natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Since the aid authorised by the Commission for investments was based on a permitted maximum rate of public financing of 35 % of their costs (45 % in less-favoured areas), or 40 % to 55 %, depending on circumstances, from 1 January 2000, the Commission had to conclude in its decision to initiate the examination procedure that the level of aids granted under the PMPOA did not appear to tally with the aid rate it authorised and so all public funding granted above the authorised ceilings constituted a State aid incompatible with the Treaty.
Ker so pomoči, ki jih je Komisija odobrila za naložbe, temeljile na dovoljeni stopnji javnega financiranja do največ 35 % stroškov navedenih naložb (45 % na območjih z omejenimi možnostmi), ali 40 do 55 %, odvisno od primera, od 1. januarja 2000 dalje, je Komisija v odločbi o začetku preiskovalnega postopka morala ugotoviti, da se obseg pomoči, dodeljenih v okviru programa PMPOA, ne ujema s stopnjo pomoči, ki jo je odobrila Komisija, in da naj bi zato vsako javno financiranje, odobreno nad dovoljenimi zgornjimi mejami, pomenilo državno pomoč, ki ni združljiva s Pogodbo.
Having examined the information provided by the French authorities, the Commission had doubts as to the compatibility with the common market of the aid for investments financed under the PMPOA during the period 1994-2000, in particular in respect of the aid amounts which had been granted in excess of the authorised aid rates of 35 % or 45 %.
Potem ko je Komisija preučila podatke, ki so jih predložili francoski organi, je podvomila o združljivosti pomoči za naložbe, ki so se v obdobju med letoma 1994 in 2000 financirale v okviru programa PMPOA, s skupnim trgom, zlasti kar zadeva zneske pomoči, ki so se lahko dodelili s preseganjem dovoljene 35- oziroma 45-odstotne stopnje.
For that reason the Commission initiated the procedure provided for in Article 88(2) of the Treaty.
Zaradi tega je Komisija sprožila postopek iz člena 88(2) Pogodbe.
The Commission also concluded that the aid rate used by the French authorities for arranging for the holding analyses was in compliance with the applicable competition rules.
Komisija je tudi ugotovila, da je bila stopnja pomoči, ki so jo uporabili francoski organi za izvedbo analize gospodarstva, v skladu z veljavnimi pravili o konkurenci.
COMMENTS SUBMITTED BY FRANCE
PRIPOMBE, KI JIH JE PREDLOŽILA FRANCIJA
By letter of 21 June 2001 the French authorities submitted their comments on the Commission’s decision to initiate the Article 88(2) procedure against the notified aid.
Francoski organi so s pismom z dne 21. junija 2001 predložili svoje pripombe o odločitvi Komisije, da bo proti prijavljeni pomoči sprožila postopek iz člena 88(2) Pogodbe.
The French authorities noted the Commission’s legal opinion on the public nature of the aid from the water supply agencies.
Francoski organi so upoštevali pravno pojasnilo Komisije o javnem značaju pomoči od agencij za vodo.
The authorities stated that the French government was planning to revise Act No 64/1245 of 16 December 1964 on water resources and their distribution and controlling their pollution, which defined the underlying principles of the operation of the water supply agencies for the purpose of in future submitting to Parliamentary vote the rules for calculating water charges and the guidelines for financial assistance programmes by the agencies.
Po podatkih teh organov francoska vlada predvideva revizijo zakona št. 64/1245 z dne 16. decembra 1964 o ureditvi in razdelitvi voda ter boju proti onesnaževanju, ki zlasti opredeljuje temeljna načela delovanja agencij za vodo, da se bodo načini za izračunavanje dajatev in usmeritve programov finančne pomoči agencij v prihodnosti predložili v glasovanje v Parlamentu.
Nevertheless the French authorities believed that the provisions of Article 12(5) of Regulation (EEC) No 2328/91, subsequently Article 12(3)(d) of Council Regulation (EC) No 950/97 on improving the efficiency of agricultural structures could have been used to exceed the intensities of 35 % and 45 %.
