natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
The aid was therefore granted unlawfully.
Pomoč je bila torej dodeljena nezakonito.
As the measure in question thus constitutes State aid, it is necessary to assess its compatibility with the internal market.
Ker pomeni zadevni ukrep državno pomoč, je treba oceniti njegovo združljivost z notranjim trgom.
Assessment of the measure pursuant to Article 107(2) and (3) TFEU
Ocena ukrepa glede na člen 107(2) in (3) PDEU
The Commission considers that the exemptions listed in Article 107(2) TFEU are not applicable in this case, since the measures in question were clearly not intended to achieve the objectives defined therein.
Komisija meni, da se odstopanja iz člena 107(2) PDEU v obravnavanem primeru ne uporabljajo, ker zadevni ukrepi očitno niso namenjeni ciljem, opredeljenim v teh določbah.
Nor does the aid satisfy the conditions for the exemption established in Article 107(3)(a) TFEU, since it was not intended to promote the development of the areas that were eligible for this provision.
Pomoč prav tako ne izpolnjuje pogojev, določenih z odstopanjem iz člena 107(3)(a) PDEU, ker ni bila namenjena pospeševanju razvoja območij, ki bi lahko bila upravičena do navedene določbe.
The exemption provided for in Article 107(3)(b) concerning the promotion of the execution of an important project of common European interest cannot be applied in this case either, since the aid in question was not intended to promote this kind of project.
V tem primeru tudi ni mogoče uporabiti odstopanja iz člena 107(3)(b) PDEU v zvezi s pospeševanjem izvedbe pomembnega projekta skupnega evropskega interesa, saj zadevni ukrep ni bil namenjen pospeševanju tovrstnega projekta.
Since the aid was also not intended to remedy a serious disturbance in the French economy, the exemption in the second part of Article 107(3)(b) is not applicable in the case in point.
Ker pomoč ni bila namenjena niti odpravljanju resne motnje v gospodarstvu države članice, se za obravnavani primer ne uporablja niti odstopanje iz drugega dela člena 107(3)(b) PDEU.
The Commission must therefore look into the applicability of Article 107(3)(c) and (d) TFEU (former Article 87(3)(c) and (d) EC).
Komisija mora torej presoditi, ali se člen 107(3)(c) in (d) PDEU uporablja (prejšnji člen 87(3)(c) in (d) ES).
Given the judgment of the Court of First Instance of 15 April 2008, a distinction must be made between the aid granted after the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union (1 November 1993) and that granted before its entry into force, to which the substantive rules in effect during the period in question must be applied.
Ob upoštevanju sodbe Sodišča prve stopnje z dne 15. aprila 2008 je treba razlikovati med pomočmi, izplačanimi po začetku veljavnosti Pogodbe o Evropski uniji (po 1. novembru 1993), ter pomočmi, ki so bile izplačane pred tem začetkom veljavnosti in za katere je treba uporabiti materialna pravila, ki so veljala v zadevnem obdobju.
To this end, the Commission takes note of the fact that the grant awarded the previous year was paid to CELF at the start of the year, the balance being awarded in the following autumn, after the authorities had examined the provisional budget of the recipient firm and the flows recorded in the first part of the financial year.
Komisija v zvezi s tem ugotavlja, da je bila četrtina subvencije, odobrene prejšnje leto, zadrugi CELF izplačana na začetku leta, preostanek pa ji je bil dodeljen jeseni, potem ko so javni organi preučili predlog proračuna podjetja prejemnika in nihanja, evidentirana v prvem delu poslovnega leta.
If the amount of aid was not fully utilised, the balance would be deducted from the planned grants for the following year.
Če znesek pomoči ni bil porabljen v celoti, so se preostale vsote odštele od subvencij, predvidenih za naslednje leto.
The Commission therefore considers that the aid paid in 1993 should be assessed according to the legal rules applicable prior to the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union.
