natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Given that the PMU was an EIG, it was only an offshoot of the horse racing companies, which were both horse-race betting operators and horse-race organisers.
Ker je PMU interesno gospodarsko združenje, naj bi bilo to samo pojavna oblika družb za prirejanje konjskih dirk, ki naj bi bile sočasno ponudnice stav in organizatorke konjskih dirk.
The distinction between both of these activities was artificial.
Razlikovanje med tema dejavnostma naj bi bilo umetno.
Consequently, the levy was equivalent to forcing online betting operators to finance their rival, which was a clear distortion of competition between horse-race betting operators.
Posledično bi namenska dajatev privedla do tega, da bi ponudniki spletnih stav morali financirati svojega konkurenta, kar bi bilo očitno izkrivljanje konkurence med ponudniki stav na konjske dirke.
Clear error of assessment regarding the new SGEI
Očitna napaka pri presoji glede nove SSGP
According to the interested parties, the French authorities had committed a manifest error in considering the activities of the horse racing companies to be an SGEI.
Po mnenju deležnikov so francoski organi storili očitno napako pri presoji, ko so dejavnosti družb za prirejanje konjskih dirk opredelili kot SSGP.
In particular, there had been no national debate prior to the creation of that SGEI and no specific explanation by the Council of State as to the need for its creation.
Zlasti naj pred vzpostavitvijo te SSGP ne bi bilo nacionalne razprave niti posebne utemeljitve Conseil d'État v zvezi s potrebo po taki vzpostavitvi.
On the contrary, on several occasions in the past, the Council of State had formally concluded that the organisation of horse races was not an SGEI [24] and, more generally, the framework chosen by France for the horse-race sector for more than a century now had not included any public service dimension.
Nasprotno, Conseil d'État naj bi v preteklosti večkrat ugotovilo, da prirejanje konjskih dirk ni SSGP, [24] in splošneje, Francija naj bi že pred več kot stoletjem določila strukturo sektorja konjskih dirk brez kakršne koli razsežnosti javne službe.
In the opinion of the interested parties, the objective in opening up the online gambling market was to support the PMU's policy of commercial expansion, a policy that was somewhat inconsistent with the concepts of general interest and public service, by allowing it, in particular, to diversify its activities into sports betting and online poker.
Po mnenju deležnikov naj bi bil namen odprtja trga spletnih iger podpirati ekspanzionistično poslovno politiko združenja PMU, ki je precej v nasprotju s pojmom splošnega pomena in javne službe, ter mu tako omogočiti zlasti razširitev njegovih dejavnosti na športne stave in spletni poker.
Necessity of the measure
Nujnost ukrepa
The interested parties expressed doubts about the risk, suggested by the French authorities to justify the measure, of a decrease in the PMU's revenues caused either by competition from other horse-race betting operators or by a cannibalisation of horse-race betting by sports betting.
Deležnika sta izrazila pomisleke glede tveganja, s katerim francoski organi utemeljujejo ukrep, in sicer upada prihodkov združenja PMU, ki bi ga lahko povzročila bodisi konkurenca drugih ponudnikov stav na konjske dirke bodisi zmanjšanje števila stav na konjske dirke zaradi športnih stav.
They considered this risk to be insignificant because:
Menita namreč, da to tveganje ni veliko, saj naj:
In 2010, the Internet turnover of the PMU had increased by 39 % overall and by 10 % for online horse-race betting.
bi se spletni promet združenja PMU leta 2010 skupno povečal za 39 %, pri spletnih stavah na konjske dirke pa za 10 %.
Thanks to the opening-up to competition, the PMU had been able to enter the online poker and sports betting markets and thereby expand its customer base.
Zaradi odprtja konkurenci naj bi se združenje PMU lahko začelo ukvarjati s spletnim pokrom in športnimi stavami ter naj bi tako razširilo svoj krog strank.
Its profits had grown by 18 % in 2010.
Njegov dobiček naj bi se leta 2010 povečal za 18 %;
According to the French competition authority (Autorité de la Concurrence), the PMU dominated the online horse-race betting market with an 85 % share of the market and was by far the dominant player in the market if one included the monopoly on brick-and-mortar betting.
bi po podatkih francoskega organa za konkurenco združenje PMU prevladovalo na trgu spletnih stav na konjske dirke s 85-odstotnim tržnim deležem in naj bi imelo izjemno prevladujoč položaj, če se upošteva monopol nad fizičnimi stavami.
It was also the market leader when sports betting was included, with a market share of between 40 % and 55 %.