Francoski organi kljub temu menijo, da bi se za preseganje 35- in 45-odstotnih stopenj lahko uporabile določbe člena 12(5) Uredbe (EGS) št. 2328/91 ter člena 12(3)(d) Uredbe Sveta (ES) št. 950/97 z dne 20. maja 1997 o izboljšanju učinkovitosti kmetijskih struktur.
They stated that those provisions allowed for the prohibition of the aids and the limitations on exceeding the rates to be waived in the case of certain investments, including those for environmental protection purposes.
Te določbe po mnenju francoskih organov omogočajo, da se za nekatere naložbe, med katerimi so naložbe za varstvo okolja, ne uporabijo prepovedi pomoči in omejitve preseganja teh stopenj.
With regard to the impact on competition of the involvement of the water supply agencies in the PMPOA, the French authorities believed that the agencies were not unjustifiably favouring a specific national sector for the following reasons: The investments were non-productive so, even at high aid rates, they were a burden on the finances of the farms and placed the farmers concerned in a disadvantageous position compared to those not carrying out such investments.
Francoski organi o vplivu udeležbe agencij za vodo k programu PMPOA na konkurenco menijo, da le-te ne dajejo neupravičeno prednosti določenemu nacionalnemu sektorju iz naslednjih razlogov. Gre za neproizvodne naložbe, ki kljub zvišanim stopnjam pomoči obremenjujejo gospodarnost kmetijskih gospodarstev in zadevne rejce postavljajo v neugoden položaj v primerjavi s tistimi, ki ne opravijo takih naložb.
The latter were by far the more numerous in France.
Takih je sicer daleč največ v Franciji.
It was the French authorities’ opinion that the distortion of competition would therefore generally be to the detriment of the farmers concerned and not to their benefit.
Francoski organi menijo, da bi tako prihajalo do splošnega izkrivljanja konkurence v škodo zadevnih rejcev in ne v njihovo korist.
The French authorities stated that if there were a distortion of competition with in the light of Article 87 of the Treaty it could only by comparison with farmers in other Member States who had carried out similar work, but with financial aid limited to 35 %, or 45 % in less-favoured areas.
Francoski organi menijo, da bi lahko do izkrivljanja konkurence glede na člen 87 Pogodbe lahko prišlo samo pri rejcih v drugih državah članicah, ki bi izvedli podobna dela, vendar s finančnimi pomočmi do stopnje največ 35 ali 45 % na območjih z omejenimi možnostmi.
They stated that the existence of such a distortion could really only be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Po njihovem mnenju bi se lahko stvarnost takega izkrivljanja ocenila le za vsak primer posebej.
The French authorities pursued their argument by claiming that the actual aid rates applied to such work varied substantially from one farmer to the next depending on the precise rules for applying the programme.
Francoski organi nadaljujejo svoje razmišljanje in trdijo, da se dejanske uporabljene stopnje pomoči za taka dela precej razlikujejo od enega rejca do drugega ob upoštevanju podrobnih pogojev za uporabo programa.
They explained that the rates were very generally much lower than 60 % if they were calculated using the value of the aid expressed as a percentage of the amount of the investment, in accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2328/91 and Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 950/97.
Organi pojasnjujejo, da so te stopnje ponavadi precej nižje od 60 %, če jih izračunamo tako, da vzamemo vrednost pomoči, izražene v odstotkih zneska naložbe, v skladu s členom 7(2) Uredbe (EGS) št. 2328/91 in členom 7(2) Uredbe (ES) št. 950/97.
According to the French authorities, the rules for applying the aid granted by the State as communicated to the Commission define the general framework for applying the programme.
Po mnenju francoskih organov podrobni pogoji za uporabo pomoči, ki jih odobri država in se priglasijo Komisiji, opredeljujejo splošni okvir za uporabo programa.
The water supply agencies decided to adopt the same list of eligible works but the aid ceilings were not always the same.
