja [23] (pomoč v korist MSP) in 69/2001 [24] (de minimis) zadevno pomoč še dodatno presoditi.
Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 clearly stipulates in Article 1(2)(b) that it does not apply to aid to export-related activities [25].
Uredba (ES) št. 70/2001 v odstavku 2(b) člena 1 jasno določa, da ne velja za dejavnosti, povezane z izvozom [25].
Consequently, none of the expenditure listed at point 89 of the present decision can be considered to comply with that Regulation.
Zato nobeni stroški, navedeni v točki 89 trenutne odločbe, ne štejejo, kot da so v skladu z njo.
Likewise, export aid does not fall within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 69/2001.
Prav tako tudi pomoč za izvoz sodi izven obsega Uredbe (ES) št. 69/2001.
Second loan granted to WAM SpA
Kolikor zadeva drugo pomoč, ki je bila odobrena WAM-u
At the time the second loan was granted in 2000, WAM SpA was on the admission of the Italian authorities themselves, a large undertaking.
V času, ko mu je bila odobrena druga pomoč leta 2000, je bil WAM veliko podjetje, kar so sprejele italijanske oblasti same.
Furthermore, it was located in a non-assisted area.
Nadalje, nahajal se je na področju brez pomoči.
Once again, the Commission has to assess the aid in question on the basis of the rules in force at the time the aid was granted.
Komisija mora zopet zadevno pomoč oceniti na podlagi pravil, ki so veljala, ko je bila pomoč odobrena.
On that basis and given that WAM SpA was no longer an SME, neither the 1996 Community guidelines on State aid for small and medium-sized enterprises [26] nor the 1998 regional aid guidelines [27], which are still in force, apply to the aid in question.
Na podlagi tega in ker WAM S.p.A. ni več bil MSP, za zadevno pomoč ne veljajo niti smernice Skupnosti o državni pomoči za majhna in srednje velika podjetja [26] iz leta 1996 niti smernice za regionalno pomoč [27] iz leta 1998, ki še vedno veljajo.
On the basis of the analysis of the eligible costs, which are enclosed with letter A/35269 and specified in the table at point 37 of the present decision, the Commission takes the view that only training expenses (EUR 25240 out of a total loan of EUR 1,8 million) may be exempted pursuant to Commission Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to training aid [28], irrespective of whether the assessment is based on Article 4(2) (specific training) or (3) (general training), given that both conditions are met in respect of the aid intensity applied.
Komisija na podlagi analize upravičenih stroškov, ki so bili priloženi pismu A/35269 in navedeni v razporeditvi točke 37 te odločbe, meni, da je samo stroškom za izobraževanje (25240 EUR od skupnega posojila 1,8 milijona EUR) lahko odobrena izjema, in sicer v skladu z Uredbo Komisije (ES) št. 68/2001 o uporabi členov 87 in 88 Pogodbe ES pri pomoči za usposabljanje [28], ne glede na to, ali se ocenjuje na podlagi odstavka 2 (specifično izobraževanje) ali odstavka 3 (splošno izobraževanje) člena 4, saj sta glede na uporabljeno intenzivnost pomoči izpolnjena oba.
The aid in question does not seem to promote any other horizontal Community objective within the meaning of Article 87(3)(c) of the Treaty, such as research and development, employment, the environment, or rescue and restructuring within the meaning of the relevant guidelines, frameworks and regulations.
Zdi se, da zadevna pomoč ne spodbuja nobenega drugega horizontalnega cilja Skupnosti v skladu s členom 87(3)(c) Pogodbe, kot so raziskave in razvoj, zaposlitev, okolje ali reševanje in prestrukturiranje, v pomenu ustreznih smernic, okvirjev in uredb.
In the Commission’s opinion, the costs engendered by rent, fittings for the premises, vehicle purchases, display models, storage of goods, advertising, and business trips abroad and by foreign customers to Italy are strictly linked to the establishment and operation of a distribution network or to current expenditure related to the export activity.
Po mnenju Komisije so stroški, ki nastanejo zaradi najemnine, opremljanja prostorov, pridobivanja vozil, stroškov vzorcev, pa tudi zaradi skladiščenja blaga, oglaševanja, potovanj domačega osebja v tujino in tujih strank v Italijo, strogo povezani z izvajanjem in delovanjem distribucijskega omrežja ali s trenutnimi stroški, povezanimi z izvozno dejavnostjo.
Compliance with the relevant de minimis rules has also to be assessed.
Skladnost z drugimi ustreznimi de minimis pravili je treba še oceniti.
At the time the specific aid was granted, the 1996 Commission notice on the de minimis rule for State aid [29] was in force.
V času, ko je bila pomoč odobrena, je veljalo obvestilo Komisije o de minimis pravilu za državno pomoč iz leta 1996 [29].
It clearly stipulates that export aid is excluded from its scope.
Tam je jasno navedeno, da izvozna pomoč ne spada v obseg tega pravila.
The Commission notes that the expenses listed at point 104 have to be classified as aid to export-related activities and stresses that, in particular, aid towards technical assistance workshop premises and personnel abroad (a sales manager, a general manager, 4 employees and 6 technicians) hardly seems to be compatible with a non-sales activity.
Komisija meni, da je treba stroške, navedene v točki 104 zgoraj, opredeliti kot pomoč za dejavnosti, povezane z izvozom, in poudarja, da zlasti pomoč za tehnično pomoč, delavnice in osebje v tujini, ki ga sestavljajo vodja prodaje, generalni direktor, 4 uradniki in 6 tehnikov, ni združljiva z neprodajno dejavnostjo.