Prav tako naj bi bilo vodilno pri športnih stavah, kjer naj bi imelo od 40- do 55-odstotni tržni delež;
There was no substitutability between sports betting and horse-race betting because the required expertise, age categories and incomes of the players as well as the bets offered by the operators were very different.
športne stave ne bi mogle nadomestiti stav na konjske dirke, saj naj bi bili zahtevano strokovno znanje, starostne kategorije in prihodki igralcev ter ponudba stav zelo različni.
Moreover, there was no need for the measure because the PMU's monopoly on brick-and-mortar betting allowed it to:
Poleg tega naj nujnost ukrepa ne bi bila dokazana, saj naj bi monopol nad fizičnimi stavami združenju PMU omogočal, da:
offer gamblers a higher payout ratio, through the gamblers' winnings, than online betting operators;
vplačnikom stav ponudi višjo kvoto razdelitve vplačil v obliki dobitkov igralcev, kot jo lahko ponudniki spletnih stav;
take advantage of its network of 10000 sales outlets and the revenues generated by this network to finance and promote its online activities.
svojo mrežo 10000 prodajnih mest in prihodke, ki jih ustvari z njo, izkoristi za financiranje in promocijo svojih spletnih dejavnosti.
Level of the parafiscal levy and calculation of the expenditure needing to be financed
Višina parafiskalne dajatve in izračun stroškov, ki se financirajo
The interested parties argued that, in so far as the French authorities had not presented a clear budget for the expenditure that needed to be financed, the levy was not intended to cover the costs of the public service mission.
Deležnika sta trdila, da cilj namenske dajatve ni kriti stroške naloge javne službe, saj francoski organi niso predložili jasnega proračuna izdatkov.
Moreover, the levy financed activities which did not directly benefit online horse-race betting organisers.
Poleg tega naj bi se z dajatvijo financirale dejavnosti, ki naj ne bi koristile neposredno ponudnikom spletnih stav na konjske dirke.
Even if there were grounds for imposing a levy of that kind, the rate of 8 % proposed by the French authorities was excessive when compared with the betting levy paid by sports betting operators to the sports federations, which was of the order of 1 % of stakes.
Tudi če bi bila uvedba take dajatve lahko upravičena, naj bi bila 8-odstotna stopnja, ki so jo predlagali francoski organi, nesorazmerna v primerjavi s pristojbino za stave, ki jo ponudniki športnih stav plačajo športnim zvezam in znaša 1 % vložkov.
Discrimination based on the origin of horses
Diskriminacija na podlagi porekla konj
Some interested parties pointed out that, among the premiums and allowances distributed by the PMU, some breeders' premiums were reserved for horses born in France.
Deležnika sta poudarila, da naj bi bile pri premijah in nadomestilih, ki jih razdeljuje združenje PMU, nekatere premije za rejce pridržane za konje, skotene v Franciji.
Such a state of affairs infringed the principle of non-discrimination set out in Article 110 TFEU.
To naj bi bilo v nasprotju z načelom prepovedi diskriminacije iz člena 110 PDEU.
One interested party mentioned other measures from which the PMU was said to benefit:
En deležnik je navedel še druge ukrepe, ki naj bi koristili združenju PMU:
The transitional measure of the 8 % levy on online betting stakes, in combination with the reduction in the tax rate on all brick-and-mortar and online horse-race bets, favoured the PMU and was tantamount to circumventing the effects of the opening decision taken by the Commission.
s prehodnim ukrepom naložitve 8-odstotne dajatve na vplačila spletnih stav na konjske dirke v povezavi z znižanjem davka na vse fizične in spletne stave na konjske dirke naj bi se prednost dajala združenju PMU, s čimer naj bi se izognili učinkom odločitve o začetku postopka, ki jo je sprejela Komisija.
While online operators, including the PMU for its online activities, paid the 8 % levy, the PMU did not pay it for its brick-and-mortar activities.
Medtem ko namreč spletni ponudniki, vključno z združenjem PMU kot ponudnikom spletnih dejavnosti, plačujejo 8-odstotno dajatev, združenje PMU take dajatve ne plačuje za dejavnosti fizičnih stav.
Moreover, the PMU gained a greater advantage than other operators from the 1,1 % reduction in the tax rate because of the volume of its brick-and-mortar betting business.
Poleg tega ima združenje PMU zaradi obsega svoje dejavnosti prirejanja fizičnih stav večje koristi od 1,1-odstotnega znižanja davka kot drugi ponudniki;
The PMU and the horse racing companies were exempt from the tax on profits.
združenje PMU in družbe za prirejanje konjskih dirk naj bi bili oproščeni davka od dobička;
The French competition authority had pointed to several PMU practices that could be deemed an abuse of a dominant position [25].
francoski organ za konkurenco naj bi izpostavil več ravnanj združenja PMU, ki bi lahko pomenila zlorabo prevladujočega položaja.