Agencije za vodo so na drugi strani sprejele enak seznam del, ki izpolnjujejo pogoje za odobritev pomoči, vendar pa zgornje vrednosti pomoči niso vedno enake.
For instance, technical limits (in m2 of covered exercise area, for example) were added locally, both for the aid from the agencies and for that from the State or local authorities, and those limits often reduced the financeable portion of the eligible works.
Poleg tega so bile tu in tam dodane tehnične omejitve (na primer v m2 talnih površin ograd), tako za pomoči agencij kot za pomoči države ali lokalnih skupnosti, in sicer omejitve, ki pogosto znižajo del za financiranje upravičenih del.
Lastly, certain water supply agencies applied an overall ceiling on the aid by amount of nitrogen per livestock unit (UGBN).
Ne nazadnje bi se za nekatere agencije za vodo lahko prav tako uvedla splošna zgornja vrednost osnove pomoči na „dušik, ki ga proizvede glava velike živine“ (GVŽ-N).
Thus, as a result of the different ceilings the actual aid rate granted, relative to the expenditure agreed by the farmer for the eligible works, is, according to the French authorities, always in practice lower than the maximum rates permitted under the programme.
Tako je zaradi teh različnih zgornjih vrednosti dejanska stopnja dodeljene pomoči, v primerjavi z izdatki, ki jih rejec nameni za upravičena dela, po mnenju francoskih organov vedno praktično nižja od najvišjih dovoljenih stopenj v programu.
The French authorities explained that during work on improving environmental effectiveness some farmers carried out modernisation work.
Francoski organi so pojasnili, da nekateri rejci med deli, potrebnimi za izboljšanje okoljske učinkovitosti, izvedejo tudi modernizacijska dela.
The latter was not eligible and did not therefore receive aid under the PMPOA.
Ta dela ne izpolnjuje pogojev za odobritev pomoči in tako niso upravičena do pomoči v okviru programa PMPOA.
In the cattle rearing sector, which represented 80 % of the total number of farms eligible under the PMPOA, the actual average aid rate was quite low, often between 35 % and 50 %, and also varied greatly according to production method.
V govedoreji, ki predstavlja 80 % števila farm, upravičenih do programa PMPOA, bi bila dejanska povprečna stopnja prej nižja, najpogosteje med 30 in 35 %, in sicer zelo različno glede na sisteme proizvodnje.
That was the result of a large variety of effluent — liquid, solid and most often mixed — and therefore of effluent storage in terms of both its nature (slurry or dung pits) and its capacity, and because of that investments in storage, land concreted-over and coverage for exercise areas were subject to technical limits or particularly low financial ceilings.
Razlog za to sta velika raznolikost vrst iztrebkov, tekočin, snovi v trdnem stanju in najpogosteje mešanic ter torej uskladiščenja, tako po vrsti (gnojišča, greznice) kot po zmogljivosti, in dejstvo, da za te naložbe v skladiščenje ter betonirane površine in strehe hlevskih ograd veljajo še posebej nizke tehnične ali finančne omejitve.
In intensive pig and poultry farms waste storage capacity was usually adequate to cope with periods when spreading was banned.
Na prašičjih in perutninskih farmah brez zemljišč so obstoječe skladiščne zmogljivosti za odplake večinoma zadovoljive glede na obdobja prepovedi gnojenja.
In that case works consisted in re-sealing the pits or existing concrete surfaces or in installing bi-phase supply systems, reducing pollution at source in pig farms and improving the management of droppings in poultry farms.
Dela tako zajemajo obnovitev neprepustnosti obstoječih skladiščnih prostorov ali betoniranih površin ali namestitev dvofaznih napajalnih sistemov, ki na prašičjih farmah zmanjšajo onesnaževanje pri viru ali na perutninskih farmah izboljšajo ravnanje z iztrebki.
According to the French authorities, a study covering 20000 dossiers in the Loire-Bretagne water supply region showed that the average aid rate was 40 %.
Po trditvah francoskih organov študija o 20000 spisih v porečju agencije za vodo Loara–Bretanja kaže, da je povprečna stopnja pomoči 40 %.
