natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Thus the administrative authority does not play any part in setting up, organising or operating ‘Val'Hor’.
Zainteresirana stran Komisijo opozarja na popolno nezakonitost OPP in vlogo nacionalnih sodišč pri kaznovanju te nezakonitosti, ki naj bi se moralo izvesti s priznanjem pravice do popolnega povračila OPP.
‘Val'Hor’ therefore has the utmost latitude as regards determining the interbranch measures which it wishes to carry out.
6. aprila 2012 je Komisija od tretje zainteresirane tretje osebe prejela pripombe glede začetka postopka.
The French authorities therefore concluded that the interbranch measures which ‘Val'Hor’ carries out do not serve as instruments for implementing a State policy, because at no stage does the State have the power to direct the use of the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) in order to fund those measures.
Zainteresirana stran v svojih pripombah izpodbija analizo Komisije, v skladu s katero naj bi bilo mogoče ukrepe, ki jih je izvedlo združenje Val Hor, pripisati državi, njegova sredstva pa naj bi bilo treba izenačiti z državnimi sredstvi, saj naj bi država izvajala samo nadzor nad skladnostjo z zakonom in ne nad politiko, ki jo izvaja medpanožna organizacija.
Regarding the Commission's position on the extent to which the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) and the use of the revenue which they generate involves discrimination against exported or imported products, and on the question of whether that mode of funding does not risk adversely affecting competition among the Member States, the French authorities pointed out that, to the extent that the basis for assessing the contributions set by the interbranch organisation ‘Val'Hor’ depends solely on the firm's area or number of employees, compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) are not charged on imported or exported products.
Z dopisom z dne 10. julija 2012 so francoski organi izrazili stališča k pripombam zainteresiranih tretjih oseb, pri čemer so ugotovili, da z njihovimi opažanji ni mogoče izpodbiti pripomb, ki so jih francoski organi predložili Komisiji.
Funding interbranch measures by means of the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) therefore does not give rise to any discrimination between national products and imported or exported products and does not cause any distortion of competition.
PRESOJA
Lastly, the French authorities pointed out that in any case, in so far as the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) are not levied on imported products, they consider that the measures which they fund fall within the scope of Commission Decision C(2008) 7846 of 10 December 2008 by which the latter acknowledges that the notified aid scheme is compatible with the internal market.
Komisija najprej ugotavlja, da je bil del ukrepov obveščanja ali promocije v zvezi s hortikulturo v obravnavani zadevi financiran s subvencijami France-Agrimer („FAM“) v okviru shem pomoči, priglašenih Komisiji pod številkama N 671/07 in XA 220/07 (pri čemer druga številka označuje izvzeto pomoč).
V. INTERESTED PARTIES' COMMENTS ON THE INITIATION OF THE PROCEDURE
Ta sklep naj ne bi posegal v že predloženo presojo narave državnih pomoči iz teh subvencij.
On 4 April 2012 the Commission received an interested third party's comments on the initiation of the procedure.
Enako naj se s tem sklepom ne bi odločalo o naravi pomoči v sektorju iz morebitnih subvencij, ki niso bile dodeljene za natančno določen ukrep, temveč so bile vplačane v proračun medpanožne organizacije Val'Hor.
In those comments, the interested party questions the setting-up of systems in which the interbranch organisation ‘Val'Hor’ would not only initiate, but also lay down the rules for and collect payments.
Komisija bo torej v nadaljevanju preučila le, ali je financiranje zadevnih ukrepov z OPP državna pomoč.
These questions stem from reading the interbranch organisation's Articles of Association, which laid down detailed rules on trade-union representation by restricting access to the interbranch organisation solely to those representing a minority of fairly large businesses.
Obstoj državne pomoči
On 5 April 2012 the Commission received a second interested party's comments on the initiation of the procedure.
Člen 107(1) PDEU določa, da 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 z notranjim trgom, „kolikor prizadene trgovino med državami članicami“.
In those comments, the interested party fully agrees with the Commission's analysis regarding the qualification of the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) and considers that they are contrary to Article 110 of the TFEU.