Komisija torej meni, da je treba pomoč, izplačano za leto 1993, oceniti na podlagi pravnih pravil, ki so se uporabljala pred začetkom veljavnosti Pogodbe o Evropski uniji.
Assessment of the aid pursuant to Article 107(3)(d) TFEU
Ocena pomoči glede na člen 107(3)(d) PDEU
Article 107(3)(d) TFEU (former Article 87(3)(d) EC) states that ‘Aid to promote culture and heritage conservation where such aid does not affect trading conditions and competition in the Union to an extent that is contrary to the common interest may be considered to be compatible with the internal market’.
Člen 107(3)(d) PDEU (prejšnji člen 87(3)(d) ES) določa, da se „[k]ot združljiv[a] z notranjim trgom […] lahko šteje […] pomoč za pospeševanje kulture in ohranjanja kulturne dediščine, kadar takšna pomoč ne škoduje trgovinskim pogojem in konkurenci v Uniji v obsegu, ki je v nasprotju s skupnimi interesi“.
It is therefore necessary to verify whether the aid paid to CELF between 1994 and the end of 2001 did indeed have a cultural purpose and whether it affected trading conditions and competition in the European Union to an extent that was contrary to the common interest or not.
Treba je torej preveriti, ali so pomoči, ki so bile zadrugi CELF izplačane od leta 1994 do konca leta 2001, dejansko imele kulturni cilj in ali so škodovale trgovinskim pogojem in konkurenci v Evropski uniji v obsegu, ki je v nasprotju s skupnimi interesi, ali ne.
Cultural purpose
Kulturni cilj
In that connection, the Court finds also that the information available to the Commission when it adopted its decision, including the facts contained in the letter from the applicant’s legal adviser of 7 September 1992, was capable of supporting its assessment that that aim was a real and proper one.
V zvezi s tem Sodišče prve stopnje ugotavlja tudi, da so bili podatki, ki so bili na voljo Komisiji, ko je sprejela Odločbo, vključno s podatki iz dopisa zastopnika tožeče stranke z dne 7. septembra 1992, taki, da so podpirali njeno presojo glede resničnosti in legitimnosti tega cilja.
Accordingly, the Court must conclude that determining the aim of the aids at issue did not pose any particular difficulties for the Commission and that it was not necessary for it to obtain further information in order to accept that their purpose was cultural.’
V teh okoliščinah je treba ugotoviti, da presoja cilja spornih pomoči za Komisijo ni pomenila posebnih težav in da ji ni bilo treba pridobiti drugih podatkov za priznanje kulturne narave tega cilja.“
The French authorities stated that the aid at issue had a cultural purpose consisting of encouraging the distribution of French-language books in non-French-speaking countries.
Francoski organi so namreč navedli, da imajo zadevne pomoči kulturni cilj, ki vključuje spodbujanje razširjanja del v francoskem jeziku v nefrankofonskih državah.
It was thus a proactive policy aimed at safeguarding and encouraging cultural diversity at the international level.
To je bila torej premišljena politika za ohranjanje in spodbujanje kulturne raznolikosti na mednarodni ravni.
The preservation and promotion of cultural diversity are among the founding principles of the European model.
Ohranjanje in spodbujanje kulturne raznolikosti pa sta med temeljnimi načeli evropskega modela.
They are set out in Article 167(1) TFEU (former Article 151(1) EC). ‘The Union shall contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore’, and again in Article 167(4), which states that ‘The Union shall take cultural aspects into account in its action under other provisions of this Treaty, in particular in order to respect and to promote the diversity of its cultures’.
Vključeni sta v člen 167(1) PDEU (prejšnji člen 151(1) ES): „Unija prispeva k razcvetu kultur držav članic, pri čemer upošteva njihovo nacionalno in regionalno raznolikost ter hkrati postavlja v ospredje skupno kulturno dediščino“, in člen 167(4), ki določa: „Unija pri svoji dejavnosti na podlagi drugih določb Pogodb upošteva kulturne vidike, zlasti zaradi spoštovanja in spodbujanja raznolikosti svojih kultur.“
The Commission considers, therefore, that the aid granted to CELF by the French authorities for marketing French-language works did indeed pursue a cultural purpose.
