natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Article 2 of the articles of association states that: ‘The purpose of the association is to develop products so as to enable fisheries undertakings to cover the following risks: fluctuations in the price of diesel, maritime pollution or health risks linked to pollution, the closure of quotas or a significant reduction in fishing opportunities, and market risks.
V členu 2 statuta je navedeno: „Namen združenja je razvijati proizvode, ki bodo podjetnikom v ribištvu zagotovili kritje naslednjih tveganj: nihanja cen dizelskega goriva, morskega onesnaženja ali tveganja za zdravje, povezanega z onesnaževanjem, zapiranja kvot, velikega zmanjšanja ribolovnih možnosti, tveganja v zvezi s trgom.
France forwarded copies of three agreements concluded between the State and the FPAP relating to the introduction of repayable advances to the Fund by the State.
Francija je poslala kopije treh sporazumov, sklenjenih med francosko državo in FPAP v zvezi z vračljivimi državnimi predplačili v dobro tega sklada.
The advances are paid via the Office national interprofessionnel des produits de la mer et de l’aquaculture (Ofimer).
Ta predplačila se izplačujejo prek Nacionalnega medpanožnega urada za morske proizvode in proizvode iz ribogojstva (OFIMER).
The first agreement, dated 12 November 2004, covers an amount of EUR 15 million; the second, dated 27 May 2005, an amount of EUR 10 million; and the third, dated 11 October 2005, an amount of EUR 40 million. According to these three agreements, an amount of EUR 65 million was therefore advanced to the FPAP.
Prvi sporazum z dne 12. novembra 2004 se nanaša na znesek 15 milijonov EUR, drugi z dne 27. maja 2005 na znesek 10 milijonov EUR, tretji z dne 11. oktobra 2005 pa na znesek 40 milijonov EUR. Po teh treh sporazumih je bilo torej FPAP izplačano 65 milijonov EUR predplačila.
According to the list of defensive points enclosed with the note from France of 21 April 2006 (see recital 12 of this Decision), it is also possible that another advance of EUR 12 million was paid to the FPAP (see recital 40 of this Decision).
Poleg tega je po utemeljitvi, priloženi k dopisu Francije z dne 21. aprila 2006 (glej uvodno izjavo 12 te določbe), mogoče, da je bilo FPAP izplačano še drugo predplačilo v višini 12 milijonov EUR (glej uvodno izjavo 40 te odločbe).
Article 2 of the agreement of 27 May 2005 is drafted almost identically: instead of the ‘setting up’ of a cover mechanism, it provides for the ‘continuation’ of this mechanism and it gives 1 March 2005 as the date from which cover will be provided for advances paid under this agreement.
Besedilo člena 2 sporazuma z dne 27. maja 2005 je skoraj enako: namesto „vzpostavitve“ mehanizma kritja predvideva „ohranjanje“ tega mehanizma in navaja 1. marec 2005 kot datum začetka učinkovanja kritja izplačanega predplačila na podlagi tega sporazuma.
The same applies to the agreement of 11 October 2005; Article 2 provides that, for the advance paid, the Fund is to continue providing cover ‘… from 1 July 2005 and until 31 December 2005 at least, by buying financial options on the futures markets, up to 17 euro cent/l’. It states that ‘the compensation paid to members of the Fund shall be equivalent, at most, to the difference in price between a price of 30 euro cent/l and the average monthly reference price for the month under consideration, where the latter is higher than 30 euro cent/l’.
Enako velja za sporazum z dne 11. oktobra 2005; v členu 2 je določeno, da za izplačano predplačilo sklad še naprej zagotavlja svojo dejavnost kritja „…od 1. julija 2005 in najmanj do 31. decembra 2005 z nakupom finančnih opcij na terminskih trgih po ceni 17 centov/l.“ Podrobno je določeno, da „morajo nadomestila, izplačana članu sklada, ustrezati največ razliki med ceno 30 centov/l in povprečno mesečno referenčno ceno za zadevni mesec, če je ta višja od 30 centov/l“.