Da bi bili torej preučevani ukrepi opredeljeni kot državne pomoči, morajo biti pripisljivi državi in financirani iz državnih sredstev.
The interested party draws the Commission's attention to the totally unlawful nature of the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) and the national courts' role as regards penalising that unlawfulness, specifically by recognising the right to full reimbursement of the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) paid.
Komisija je v zvezi s sistemom medpanožnih organizacij in naravo OPP za določitev, ali so navedeni prispevki lahko državna sredstva, preučila zadevni ukrep med drugim z vidika sodbe Sodišča z dne 30. maja 2013 v zadevi Doux Élevage, C-677/11.
On 6 April 2012 the Commission received a third interested party's comments on the initiation of the procedure.
Rešitev, ki jo je sprejelo Sodišče v sodbi Doux Élevage
In those comments, the interested party disputes the Commission's analysis and considers that the measures taken by ‘Val'Hor’ are attributable to the State and that its resources should be treated in the same way as State resources because the State monitors compliance only with the law and not with the policies implemented by the interbranch organisation.
Sodišče je v zadevi Doux Élevage odgovorilo na vprašanje za predhodno odločanje glede razlage člena 107(1) PDEU, natančneje pojma „državna sredstva“ v primerih, ki vključujejo prostovoljne prispevke, ki so postali obvezni.
By letter of 10 July 2012 the French authorities commented on the interested third parties' comments, concluding that the latter comments do not call into question the French authorities' comments to the Commission.
Sodišče je izdalo sodbo, s katero je ugotovilo, da odločba, s katero je nacionalni organ na vse panožne organizacije določene kmetijske panoge razširil splošno veljavnost sporazuma, ki – tako kot medpanožni sporazum iz postopka v glavni stvari – uvaja prispevek v okviru medpanožne organizacije, ki jo je nacionalni organ priznal, in mu daje obvezni značaj, da se izvedejo ukrepi obveščanja in promocije, delovanje na področju zunanjih odnosov, izvajanje ukrepov za zagotavljanje kakovosti, raziskave, izvajanje ukrepov za obrambo interesov zadevnega sektorja, ne pomeni elementa državne pomoči.
ASSESSMENT
Sodišče je v svoji sodbi menilo, da so zadevne prispevke plačevali zasebni gospodarski subjekti, ki opravljajo gospodarsko dejavnost na zadevnih trgih, kar naj bi pomenilo, da ta mehanizem ne vključuje posrednega ali neposrednega prenosa državnih sredstev.
By way of introduction, the Commission notes that some of the horticultural advertising or promotion measures at issue here have been funded by subsidies from France-Agrimer (‘FAM’) under aid schemes notified to the Commission with the numbers N 671/07 and XA 220/07 (the latter number corresponding to exempted aid).
Sredstva, zbrana z navedenimi vplačili, naj ne bi izvirala iz državnega proračuna ali iz drugega javnega subjekta in država naj se jim, v kakršni koli obliki že (bodisi davkom, dajatvam, prispevkom ali drugim dajatvam) ki jih je treba v skladu z nacionalno ureditvijo vplačevati v državni proračun, ne bi odpovedala.
This Decision is without prejudice to the appraisal already made regarding the State-aid nature of those subsidies.
Po navedbah Sodišča navedeni prispevki vseskozi ohranjajo svoj zasebni značaj in nacionalni organi ne morejo učinkovito uporabiti sredstev, ki izvirajo iz prispevkov, ki so sporni v postopku v glavni stvari, za podporo določenih podjetij.
By the same token, this Decision will not give a ruling on the nature of aid to the sector comprising possible subsidies not allocated to a specific measure but paid into the budget of the ‘Val'Hor’ interbranch organisation.
Zadevne medpanožne organizacije naj bi bile tiste, ki odločajo o porabi teh sredstev, posledično v celoti namenjenih ciljem, ki naj bi jih določile same.
The Commission will therefore confine itself hereinafter to examining whether funding the measures in question by means of compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) constitutes State aid.