These included the use by the PMU of the same trademark (the PMU trademark) for its monopolistic and its competitive activities, the use of certain generic names (tiercé, trio, etc.) to identify certain types of bet, and the launch of the PMU card used to gather data on customers placing brick-and-mortar bets.
Med temi naj bi bili dejstvo, da združenje PMU uporablja isto znamko (znamko PMU) za svoje monopolne in konkurenčne dejavnosti, uporaba nekaterih generičnih imen (trojček, trio itd.) za opredelitev nekaterih vrst stav in uvedba kartice združenja PMU, ki omogoča zbiranje podatkov o strankah, ki vplačujejo fizične stave.
These data could then be used to draw customers into online betting.(90) It should be pointed out that this Decision concerns only the compatibility of the measure notified by France in favour of the horse racing companies.
Ti podatki naj bi se nato lahko uporabili za pridobitev strank za spletne stave.(90) Navesti je treba, da se ta sklep nanaša samo na združljivost ukrepa, ki ga je Francija priglasila v korist družb za prirejanje konjskih dirk.
It does not in any way prejudge the future position of the Commission on the additional objections mentioned in recital (89) above.
Nikakor ne vpliva na prihodnje stališče Komisije do dodatnih očitkov, navedenih v zgornji točki 89 obrazložitve tega sklepa.
FRANCE'S COMMENTS ON THE COMMENTS BY THE INTERESTED PARTIES
7 STALIŠČA FRANCIJE DO PRIPOMB DELEŽNIKOV
France submitted its comments on the comments by the interested parties on 4 April 2011.
Francija je stališča do pripomb deležnikov predložila 4. aprila 2011.
In these comments, the French authorities essentially referred to the comments they sent on 18 January 2011.
Francoski organi se v njih večinoma sklicujejo na pripombe, ki so jih poslali 18. januarja 2011.
However, the French authorities emphasised the following points:
Vseeno so vztrajali pri naslednjih točkah:
The PMU had lost about 15 % of its online market share in 2010, which demonstrated that the risk of a loss in revenues for the equine sector was real.
združenje PMU naj bi leta 2010 izgubilo približno 15 % spletnega tržnega deleža, kar naj bi potrjevalo resničnost tveganja izgube prihodkov za konjeniško dejavnost;
The opinion of the competition authority was unrelated to the present case.
mnenje organa za konkurenco naj ne bi bilo povezano s to zadevo;
France's policy in the area of gambling essentially dealt with social and public policy objectives and not with economic or commercial objectives.
s politiko Francije na področju iger na srečo naj bi se uresničevali predvsem družbeni cilji in cilji javnega reda, in ne gospodarski ali poslovni cilji.
AMENDMENT OF THE NOTIFICATION BY FRANCE
8 SPREMEMBA PRIGLASITVE S STRANI FRANCIJE
On 29 April 2013 the French authorities submitted to the Commission an amendment to their initial notification.
Francoski organi so 29. aprila 2013 Komisiji predložili spremembo svoje prvotne priglasitve.
The plan was that the system introduced by this amended notification should be implemented from 1 January 2014, subject to the prior consent of the Commission.
Predvideli so, da bi se mehanizem, uveden z njo, začel izvajati s 1. januarjem 2014, če ga bo predhodno odobrila Komisija.
The French authorities also undertook to submit a report to the Commission on the implementation of the new system, two years after the planned entry into force of these measures on 1 January 2014.
Francoski organi so se tudi zavezali, da bodo Komisiji predložili poročilo o izvajanju novega mehanizma, in sicer dve leti po začetku veljavnosti teh ukrepov, predvidenem za 1. januar 2014.
Description of the new system
Opis novega mehanizma
The French authorities no longer present the measure for the financing of horse racing as compensation for a public service entrusted to the horse racing companies.
Francoski organi ukrepa financiranja konjskih dirk ne predstavljajo več kot nadomestilo za opravljanje javne službe, zaupane družbam za prirejanje konjskih dirk.
Consequently, the doubts expressed by the Commission on the SGEI classification attributed to the activities of the horse racing companies, as well as the possibility of authorising the measure on the basis of Article 106(2) TFEU, are rendered irrelevant.
Posledično so na podlagi spremenjene priglasitve pomisleki, ki jih je Komisija izrazila glede opredelitve dejavnosti družb za prirejanje konjskih dirk za SSGP in glede možnosti odobritve ukrepa na podlagi člena 106(2) PDEU, brezpredmetni.