Komisija torej meni, da so imele pomoči, ki so jih francoski organi dodelili zadrugi CELF, da bi zagotovili razširjanje del v francoskem jeziku, kulturni cilj.
The criterion of affecting trading conditions and competition in the Union to an extent that is contrary to the common interest
Merilo škodovanja trgovinskim pogojem in konkurenci v Uniji v obsegu, ki je v nasprotju s skupnimi interesi
The Commission must verify whether the measures in question were really necessary and proportional in relation to the cultural policy objective pursued by the French authorities.
Komisija mora torej preveriti, ali so bili zadevni ukrepi dejansko nujni in sorazmerni glede na cilj kulturne politike, ki so si ga prizadevali doseči francoski organi.
By way of introduction, it should be recalled that, in line with the above-cited judgment of the Court of First Instance of 28 February 2002, the measures at issue must be considered within the context of the export agency market for French-language books.
Najprej je treba opozoriti, da je treba v skladu z zgoraj navedeno sodbo Sodišča prve stopnje z dne 28. februarja 2002 zadevne ukrepe presojati na trgu izvoznega posredništva za knjige v francoskem jeziku.
Firstly, the need for the aid must be questioned.
Prvič, presoditi je treba, ali je pomoč nujna.
According to the French authorities, the measures were designed in 1980, by the Ministry of Culture, at a time when certain actors in the industry (Groupe Hachette and Messageries du livre) wanted to quit the export agency market.
Po navedbah francoskih organov je ministrstvo za kulturo ukrepe zasnovalo leta 1980, ko so nekateri akterji v stroki (skupina Hachette in Messageries du livre) želeli zapustiti trg izvoznega posredništva.
According to the French authorities, the disputed mechanism was introduced to encourage operators to become involved in the market, so that all orders for French-language books from bookshops in non French-speaking areas could be met.
Kot navajajo francoski organi, je bil sporni mehanizem uveden, da se spodbudi vključevanje gospodarskih subjektov na trg, da bi bilo mogoče izpolniti vsa naročila knjig v francoskem jeziku, ki jih oddajo knjigarne na nefrankofonskih območjih.
This ensured that French-language books could reach all bookshops, including the very smallest in far distant countries, even if they only needed a few books, and often, moreover, published by different publishers.
To je zagotavljalo, da so lahko knjige v francoskem jeziku dosegle vse knjigarne, vključno z najmanjšimi v oddaljenih državah, tudi če so potrebovale le nekaj knjig, ki so jih poleg tega pogosto izdali različni založniki.
For its part, SIDE indicated that, particularly in the context of the comments it sent following the decision extending the procedure, the aid in question was not necessary.
Po drugi strani je družba SIDE v okviru pripomb, ki jih je poslala po odločitvi o podaljšanju postopka, navedla, da zadevna pomoč ni bila nujna.
Whilst it is true that some actors had withdrawn from the export agency business in 1980, SIDE recalls that it was precisely at this time that it was itself created to intervene on the market.
Čeprav je res, da so nekateri akterji leta 1980 opustili posredniško dejavnost, družba SIDE opozarja, da je bila sama prav takrat ustanovljena za vključitev na trg.
Moreover, SIDE contests the fact that CELF had the specific activity of processing small orders.
Poleg tega nasprotuje dejstvu, da je imela zadruga CELF posebno dejavnost obdelave majhnih naročil.
In particular, SIDE questions the figures provided by the French authorities and considers that data for CELF and SIDE with regard to proportion, each company’s respective turnover, number of invoices and number of order lines were, in fact, quite similar.