The detailed rules of procedure of the FPAP show that this cover mechanism operates by means of guarantee agreements between the FPAP and its member undertakings.
Iz podrobnih navodil za uporabo FPAP sledi, da ta mehanizem kritja deluje prek sporazumov o poroštvu, sklenjenih med skladom in podjetji, ki so njegovi člani.
Members pay a registration fee of EUR 150 plus a guarantee contribution based on an estimated quantity of fuel expressed in litres at a rate of 0,035 cent per litre of fuel.
Člani plačajo vpisnino v znesku 150 EUR in poroštvo na ocenjeno količino goriva, izraženo v litrih, v višini 0,035 centa na liter goriva.
In return, the fisheries undertakings receive an allowance determined on the basis of the volume consumed, up to a maximum of the volume insured. The method of calculating the allowance is detailed in the rules of procedure.
Ribiška podjetja dobijo v zameno nadomestilo, ki se določi na podlagi porabljene količine v mejah zagotovljene količine in katere način za izračun je podrobno naveden v tem navodilu za uporabo.
Article 3 of the agreements referred to in recital 21 states that advances may be paid by Ofimer only after certain supporting documents have been provided.
V členu 3 sporazumov iz uvodne izjave 21 je navedeno, da Nacionalni medpanožni urad za morske proizvode in proizvode iz ribogojstva (OFIMER) lahko predplačila izplača potem, ko so mu bila predložena nekatera dokazila.
These must include the minutes of the FPAP’s governing body authorising management of the State advance and, in the case of the first two agreements, detailing the use to which the advance is to be put, and a forecast budget.
Med temi dokazili mora biti zapisnik posvetovalnega organa FPAP, ki dovoljuje upravljanje državnega predplačila, pri prvih dveh sporazumih pa podroben opis uporabe tega predplačila ter predlog proračuna.
In its note dated 6 December 2005 France confirmed that the amounts indicated, covering a total of EUR 65 million, were actually granted to the FPAP.
Francija je z obvestilom z dne 6. decembra 2005 potrdila, da so bili navedeni zneski v skupnem znesku 65 milijonov EUR dejansko odobreni FPAP.
That note specifies that these advances are granted ‘to ensure the operation of the FPAP, as soon as possible, for the period November 2004 to the end of December 2005’.
V tem obvestilu je podrobno navedeno, da so ta predplačila odobrena „za čim prejšnje delovanje FPAP v obdobju od novembra 2004 do konca decembra 2005“.
In addition, the FPAP undertakes to keep accounts so that, on request, information on how the advances have been used and resources and expenditure have been allocated can be obtained.
Poleg tega se FPAP zavezuje, da bo vodil računovodske evidence, iz katerih je na zahtevo mogoče dobiti informacije o uporabi predplačila, pa tudi o dodelitvi sredstev in izdatkov sklada.
The accounting documents must be kept for ten years and must be made available to the various State bodies on request.
Računovodske listine je treba hraniti deset let in jih dati na voljo različnim državnim organom, če to zahtevajo.
Article 4 sets the interest rate at which the FPAP is to repay the advances to Ofimer at 4,45 %.
V členu 4 je obrestna mera, po kateri mora FPAP ta predplačila povrniti Nacionalnemu medpanožnemu uradu za morske proizvode in proizvode iz ribogojstva, določena na 4,45 %.
The amount of EUR 15 million covered by the agreement of 12 November 2004 has to be repaid by 1 November 2006, the EUR 10 million covered by the agreement of 27 May 2005 by 1 May 2007, and the EUR 40 million covered by the agreement of 11 October 2005 by 1 July 2007.
Znesek 15 milijonov EUR, ki je predmet sporazuma z dne 12. novembra 2004, mora biti povrnjen najpozneje do 1. novembra 2006, znesek 10 milijonov EUR iz sporazuma z dne 27. maja 2005 najpozneje do 1. maja 2007, znesek 40 milijonov EUR iz sporazuma z dne 11. oktobra 2005 pa najpozneje do 1. julija 2007.