Ta sredstva naj prav tako ne bi bila stalno pod javnim nadzorom in naj ne bi bila na voljo državnim organom.
Existence of aid
Morebitni vpliv, ki ga ima lahko država članica na delovanje medpanožne organizacije z odločitvijo o razglasitvi splošne veljavnosti medpanožnega sporazuma za vse člane organizacij v neki panogi, po navedbah Sodišča ni takšen, da bi spremenil zgoraj navedene ugotovitve.
Article 107(1) of the TFEU states that ‘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 internal market’.
Sodišče je namreč poudarilo, da zadevna ureditev pristojnega organa ne pooblašča za vodenje ali vpliv nad upravljanjem sredstev.
Therefore, in order to qualify as State aid, the measures examined must be attributable to the State and funded by State resources.
Poleg tega naj v skladu s sodno prakso pristojnih nacionalnih sodišč določbe kmetijskega zakonika o razglasitvi sporazuma o uvedbi prispevkov za splošno veljavnega v okviru medpanožne organizacije javnih organov ne bi pooblaščale, da v zvezi z navedenimi prispevki opravijo dodaten nadzor poleg nadzora pravilnosti in skladnosti z zakonom.
As regards the interbranch system and the nature of the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic), in order to be able to determine whether the contributions may constitute State resources, the Commission has examined the measure in question, inter alia, in the light of the Court's judgment of 30 May 2013 in Case C-677/11 ‘Doux Élevage’.
Javni organi naj bi bili dejavni le kot „instrument“ za to, da se prispevki, ki so jih uvedle medpanožne organizacije za dosego ciljev, ki so jih same določile, razglasijo za obvezne.
The solution chosen by the Court in the ‘Doux Élevage’ judgment
Sodišče je poleg tega poudarilo, da zasebna sredstva, ki jih uporabijo medpanožne organizacije, ne postanejo „javna sredstva“ zgolj zato, ker se uporabljajo skupaj z zneski, ki morda izvirajo iz javnega proračuna.
In the ‘Doux Élevage’ case, the Court answered a question referred for a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of Article 107(1) of the TFEU and, more particularly, of the concept ‘State resources’ in cases involving voluntary contributions which have been made compulsory.
Sodišče je poleg tega navedlo, da niti pristojnost države za priznanje medpanožne organizacije v skladu s členom L. 632-1 kmetijskega zakonika niti njena pristojnost, da splošno veljavnost medpanožnega sporazuma v skladu s členoma L. 632-3 in L. 632-4 tega zakonika razširi na vse člane v določeni panogi, ne omogočata ugotovitve, da je mogoče ukrepe, ki jih izvaja medpanožna organizacija, pripisati državi.
The Court delivered its judgment, concluding that a national authority's decision extending, to all those working in an agricultural sector, an agreement which, like the interbranch agreement principally at issue, introduces a contribution within the framework of an interbranch organisation recognised by the national authority and thus makes that contribution compulsory with a view to enabling the implementation of measures on communication, promotion, external relations, quality assurance, research and defending the interests of the sector concerned does not constitute State aid.
Komisija je v sklepu o začetku postopka svojo presojo glede obstoja državne pomoči, zlasti vpliva državnih sredstev in pripisljivosti ukrepov državi, izrecno utemeljila s trditvami, ki jih je Sodišče v zgoraj navedeni sodbi Doux Élevage zavrnilo.
In its judgment, the Court considered that the contributions in question come from private economic operators which carry out an activity on the markets concerned, which means that this mechanism does not involve any direct or indirect transfer of State resources.
Uporaba sodne prakse iz zadeve Doux Élevage v obravnavanem primeru
The funds created by the payments do not pass via the State budget or via another public entity and the State does not relinquish any resources in any form whatsoever (such as taxes, charges, contributions or other), which, under national legislation, should have been paid into the State budget.
Medpanožna organizacija Val'Hor:
In the Court's view, the contributions at issue retain their private character throughout and the national authorities must not in fact use those resources mainly to support certain businesses.
Kot pri drugih medpanožnih organizacijah v Franciji mora njen obstoj, naloge in delovanje priznati državni organ.