Družba SIDE zlasti spodbija podatke o številkah, ki so jih predložili francoski organi, ter meni, da so si podatki v zvezi z zadrugo CELF in družbo SIDE o deležu glede na njun zadevni promet, število računov in število vrstic naročil precej podobni.
More broadly, SIDE questions the notion of ‘small orders’ as defined by the French authorities.
Splošneje družba SIDE spodbija pojem „majhna naročila“, kot so ga opredelili francoski organi.
According to SIDE, this notion is arbitrary as the cost of processing an order does not depend on its amount but on the number of lines.
Po njenem mnenju naj bi bil ta pojem samovoljen, saj stroški obdelave naročila niso odvisni od njegovega zneska, ampak od števila vrstic naročila.
The Commission considers that there is no need to draw a definitive conclusion with regard to the need for the aid since the conditions of need and proportionality are cumulative and it will be concluded in recital (123) that the condition of proportionality is not shown to be fulfilled.
Komisija meni, da ni treba dokončno odločiti o vprašanju nujnosti pomoči, ker sta pogoja nujnosti in sorazmernosti kumulativna in ker bo v uvodni izjavi 121 ugotovljeno, da izpolnitev pogoja sorazmernosti ni dokazana.
Secondly, the Commission considers that the impact on trade within the European Union and distortion of competition caused by the measure are very low, given in particular the amounts in question, the very low substitutability of books in the French language and those of another language, and the considerable gap existing between the volume of French-language books exported to non-French-speaking countries from France, on the one hand, and Belgium and Luxembourg, on the other.
Drugič, Komisija ugotavlja, da sta vpliv na trgovino v Evropski uniji in izkrivljanje konkurence, ki ju je povzročil ukrep, zelo majhna, pri čemer je treba upoštevati zadevne zneske ukrepa, dejstvo, da so knjige v francoskem jeziku in knjige v drugih jezikih težko zamenljive, ter precejšnjo razliko med količino knjig v francoskem jeziku, ki jih v nefrankofonske države izvažajo iz Francije po eni strani ter Belgije in Luksemburga po drugi strani.
More specifically, with regard to the export agency market for books in French, the Commission notes that, as part of their export agency activity, CELF and SIDE distribute books in non-French-speaking countries and territories.
Natančneje, Komisija glede trga izvoznega posredništva za knjige v francoskem jeziku navaja, da zadruga CELF in družba SIDE v okviru svoje dejavnosti izvoznega posredništva distribuirata knjige v nefrankofonske države in na nefrankofonska ozemlja.
In French-speaking countries, the local market is covered by large publishers through their subsidiaries or representatives.
V frankofonskih državah namreč lokalni trg pokrivajo veliki založniki s podružnicami ali zastopniki.
The export agency has only a very marginal role, therefore, in the French-speaking markets, which are, however, the main outlets for books in French.
Izvozno posredništvo ima torej zgolj zelo postransko vlogo na frankofonskih trgih, ki pa so glavni trgi za knjige v francoskem jeziku.
In the national export agency market for French-language books, there are general agents such as SIDE and CELF and, to a lesser extent, specialist agents who also sell, on a very small scale, directly to end users and who would therefore in some way be in competition with the two general agents, along with a certain number of bookshops servicing orders for foreign bookshops and online booksellers even on an occasional basis, whose activity was, however, relatively low at the time of the measures in question.
Na nacionalnem trgu izvoznega posredništva za knjige v francoskem jeziku so prisotni splošni posredniki, kot sta družba SIDE in zadruga CELF, in nekaj specializiranih posrednikov, ki v zanemarljivem obsegu prodajajo tudi neposredno končnim uporabnikom in so zato nekoliko konkurenčni obema splošnima posrednikoma, ter določeno število knjigarn, ki izpolnjujejo naročila tujih knjigarnarjev in spletnih knjigarn, čeprav samo občasno, in katerih dejavnost je bila med zadevnimi ukrepi razmeroma omejena.