In view of the three (possibly four) agreements signed between the French State and the Fund, FPAP’s activity within the framework of the first of the objectives set out in Article 2 of the articles of association (to enable fisheries undertakings to cover the risks relating to the fluctuation in the price of diesel) is therefore two-fold:
Z vidika treh (morda štirih) sporazumov, podpisanih med francosko državo in FPAP, ima ta sklad v okviru prvega cilja, določenega v členu 2 statuta (omogočiti ribiškim podjetjem zavarovanje kritja tveganj, povezanih z nihanjem cen dizelskega goriva), dve dejavnosti:
to counter fluctuations in the price of oil by acquiring options on the futures markets in the petroleum products sector; and
kljubovati nihanjem cene nafte s pridobitvijo opcij na terminskih trgih v sektorju naftnih proizvodov in
to partially compensate for the additional cost induced by high oil prices for the vessels of Fund members where the fuel price exceeds a certain threshold.
delno nadomestiti dodatne stroške zaradi zvišanja cene nafte, ki jo uporabljajo plovila podjetij, ki so člani tega sklada, kadar cena goriva presega določen prag.
As regards State aid, the Fund must be considered under these two aspects, on the one hand where it acts as an economic operator on futures markets, and on the other where it compensates fisheries undertakings for part of the costs incurred in fuel purchases with the aim of reducing their running costs.
V zvezi z državno pomočjo je treba sklad obravnavati z dveh vidikov, po eni strani, kadar deluje kot gospodarski subjekt na terminskih trgih, in po drugi strani, kadar ribiškim podjetjem izplačuje nadomestilo za del stroškov za nakup goriva, da bi zmanjšal njihove tekoče stroške.
Reasons for initiating the formal investigation procedure
Razlogi za začetek formalnega postopka preiskave
The reasons for initiating the formal investigation were as follows.
Razlogi za začetek formalnega postopka preiskave so bili naslednji.
Regarding the acquisition of options on futures markets
Pridobitev opcij na terminskih trgih
The advance paid to the FPAP can be regarded as a short-term loan at a rate of 4,45 %.
Predplačilo, ki je bilo odobreno FPAP, se lahko šteje za kratkoročno posojilo z obrestno mero 4,45 %.
However, the Commission notes that the Fund has no real estate and that its current assets are extremely small because they only come from its members’ contributions.
Komisija ugotavlja, da sklad nima nepremičnin in da ima poleg tega zelo malo lastnih finančnih sredstev, ker jih sestavljajo le prispevki članov.
This is why a bank would never have granted such a loan.
Zato bančna ustanova ne bi nikoli odobrila takega posojila.
As a result, the Fund is at a financial advantage compared to other undertakings active on the same futures markets.
Ta sklad ima torej finančno prednost v primerjavi z drugimi družbami, ki so dejavne na istih terminskih trgih.
That advantage constitutes State aid for the Fund.
Ta prednost je državna pomoč v dobro sklada.
None of the provisions of Article 87 of the EC Treaty or the guidelines which the Commission has adopted for assessing State aid schemes allows it to be regarded as compatible with the common market.
Po nobeni določbi člena 87 Pogodbe ES ali smernic, ki jih je sprejela Komisija za analizo shem državne pomoči, je ni mogoče šteti za združljivo s skupnim trgom.
In addition, as a result of this activity, the FPAP’s member fisheries undertakings can buy fuel at reduced prices.
Po drugi strani pa zaradi te dejavnosti ribiška podjetja, ki so člani FPAP, lahko kupujejo gorivo po nižjih cenah.
This constitutes aid which results in a reduction of running costs for the undertakings covered by the Fund.
To pomeni pomoč, katere učinek je zmanjšanje tekočih stroškov podjetij, ki prejemajo pomoč iz sklada.
However, in accordance with paragraph 3.7 of the Guidelines for the examination of State aid to fisheries and aquaculture [3], this type of operating aid, which is not accompanied by any obligation, must normally be regarded as being incompatible with the common market.
Vendar pa se mora v skladu z odstavkom 3.7 Smernic za pregled državnih pomoči za ribištvo in ribogojstvo [3] taka pomoč za delovanje, ki je odobrena brez kakršne koli obveznosti, običajno šteti za nezdružljivo s skupnim trgom.