The new system is presented as aid to an economic sector, namely the horse racing and equine industry, based on the common interest that the PMU and competing online horse-race betting operators have in organising horse races on which bets are placed.
Novi mehanizem je predstavljen kot pomoč gospodarskemu sektorju, v tem primeru konjeniški dejavnosti, na podlagi skupnega interesa, ki ga združenje PMU in konkurenčni ponudniki spletnih stav na konjske dirke povezujejo s prirejanjem konjskih dirk, za katere se sprejemajo stave.
Consequently, the calculation of the level of the tax to be levied on all online horse-race betting operators takes into account only compensation for the costs of organising races that also benefit all online horse-race betting operators (hereinafter referred to as 'common interest costs').
Višina dajatve, naložena vsem ponudnikom spletnih stav na konjske dirke, se zato izračuna zgolj ob upoštevanju nadomestila stroškov, povezanih s prirejanjem dirk, ki enako koristijo vsem ponudnikom spletnih stav na konjske dirke (v nadaljnjem besedilu: stroški skupnega interesa).
Compared with the measure envisaged in the initial notification, the new system reduces the level of the costs to be financed by the revenues generated by the parafiscal levy.
V primerjavi z ukrepom, predvidenim v prvotni priglasitvi, je v novem mehanizmu znižana višina stroškov, ki jih je treba financirati s prihodki, ustvarjenimi s parafiskalno dajatvijo.
The French authorities have calculated that the rate of the levy would be no greater than 5,6 % (calculated for the year 2012 on the basis of the financial data from the year 2010), whereas it could have come to 8 % on the basis of the system envisaged in the initial notification (see recital (113)).
Francoski organi so namreč izračunali, da naj bi bila stopnja dajatve največ 5,6 % (izračunana za leto 2012 na podlagi finančnih podatkov za leto 2010), medtem ko bi na podlagi mehanizma, predvidenega v prvotni priglasitvi, lahko znašala 8 % (glej točko 113 obrazložitve tega sklepa).
Premium races and non-premium races
Dirke s stavami in dirke brez stav
In order to determine the common interest costs (see recital (97)), the French authorities make a distinction between premium races (on which bets are placed) [26] and non-premium races (on which no bets are placed).
Francoski organi za določitev stroškov skupnega interesa (glej točko 97 obrazložitve tega sklepa) uvajajo razlikovanje med dirkami s stavami (za katere se sprejemajo stave) [26] in dirkami brez stav (za katere se stave ne sprejemajo).
Given that betting, and particularly online betting, takes place only for premium races, the French authorities consider that it is logical to equate the common interest costs with the costs connected with organising premium races.
Ker stave in zlasti spletne stave obstajajo samo za dirke s stavami, francoski organi menijo, da je logično stroške skupnega interesa povezati s stroški, povezanimi s prirejanjem dirk s stavami.
The French authorities use the ratio of horses participating in premium races to divide up some of the horse racing parent companies' fixed costs between premium and non-premium races.
Francoski organi za razdelitev nekaterih fiksnih stroškov matičnih družb za konjske dirke med dirke s stavami in dirke brez stav uporabijo delež konjev, ki tekmujejo na dirkah s stavami.
The breakdown for each horse racing parent company is set out in Table 2 below:
Razdelitev za vsako matično družbo za konjske dirke je prikazana v spodnji preglednici 2.
Number of horses starting in premium and non-premium races
Število konj, sodelujočih na dirkah s stavami in dirkah brez stav
Cheval français (harness)
Cheval français (kas)
France Galop (flat and jump)
France Galop (galop in zapreke)
Total horses starting
Skupno število sodelujočih konj
Number of premium horses starting
Število konj, sodelujočih na dirkah s stavami
Number of non-premium horses starting
Število konj, sodelujočih na dirkah brez stav
Identification of the common interest costs and calculation of the levy rate
Opredelitev stroškov skupnega interesa in izračun stopnje dajatve
Identification of the common interest costs
Opredelitev stroškov skupnega interesa
The common interest costs identified by the French authorities on the basis of the financial data from the year 2010 are presented below by cost category:
Stroški skupnega interesa, ki so jih francoski organi opredelili na podlagi finančnih podatkov za leto 2010, so predstavljeni v nadaljevanju po kategorijah stroškov:
The incentives (EUR 493 million in 2010) consist in the distribution by the horse racing parent companies of premiums and allowances payable to breeders, owners and jockeys in relation to the horses entered in races by the horse racing companies.
Spodbude (493 milijonov EUR leta 2010) vključujejo premije in nadomestila, ki jih matični družbi za konjske dirke razdelita rejcem, lastnikom in džokejem v razmerju glede na konje, ki jih družbe za prirejanje konjskih dirk uvrstijo na konjske dirke.