Some of those dossiers related to new structures built under the programme in cases where for various reasons it was felt inappropriate to carry out the recommended works on existing buildings.
En del teh spisov je povezan z novimi zgradbami, zgrajenimi v okviru programa, kadar je bilo iz različnih razlogov ocenjeno, da je neprimerno izvesti predlagana dela na obstoječih poslopjih.
In such cases the actual aid rate was, in the examples shown in Table 2, always well below those rates — column (a) indicating what the cost of the environmental works would have been had the buildings been preserved.
V teh primerih je dejanska stopnja pomoči v primerih v tabeli 2 še vedno veliko nižja od teh stopenj – stolpec (a) kaže, kakšen bi bil strošek izvedbe okoljevarstvenih del, če bi se poslopja ohranila.
Work on existing buildings and new structures could also be carried out on the same farm.
Na istem gospodarstvu se lahko izvedejo dela na obstoječih poslopjih in novih zgradbah.
Lastly, if it was necessary to make the comparison on a case-by-case basis, the French authorities felt that farmers paying an annual charge to a water supply agency should under all circumstances be excluded from the scope of the comparison.
In na koncu, če bi bilo treba narediti primerjavo od primera do primera, bi bilo treba po mnenju francoskih organov rejce, ki agenciji za vodo plačujejo letno dajatev, v skrajnem primeru izključiti iz področja primerjave v okviru člena 87 Pogodbe.
Examples of actual aid rates for upgrading work under the PMPOA
Primeri dejanskih stopenj pomoči za uskladitev s standardi v okviru programa PMPOA
(in FRF [21]
(zneski v FRF [21])
Farm type
Vrsta farme
Improvements needed
Potrebne izboljšave
Total amount for works (a)
Skupna vrednost del (a)
Eligible amount for works (b)
Vrednost upravičenih del
Amount approved: State (c)
Priznani znesek: država (c)
Amount approved: water agency (d)
Priznani znesek: agencija za vodo (d)
Total aid (e)
Pomoč skupaj (e)
Actual rate (e/b)
Dejanska stopnja (e/b)
Mixed farm:
Mešana farma:
Mixed farm: 450 fatstock pigs, 84 fatstock and dairy cattle, or 115 UGBN
Mešana farma: 450 prašičev, 84 goved za prirejo mesa in mleko ali 115 GVŽ N
147 sows, 27 boars, 1840 fatstock pigs, or 223 UGBN
147 svinj, 27 merjascev, 1840 pitancev ali 223 GVŽ N
242000 laying poultry, or 1128 UGBN
242000 perutnine za razmnoževanje, ali 1128 GVŽ N
Droppings removal and drying installation.
Naprava za odtok in sušenje iztrebkov
Examples of actual aid rates in the case of the construction of new buildings
Primeri dejanskih stopenj pomoči v primeru gradenj novih zgradb
(in FRF)
(zneski v FRF)
Type of farm
Vrsta farme
Estimated cost of old buildings (a)
Ocenjeni strošek na starih zgradbah (a)
Total amount for works (b)
Skupna vrednost del (b)
80 dairy cows and replacements, or 123 UGBN
80 krav molznic in obnova staleža, ali 123 GVŽ N
75 sucklers and replacements, or 116 UGBN
75 krav dojilj in obnova staleža, ali 116 GVŽ N
Introduction: Article 87(1) of the Treaty
Uvod: člen 87(1) Pogodbe
Article 87(1) of the Treaty states: ‘Save as otherwise provided in this Treaty, any aid granted by a Member State or through State resources in any form whatsoever which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods shall, in so far as it affects trade between Member States, be incompatible with the common market.’
V členu 87(1) Pogodbe je navedeno, da „razen če [ta] pogodba ne določa drugače, je vsaka pomoč, ki jo dodeli država članica, ali kakršna koli vrsta pomoči iz državnih sredstev, ki izkrivlja ali bi lahko izkrivljala konkurenco z dajanjem prednosti posameznim podjetjem ali proizvodnji posameznega blaga, nezdružljiva s skupnim trgom, če prizadene trgovino med državami članicami“.