Regarding compensation for fisheries undertakings of part of the costs incurred in the purchase of fuel
Nadomestilo, ki ga prejmejo ribiška podjetja za del stroškov nakupa goriva
Here also, the aid results in a reduction of running costs for the FPAP’s member undertakings.
Tudi tu gre za pomoč, katere učinek je zmanjšanje tekočih stroškov podjetij, ki so člani sklada.
In the same way, none of the provisions of Article 87 of the EC Treaty or the guidelines which the Commission has adopted for assessing State aid schemes allows it to be regarded as compatible with the common market.
Prav tako je ni mogoče šteti za združljivo s skupnim trgom po nobeni določbi člena 87 Pogodbe ES ali smernicah, ki jih je sprejela Komisija za analizo shem državne pomoči.
Likewise, in accordance with paragraph 3.7 of the guidelines for the fisheries sector, this type of operating aid, which is not accompanied by any obligation, must be regarded as being incompatible with the common market.
Enako se mora v skladu z odstavkom 3.7 Smernic za pregled državnih pomoči za ribištvo in ribogojstvo taka pomoč za delovanje, ki je odobrena brez kakršne koli obveznosti, šteti za nezdružljivo s skupnim trgom.
In view of all the information in its possession, the Commission took the view that there were serious doubts about the compatibility with the common market of this aid scheme, which benefits both the FPAP itself and its member fisheries undertakings.
Glede na vse podatke, ki jih ima Komisija, je ta ocenila, da obstaja resen dvom o združljivosti tega ukrepa pomoči s skupnim trgom, ki so ga hkrati deležni FPAP in ribiška podjetja, ki so člani tega sklada.
COMMENTS MADE BY FRANCE AND THE PARTIES CONCERNED
PRIPOMBE FRANCIJE IN ZAINTERESIRANIH STRANK
Comments made by France
Pripombe Francije
The comments made by France are set out in the reply of 21 April 2006.
Francija je svoje pripombe predstavila v odgovoru z dne 21. aprila 2006.
After that date no additional remark was made on the arguments developed by the FPAP and MQA.
Nato ni imela nobenih dodatnih pripomb na argumente FPAP in odvetniške pisarne MQA.
France points out that the Commission’s analysis should concentrate on the nature of and the conditions for granting the advance authorised by the State and not on FPAP’s activities.
Francija trdi, da bi se morala analiza Komisije osredotočiti na naravo in pogoje dodelitve predplačila, ki ga je odobrila država, in ne na dejavnosti FPAP.
In this respect it observes that:
V tem smislu ugotavlja, da:
the applicable rates are higher than the reference rates laid down by the Commission to establish the existence of State aid in soft loans,
so obrestne mere, ki se uporabljajo, višje od referenčnih mer, ki jih je sprejela Komisija za določanje obstoja državne pomoči pri preferencialnem posojilu,
the scheme cannot be regarded as State aid as long as the repayment deadlines have not passed.
te intervencije ni mogoče opredeliti kot državno pomoč, dokler ne poteče rok za povračilo.
In this respect France points out that these deadlines were set at 1 November 2006, 1 May 2007 and 1 July 2007 respectively,
Francija glede tega opozarja, da so bili ti roki določeni za 1. novembra 2006, 1. maja 2007 in 1. julija 2007,
the Commission’s argument, according to which no bank would have granted such an advance to the FPAP, has no foundation, because guarantee mechanisms could have been introduced.
argument Komisije, da nobena bančna ustanova FPAP ne bi odobrila takega predplačila, ni utemeljen, saj bi lahko bili vzpostavljeni mehanizmi jamstva.
France also points out that the FPAP is the only French trade organisation made up of fisheries undertakings with the objective of acting on the oil futures market and that membership of the Fund is free.
Poleg tega Francija poudarja, da je FPAP edina francoska strokovna organizacija, ki združuje ribiška podjetja, njen namen je delovati na terminskem naftnem trgu, članstvo v njej pa je prostovoljno.