The French authorities propose to incorporate the incentives corresponding to premium races in the common interest costs.
Francoski organi predlagajo, naj se v stroške skupnega interesa vključijo spodbude, povezane z dirkami s stavami.
Organisation costs borne by the horse racing parent companies
Stroški organizacije, ki jih nosita matični družbi za konjske dirke
The horse racing parent companies' organisation costs (EUR […] [27] in 2010) are composed of their head office running costs, their staff and marketing costs, the running costs and staff costs of their race courses, and the depreciation costs associated with the maintenance and building of race courses.
Stroški organizacije, ki jih nosita matični družbi za konjske dirke ([…] [27] EUR leta 2010), ustrezajo stroškom delovanja njunega sedeža, osebja in trženja, delovanja njunih hipodromov in osebja na njih ter stroškom amortizacije, povezanim z vzdrževanjem in gradnjo hipodromov.
These costs are included by the French authorities in the calculation of the common interest costs only if they can be attributed to the organisation of premium races.
Francoski organi vključijo te stroške v izračun stroškov skupnega interesa samo, če jih je mogoče pripisati organizaciji dirk s stavami.
Some costs which by nature benefit only the horse racing companies (marketing costs) are excluded in full, while others such as head office costs are distributed according to the ratio of horses entered in premium races.
Nekateri stroški, ki po naravi koristijo samo družbam za prirejanje konjskih dirk (stroški trženja), so v celoti izključeni, drugi stroški, kot so stroški sedeža, pa so razdeljeni glede na delež konjev, ki tekmujejo na dirkah s stavami.
Ultimately, the French authorities place EUR […] (or approximately […] % of the parent companies' total organisation costs) of common interest costs in this category.
Nazadnje, francoski organi v tej kategoriji upoštevajo […] EUR stroškov skupnega interesa (kar je približno […] % skupnega zneska stroškov organizacije, ki jih nosita matični družbi).
Organisation costs borne by provincial horse racing companies
Stroški organizacije, ki jih nosijo regionalne družbe za prirejanje konjskih dirk
The total costs borne by the 230 provincial horse racing companies for organising races came to EUR […] in 2010. The French authorities include in the common interest costs only EUR […] (or approximately […] of the total organisation costs borne by the provincial horse racing companies), corresponding to the costs connected with the premium races organised by 49 of them.
Skupni stroški, ki jih je z organizacijo konjskih dirk imelo 230 regionalnih družb za prirejanje konjskih dirk, so leta 2010 znašali […] EUR. Francoski organi v stroške skupnega interesa vključijo samo […] EUR (kar je približno […] skupnega zneska stroškov organizacije, ki jih imajo regionalne družbe za prirejanje konjskih dirk), kar ustreza stroškom, povezanim z dirkami s stavami, ki jih prireja 49 od teh družb.
Costs of recording and broadcasting racing events
Stroški snemanja in prenašanja konjskih dirk
The horse racing parent companies finance the recording and broadcasting of live premium racing action made available to online gambling operators.
Matični družbi za konjske dirke financirata snemanje in neposredni prenos dirk s stavami, ki so na voljo ponudnikom spletnih iger.
In particular, these video feeds are used to check the results of the races when they finish.
Ti posnetki omogočajo zlati preverjanje rezultatov dirk ob prihodu konj na cilj.
The French authorities consider that these video feeds, which concern only premium races, are of benefit to all online gambling operators.
Francoski organi menijo, da ti posnetki, ki se nanašajo samo na dirke s stavami, koristijo vsem ponudnikom spletnih iger.
Their absence would result in a major decrease in betting.
Brez njih bi se namreč vložki zelo zmanjšali.
The French authorities therefore include the total cost of recording and broadcasting the video feeds of premium races in the calculation of the common interest costs, that is to say EUR […] in 2010.
Francoski organi torej v izračun stroškov skupnega interesa vključijo vse stroške snemanja in prenašanja dirk s stavami, ki so leta 2010 znašali […] EUR.
On the other hand, other costs for the promotion of the equine sector, particularly through the television channels, are not included in the common interest costs [28].
Nasprotno pa drugi stroški promocije konjeniške dejavnosti, zlasti televizijskih postaj, niso vključeni v stroške skupnega interesa.
It should be noted that the costs related to the recording and broadcasting of the video feeds of races were not included in the public service costs initially notified.
Navesti je treba, da stroški, povezani s snemanjem in prenašanjem konjskih dirk, niso bili vključeni v prvotno priglašene stroške javne službe.
The fight against doping
Boj proti nedovoljenim poživilom