It is the interbranch organisations concerned which decide on the use of those resources, which are consequently entirely devoted to objectives determined by those organisations.
Vendar ta organizacija ostaja pravna oseba zasebnega prava, ki ni del javne uprave, saj je vloga države omejena na njeno priznanje in na razglasitev sporazumov, za katerih sklenitev je pristojna, za splošno veljavne, kot izhaja iz informacij, ki so jih predložili francoski organi.
Similarly, the resources are not constantly subject to public monitoring and are not available to the State authorities.
Mehanizem OPP:
As regards the possible influence which the State may exercise over the interbranch organisation's operation by deciding to extend an interbranch agreement to cover all those working in a sector, the Court is of the opinion that this does not alter the above findings.
V skladu s členom L. 632-6 kmetijskega zakonika ti prispevki, čeprav so obvezni, ostajajo terjatve zasebnega prava.
Indeed, the Court has stressed that the rules in question do not confer on the relevant authority the power to direct or influence the funds' administration.
Ne izvirajo iz državnega proračuna ali iz drugega javnega subjekta niti iz sredstev, ki jih nadzirajo javni organi.
Moreover, under the case law of the relevant national courts, the provisions of the Rural Code governing the extension of an agreement introducing contributions in the context of an interbranch organisation do not authorise the public authorities to subject those contributions to a check other than one verifying correctness and compliance with the law.
Iz členov kmetijskega zakonika namreč izhaja, da je vloga države omejena na razglasitev sporazumov za splošno veljavne, medpanožna organizacija, v obravnavanem primeru Val'Hor, pa ostaja odgovorna za določitev stopenj prispevkov in njihove uporabe za cilje, ki jih določi sama.
The public authorities act only as an ‘instrument’ in order to make compulsory the contributions introduced by interbranch organisations in order to pursue goals which they determine themselves.
Kar zadeva zgoraj navedene cilje, ki jih morajo izpolnjevati medpanožne organizacije, zlasti z izvajanjem ukrepov, je Sodišče v zadevi Doux Élevage poudarilo, da člen 632-3 kmetijskega zakonika zelo splošno in neizčrpno določa cilje, ki jih mora izpolnjevati medpanožni sporazum, da bi ga pristojni upravni organ lahko razglasil za splošno veljavnega, in za razglasitev takega sporazuma za splošno veljavnega torej ne določa izpolnjevanja konkretnih ciljev, ki jih določijo in opredelijo državni organi.
Moreover, the Court has stressed that private funds used by interbranch organisations do not become ‘public resources’ simply because they are used together with sums which may come from the public budget.
Iz sodbe Doux Élevage izhaja, da nacionalni organi ne morejo učinkovito uporabiti sredstev, ki izvirajo iz zadevnih prispevkov, za podporo določenih podjetij.
Also, the Court has stated that neither the State's power to recognise an interbranch organisation in accordance with Article L.632.1 of the Rural Code nor that State's power to extend an interbranch agreement to cover all those working in a sector in accordance with Articles L.632-3 and L.632-4 of that Code constitutes sufficient grounds for concluding that the measures taken by the interbranch organisation are attributable to the State.
Zadevna medpanožna organizacija je tista, ki odloča o porabi teh sredstev, v celoti namenjenih ciljem, ki jih določi sama.
In its initiation Decision, the Commission expressly based its assessment as to the presence of State aid, and more particularly as to the involvement of State resources and the measures' attributability to the State, on arguments which the Court refuted in the abovementioned ‘Doux Élevage’ judgment.
Ta sredstva tako niso stalno pod javnim nadzorom in niso na voljo državnim organom.
Applying the ‘Doux Élevage’ case law to the case at issue
Zadevna ureditev namreč pristojnega organa ne pooblašča za vodenje ali vpliv nad upravljanjem sredstev.
Regarding the ‘Val'Hor’ interbranch organisation:
Kot je poleg tega poudarilo Sodišče, morebitni vpliv, ki ga ima lahko država članica na delovanje medpanožne organizacije z odločitvijo o razglasitvi splošne veljavnosti medpanožnega sporazuma za vse člane organizacij v neki panogi, ni takšen, da bi spremenil zgoraj navedene ugotovitve.