Articles 87 to 89 of the Treaty were made applicable to the pigmeat sector by Article 21 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2759/75 on the common organisation of the market in pigmeat.
Členi 87 do 89 Pogodbe so se v sektorju prašičjega mesa začeli uporabljati s členom 21 Uredbe Sveta (EGS) št. 2759/75 z dne 29. oktobra 1975 o skupni ureditvi trga za prašičje meso.
In the beef and veal sector they were made applicable by Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 on the common organisation of the market in beef and veal.
V sektorju govejega mesa so se začeli uporabljati s členom 40 Uredbe Sveta (ES) št. 1254/99 z dne 17. maja 1999 o skupni ureditvi trga za goveje in telečje meso.
Prior to the adoption of the latter, they were made applicable in that sector by Council Regulation (EEC) No 805/68 on the common organisation of the market in beef and veal.
Pred sprejetjem slednje so se v istem sektorju uporabljali v skladu s členom 24 Uredbe Sveta (EGS) št. 805/68 z dne 27. maja 1968 o skupni ureditvi trga za goveje in telečje meso.
In the poultrymeat sector they were made applicable by Article 19 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2777/75 on the common organisation of the market in poultrymeat.
V sektorju perutninskega mesa so se začeli uporabljati s členom 19 Uredbe Sveta (ES) št. 2777/75 z dne 29. maja 1975 o skupni tržni ureditvi za perutninsko meso.
Existence of a selective advantage financed by State funds
Obstoj selektivne prednosti, ki se financira iz državnih sredstev
The nature of the aid must be established for each agricultural holding having carried out investments under the PMPOA.
Kar zadeva naravo pomoči, jo je treba določiti na ravni kmetovalcev, ki so izvedli naložbe v okviru programa PMPOA.
The Commission believes that the funding of the PMPOA has conferred a selective advantage on French farmers.
Komisija meni, da je financiranje iz PMPOA dalo francoskim kmetom selektivno prednost.
The Commission believes that, contrary to the claims of the French authorities in their comments, the non-productive nature of the investments does not cancel out the impact of the advantage of the aid in purely financial terms, since it takes over a cost normally incurred by the beneficiary, thus placing the latter at an advantage vis-à-vis competitors who do not receive such aid.
Komisija meni, da – nasprotno, kar trdijo francoski organi v svojih pripombah – neproduktivna narava naložb pomoči ne odvzema prednostnega učinka v čisto gospodarskem smislu, saj prevzema strošek, ki ga običajno krije upravičenec, kar ga postavlja v ugodnejši položaj v primerjavi s tekmeci, ki take pomoči ne prejemajo.
Moreover, even assuming that such non-productive investment could initially be a financial burden on the farms by, according to the French authorities, placing the farmers in question at a disadvantage by comparison with those not carrying out such investments, it is no less true that those investments comply with a precise legal obligation and that, in the end, all the farmers concerned must carry out such an investment in order to avoid committing an infringement.
Tudi ob domnevi, da bi lahko take neproduktivne naložbe sprva bremenile gospodarnost kmetijskih gospodarstev, saj bi po mnenju francoskih organov zadevne rejce postavljale v neugoden položaj v primerjavi s tistimi rejci, ki ne opravijo takih naložb, je prav tako res, da te naložbe izpolnjujejo točno določeno pravno obveznost in da bodo morali sčasoma vsi zadevni rejci opraviti to vrsto naložbe, da se ne bi znašli v položaju kršitve.
Impact on trade
Vpliv na trgovino
In order to establish whether the aid which is the subject of this Decision falls within the scope of Article 87(1) of the Treaty we must firstly establish whether it is likely to affect trade between the Member States.
Če želimo ugotoviti, ali pomoč, ki je predmet te odločbe, spada v področje uporabe člena 87(1) Pogodbe, je treba nazadnje ugotoviti, ali je verjetno, da bo prizadela trgovino med državami članicami.