The Commission also notes that, in the list of defensive points enclosed with its reply (see recital 12 of this Decision), France indicates that ‘it does not appear necessary to point out that it was decided to pay an advance of EUR 12 million, since to date the agreement has not been signed. Nevertheless, we should not box ourselves into a corner.
Komisija na koncu pripominja, da Francija v utemeljitvi, priloženi k svojemu odgovoru (glej uvodno izjavo 12 te odločbe), navaja, da „ne bi bilo treba navajati odločitve za izplačilo predplačila 12 milijonov EUR, ker do tega dne sporazum ni bil podpisan, vendar pa tudi ne smemo zaiti v slepo ulico.
It is proposed that it should be pointed out that this is being considered’.
Predlagamo, da se navede, da se zadeva preučuje“.
Comments made by the FPAP
Pripombe FPAP
The Commission received several letters from MQA with various contents and sent in a disordered fashion (see details at recital 13 of this Decision), which may be summarised as follows: a statement under the Coopération Maritime letterhead dated 18 May 2006 signed by the Secretary-General of the FPAP, and additional comments by MQA on behalf of the FPAP, accompanied by a number of documents relating to the operation of the FPAP (articles of association, rules of procedure, information notes, tax treatment of contributions, and a letter relating to a joint audit by the Inspectorate-General for Finance and the Inspectorate-General for Agriculture and Fisheries).
Komisija je od odvetniške pisarne MQA prejela več dopisov z različno vsebino, poslani so bili brez pravega reda (glej podrobnosti v uvodni izjavi13 te odločbe) in jih lahko strnemo tako: dopis z glavo Coopération Maritime, datiran z 18. majem 2006, ki ga je podpisal generalni sekretar FPAP, in dodatne pripombe odvetniške pisarne MQA v imenu sklada s priloženim nizom dokumentov v zvezi z njegovim delovanjem (statut, navodila za uporabo, obvestila, davčno obravnavanje prispevkov, skupno pismo o nameri Generalnega inšpektorata za finance in Generalnega inšpektorata za kmetijstvo in ribištvo).
An analysis of the documents received from MQA shows that the FPAP endorses the arguments made by France, pointing out that one cannot prejudge ‘the pure and simple cancellation of the debt on its expiry date’ as long as no repayment default has been established.
Iz analize dokumentov, prejetih od odvetniške pisarne MQA, izhaja, da se FPAP pridružuje utemeljitvi Francije, ki pravi, da ni mogoče vnaprej sklepati „na čisto in preprosto oprostitev dolga, ki mu je potekel rok za odplačilo“, dokler ni ugotovljeno nobeno neizpolnjevanje pri povračilu.
On the other issues, unlike France, the FPAP concentrates its arguments not on the nature of and the conditions for granting the aid, but on the Fund’s articles of association and its activities.
Glede drugega pa FPAP, v nasprotju s Francijo, svojo utemeljitev osredotoča na statut in dejavnosti sklada in ne na naravo in pogoje odobritve pomoči.
The main arguments put forward by the FPAP to dispute the claim that the advances granted by France constitute State aid and are incompatible with the common market may be summarised as follows:
Usmeritve, ki jih je FPAP sprejel za izpodbijanje narave državne pomoči predplačil, ki jih je odobrila francoska država, ali nezdružljivosti pomoči s skupnim trgom, je mogoče povzeti, kot sledi:
the FPAP is not an ordinary economic operator, because it is a trade association acting exclusively in the interest of its members with no profit motive and set up as a ‘prevention group’.
FPAP ni navaden gospodarski subjekt, ker gre za strokovno združenje, ki deluje v izključnem interesu svojih članov, brez namena ustvarjanja dobička, in se je oblikoval kot „skupina za preprečevanje“.
Thus, when it organises the pooling of risks with a compensation system based on a reference price, it is not acting as an ordinary commercial operator, ‘but as a union of consumers of petroleum products seeking more to protect themselves against the market that to operate on it’.