In the relevant market, the complainant was therefore the main operator affected by the disputed measures.
Pritožnik je bil na zadevnem trgu torej glavni gospodarski subjekt, ki so mu sporni ukrepi škodovali.
On the one hand, the French authorities state that the Small Orders Programme was in principle accessible to any firm applying, provided it accepted the conditions on which the aid was granted.
Po eni strani francoski organi trdijo, da je bil program v zvezi z majhnimi naročili načeloma dostopen vsakemu podjetju, ki bi zaprosilo zanj, če bi sprejelo pogoje v zvezi z dodelitvijo pomoči.
They state that the Ministry of Culture’s rejection of SIDE in 1991 was justified by SIDE’s refusal to submit to the required obligation of transparency in order to benefit from the said aid.
Navajajo, da je bila odločitev ministrstva za kulturo leta 1991 o zavrnitvi družbe SIDE upravičena, ker družba SIDE ni hotela izpolniti zahteve po preglednosti, ki je bila pogoj za pridobitev navedenih pomoči.
On the other hand, SIDE indicated that the French authorities’ rejection was linked to the fact that it was a private company and not a publishing cooperative.
Po drugi strani je družba SIDE navedla, da so se francoski organi odločili za zavrnitev, ker je bila zasebno podjetje, ne založniška zadruga.
Moreover, in 1996, following the annulment of the Commission Decision of 18 May 1993, the Ministry of Culture, wishing to put an end to the proceedings, pointed out to SIDE that the aid scheme for small orders was not by nature reserved for CELF.
Poleg tega je ministrstvo za kulturo, ki je želelo končati postopek, leta 1996 po ugotovitvi ničnosti Odločbe Komisije z dne 18. maja 1993 družbo SIDE opozorilo, da program pomoči za majhna naročila ni po naravi namenjen izključno za zadrugo CELF.
By letter dated 3 September 1996, the Ministry offered the company a meeting to examine whether it was able to provide, under the same conditions of transparency, the same services as CELF.
V dopisu z dne 3. septembra 1996 ji je predlagalo, da bi na srečanju preučili, ali je sposobna zagotavljati enake storitve, kot jih zagotavlja zadruga CELF, pod enakimi pogoji preglednosti.
During a meeting on 26 September 1996, SIDE executives told the Ministry of Culture that they refused to benefit from a programme whose compatibility with Community law could be called into question by the Commission.
Na srečanju, ki je potekalo 26. septembra 1996, je vodstvo družbe SIDE ministrstvo za kulturo obvestilo, da ne želi uporabljati programa, katerega združljivost s pravom Skupnosti bi Komisija lahko spodbijala.
In any case, the elements mentioned above in recitals (103) et seq. seem to indicate that the impact on trading conditions and competition in the European Union on the part of the measures in question was relatively limited.
Vsekakor se zdi, da je iz elementov, navedenih v uvodni izjavi 101 in naslednjih, razvidno, da so zadevni ukrepi razmeroma omejeno škodovali trgovinskim pogojem in konkurenci v Evropski uniji.
In order to establish if the measure is proportional, however, the Commission must also compare, thirdly, the amount of aid received with the costs borne by CELF in achieving the purpose pursued by the French authorities.
Tretjič, vendar pa mora Komisija za ugotovitev, ali je ukrep dejansko sorazmeren, primerjati tudi znesek prejetih pomoči s stroški, ki jih je imela zadruga CELF, da bi dosegla cilj, za katerega so si prizadevali francoski organi.
To this end, the different stages in the orders handling process must be recalled, and on which the different parties agree:
V zvezi s tem je treba opozoriti na različne faze postopka obdelave naročil, glede katerih se stranki strinjata:
receipt of the bookseller’s order form;
prejem naročilnice knjigarnarja;
encoding of the order;
kodifikacija naročila;
inputting of the order;
prevzem naročila;
allocation of space (‘compartment’) to each customer for storage of the books ordered;
dodelitev fizičnega prostora za vsako stranko, „predal“, v katerem so shranjene naročene knjige;
packaging.
pakiranje.