The Court of Justice has ruled that when an advantage granted by a Member State strengthens the position of an undertaking compared with undertakings competing in intra-Community trade the latter must be regarded as affected by that advantage.
Sodišče je ugotovilo, da se šteje, da je na določeno vrsto podjetij vplivala prednost, ki jim jo je dala določena država članica, kadar se z njo okrepi njihov položaj v primerjavi z drugimi konkurenčnimi podjetji v trgovini med državami članicami Skupnosti.
It appears that the aid which is the subject of this Decision is likely to affect trade between Member States in so far as it favours national production to the detriment of production in other Member States.
Zdi se, da bi pomoči, ki so predmet te odločbe, lahko prizadele trgovino med državami članicami, če dajejo prednost nacionalni proizvodnji posameznega blaga na škodo proizvodnje v drugih državah članicah.
The sectors in question are particularly open to competition at a Community level and therefore highly sensitive to any measure in favour of production in one or other Member State.
Zadevni sektorji so izredno odprti za konkurenco na ravni Skupnosti in tako zelo občutljivi za vsak ukrep v korist proizvodnje v eni ali drugi državi članici.
Table 3 shows trade between France and the other Member States in the products concerned during the first year after the PMPOA entered into force.
Tabela 3 kaže obseg trgovine med Francijo in drugimi državami članicami za zadevne proizvode v prvem letu po začetku veljavnosti programa PMPOA.
France/EU 11
Francija/EU-11
Beef and veal
Goveje meso
Imports — 1994
Uvoz leta 1994
ECU million
Mio. ECU
Exports — 1994
Izvoz leta 1994
Conclusions on the nature of the aid within the meaning of Article 87(1) of the Treaty
Sklepne ugotovitve o naravi pomoči v smislu člena 87(1) Pogodbe
The measures examined in this Decision constitute State aid within the meaning of the Treaty because they provide beneficiaries with a financial advantage from which other sectors cannot benefit.
Ukrepi, preučeni v tej odločbi, se štejejo med državne pomoči v smislu Pogodbe, saj upravičencem dajejo gospodarsko prednost, do katere drugi sektorji niso upravičeni.
Consequently, the Commission concludes that the measures fall within the scope of Article 87(1) of the Treaty.
Zaradi tega je Komisija sklenila, da ti ukrepi sodijo v okvir člena 87(1) Pogodbe.
The illegality of the aids in question
Nezakonitost zadevnih pomoči
Article 1(f) of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 defines unlawful aid as new aid put into effect in contravention of Article 88(3) of the Treaty.
Člen 1(f) Uredbe (ES) št. 659/1999 nezakonito pomoč opredeljuje kot novo pomoč, ki se izvaja v nasprotju s členom 88(3) Pogodbe.
In accordance with Article 1(c) of that Regulation the term new aid covers all aid, that is to say aid schemes and individual aid, which is not existing aid, including alterations to existing aid.
V skladu s členom 1(c) navedene uredbe pojem nove pomoči pomeni vsako pomoč, to je sheme pomoči ali individualno pomoč, ki ni veljavna pomoč, vključno s spremembami veljavne pomoči.
Any aid scheme authorised by the Commission to which major modifications are subsequently made — in this case, relating to the involvement of a public body in the financing of the aid notified to the Commission significantly altering the financing key and, therefore, the aid rate — constitutes a new aid which must be notified to, and authorised by, the Commission within the meaning of Article 88 of the Treaty.
Vsaka shema pomoči, ki jo Komisija odobri, v katero so se naknadno vnesle večje spremembe – v tem primeru v zvezi z udeležbo javnega organa pri financiranju pomoči, priglašene Komisiji, s čimer se občutno spremeni ključ financiranja in posledično intenzivnost pomoči –, pomeni novo pomoč, ki jo je treba Komisiji priglasiti v smislu člena 88 Pogodbe in ki jo mora ta odobriti.