Kadar torej zagotavlja skupni prevzem tveganj s sistemom nadomestil glede na referenčno ceno, naj ne bi deloval kot navaden gospodarski subjekt, „ampak kot združevalec potrošnikov naftnih proizvodov, ki se bolj poskušajo zaščititi pred trgom kot na njem posredovati“.
Initially it was designed to be self-sufficient in theory since it was envisaged that contributions paid in but not used could be reimbursed.
Teoretično je bil prvotno zasnovan kot samozadosten organ, ker je bilo predvideno vračilo plačanih, a ne uporabljenih prispevkov.
The FPAP also points to the total transparency of its management: in this respect, since it does not carry out any economic activity for its own account, it cannot have any impact on the relevant futures market.
Poleg tega FPAP vztraja na popolni preglednosti svojega upravljanja; ker ne opravlja nobene gospodarske dejavnosti za svoj račun, ne bi mogel izpeljati ustreznega terminskega posla.
The FPAP also points out that a joint audit is carried out by the Inspectorate-General for Finance and the Inspectorate-General for Agriculture and Fisheries,
FPAP navaja tudi skupno revizijo Generalnega inšpektorata za finance in Generalnega inšpektorata za kmetijstvo in ribištvo,
the FPAP does not act on a relevant market, because the market in fishery products is exposed to numerous other distortions of competition resulting from the various national policies for implementing the common fisheries policy.
FPAP naj ne bi deloval na ustreznem trgu, ker bi bil trg ribiških proizvodov izpostavljen številnim drugim izkrivljanjem konkurence, ki izhajajo iz različnih nacionalnih politik izvajanja skupne ribiške politike.
The market must therefore be seen as a ‘mosaic of regional micro-markets’.
Trg bi zato morali označiti kot „mozaik regionalnih mikrotrgov“.
This intervention therefore does not affect trade conditions.
Ta intervencija naj torej ne bi spreminjala pogojev trgovine.
The FPAP also points out that the assessment of competition must be seen in context because a major part of the increase in and distortion of the costs affecting the fishing industry is due to ‘tolls’ or ‘penalties’ resulting in particular from Community measures, which is far from the image of a large, open market.
Poleg tega FPAP navaja, da je treba konkurenco podrobneje razdelati, ker naj bi velik delež povečanja in izkrivljanja stroškov v ribištvu temeljil na „pristojbinah“ ali „denarnih kaznih“, ki izvirajo predvsem iz ukrepov Skupnosti, kar v ničemer ne ustreza vidiku širokega odprtega trga.
In fact, the FPAP’s intervention is aimed at facilitating the maintenance of fishing within a regional framework and preventing deep-sea vessels from falling back on closer grounds or trawlers from targeting more specific and less energy-consuming fisheries.
Namen intervencije FPAP bi bil dejansko olajšati ohranjanje ribištva v regionalnem okviru in preprečiti plovilom za odprto morje, da bi lovili v bližje dostopnih morjih, ter plovilom z vlečno mrežo, da se usmerijo na bolj specifičen in manj energetsko potraten ribolov.
Its aim is to protect resources, maintain balance and safeguard the diversity of the system by means of a phase of adaptation.
Namen sklada naj bi bil zaščititi vire, ravnotežja in raznovrstnost sistema z obdobjem prilagajanja.
In this way, the FPAP anticipated the recovery and restructuring plans and the planned raising of the ceiling for de minimis aid.
Tako naj bi FPAP že predvidel načrte za reševanje in prestrukturiranje ter predvideno zvišanje zgornje meje pomoči de minimis.
For these reasons, the FPAP puts forward the following arguments:
Zato FPAP navaja naslednje argumente:
it is not accurate to say that the advances granted by the State were without any conditions attaching. On the contrary, they ‘were subject to the condition that there was immediate transparent management above all that a sustainable policy was laid down which was subject to general inspection’,
napačno bi bilo trditi, da so bila predplačila države odobrena brez pogojev, ker so bila nasprotno „pogojena s takojšnjim preglednim upravljanjem (in) predvsem z opredelitvijo trajnostne politike, katere določitev je pod splošnim inšpekcijskim nadzorom“,