According to the French authorities, CELF bore certain costs linked to the processing of ‘small orders’.
Po navedbah francoskih organov je zadruga CELF krila nekatere stroške, povezane z obdelavo „majhnih naročil“.
The French authorities consider that, within the export agency market, some orders generate extra costs such that the service cannot be profitable.
Po mnenju francoskih organov ustvarjajo nekatera naročila na trgu izvoznega posredništva dodatne stroške, in sicer take, da storitev ne more biti donosna.
The French authorities stated that they had taken the threshold of FRF 500 (EUR 76,22) as the definition of a ‘small order’ and that this threshold had been empirically determined.
Francoski organi so navedli, da so za opredelitev „majhnega naročila“ izbrali prag 500 FRF (76,22 EUR) in da je bil ta prag določen empirično.
They explained that some orders of less than FRF 500 might be profitable, whereas others, above that amount, might not.
Pojasnili so, da so lahko nekatera naročila, manjša od 500 FRF, donosna, medtem ko druga, višja od tega zneska, niso.
The objective was to find an economically acceptable solution, so that CELF wanted to take on small orders even if they were not profitable enough.
Cilj je bil najti ekonomsko sprejemljivo metodo, da bi bila zadruga CELF pripravljena prevzeti majhna naročila, čeprav ne dovolj donosna.
As the Commission indicated in its decision extending the procedure, it is for the French authorities, in the context of analysing compatibility, to establish the amount and veracity of costs borne by CELF.
Kot je Komisija navedla v odločitvi o podaljšanju postopka, morajo francoski organi v okviru analize združljivosti določiti znesek in resničnost stroškov, ki jih je imela zadruga CELF.
In this regard, in its decision extending the procedure, the Commission asked the French authorities to provide a certain number of elements in order to be able to draw conclusions from the judgment of the Court of First Instance and rule on the proportionality of the aid.
V zvezi s tem je Komisija v odločitvi o podaljšanju postopka od francoskih organov zahtevala, naj ji predložijo nekatere podatke, da bi lahko oblikovala sklepe na podlagi sodbe Sodišča prve stopnje in odločila o sorazmernosti pomoči.
The Commission asked, in particular, for the following information:
Komisija je zahtevala, naj ji predložijo zlasti naslednje:
sufficient justification of the reasons why the data relating to costs linked to small orders was not available for the different years in question and sufficient demonstration of the reasons why an extrapolation solely on the basis of 1994 was considered acceptable;
dovolj utemeljene razloge, zaradi katerih podatki o stroških, povezani z majhnimi naročili, niso bili na voljo za različna zadevna leta, in zadosten dokaz v zvezi z razlogi, zaradi katerih bi bila lahko sprejemljiva ekstrapolacija samo na podlagi leta 1994,
data enabling consideration of actual costs (and not mere estimates) for the processing of small orders in 1994 (at least for some cost categories) and possible sufficient justification of the reasons why an estimate of the costs on the basis of the total costs incurred by CELF was considered acceptable;
podatke, ki omogočajo upoštevanje dejanskih stroškov (in ne preprostih ocen) obdelave majhnih naročil leta 1994 (vsaj za nekatere kategorije stroškov), in morebitne dovolj utemeljene razloge, zaradi katerih je bila ocena teh stroškov na podlagi skupnih stroškov zadruge CELF sprejemljiva,
convincing methods for apportioning costs that would enable part of the total costs to be allocated to small order processing, and which could in particular be applied to each cost category during the whole period in question;
prepričljive ključe porazdelitve stroškov, na podlagi katerih je mogoče del skupnih stroškov pripisati obdelavi majhnih naročil in ki jih je zlasti mogoče uporabiti za vsako kategorijo stroškov v celotnem zadevnem obdobju,