As with the other interbranch organisations in France, the existence, tasks and operation of ‘Val'Hor’ are subject to recognition by a State authority.
Ker je Sodišče poudarilo, da zasebna sredstva, ki jih uporabijo medpanožne organizacije, ne postanejo „javna sredstva“ zgolj zato, ker se uporabljajo skupaj z zneski, ki morda izvirajo iz javnega proračuna, zaradi golega dejstva, da se nekateri zadevni ukrepi prav tako financirajo iz subvencij FAM, zadevnih OPP še ni mogoče opredeliti kot državna sredstva, ker ni indica, da bi te subvencije državi omogočale izvajanje zadostnega nadzora nad sredstvi, zbranimi z OPP.
‘Val'Hor’ nevertheless remains a private-law legal entity which does not form part of the public administration, as the State's role is confined to recognising ‘Val'Hor’ and extending the agreements which it is empowered to conclude, as is apparent from the information provided by the French authorities.
Sodišče je poleg tega navedlo, da niti pristojnost države za priznanje medpanožne organizacije v skladu s členom L. 632-1 kmetijskega zakonika niti njena pristojnost, da splošno veljavnost medpanožnega sporazuma v skladu s členoma L. 632-3 in L. 632-4 tega zakonika razširi na vse člane v določeni panogi, ne omogočata ugotovitve, da je mogoče ukrepe, ki jih izvaja medpanožna organizacija, pripisati državi.
Regarding the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) mechanism:
Iz razlogov, navedenih v zgornjih uvodnih izjavah, Komisija meni, da financiranje z OPP zadevnih ukrepov, ki jih izvaja medpanožna organizacija Val'Hor, ne izvira iz državnih sredstev, zato ni državna pomoč.
Under Article L. 632-6 of the Rural Code, notwithstanding the contributions' compulsory character they remain private-law receivables.
SKLEP
They do not pass via the State budget, nor via a public entity, nor via a fund monitored by the public authorities.
Iz navedenega izhaja, da financiranje ukrepov z OPP ni državna pomoč v smislu člena 107(1) PDEU –
Indeed, it is apparent from the Articles of the Rural Code that the State's role is confined to extending the agreements, while the interbranch organisation, in this case ‘Val'Hor’, remains responsible for setting the level of the contributions and determining the objectives for which they are to be used.
SPREJELA NASLEDNJI SKLEP:
As regards the above-mentioned objectives which the interbranch organisations must achieve, in particular by means of the measures taken, in the ‘Doux Élevage’ Case the Court noted that Article L. 632-3 of the Rural Code states in a very general and non-exhaustive way the objectives which an interbranch agreement must promote in order to be extended by the public authority, and does not therefore make extending such an agreement subject to the pursuit of specific objectives set and defined by the State authorities.
Člen 1
It follows from the ‘Doux Élevage’ judgment that the national authorities must not in fact use the resources stemming from the contributions in question to support certain businesses.
Financiranje promocije, oglaševanja, raziskav in razvoja ter ukrepov tehnične pomoči, ki jih izvaja medpanožna organizacija Val'Hor z obveznimi prostovoljnimi prispevki med letoma 2005 in 2014, ni državna pomoč v smislu člena 107(1) PDEU, brez poseganja v vprašanje, ali so državne subvencije medpanožni organizaciji pomoč zadevnemu sektorju ali ne ter ali so subvencije, dodeljene za te ukrepe, državne pomoči.
The interbranch organisation concerned decides how those resources are to be used;
Člen 2
all of those resources are devoted to the objectives set by the interbranch organisation itself.
Ta sklep je naslovljen na Francosko republiko.
By the same token, those resources are not constantly under public control and they are not at the State authorities' disposal.
V Bruslju, 9. aprila 2014
The rules in question do not confer on the relevant authority the power to direct or influence the funds' administration.
Za Komisijo
As the Court also stated, the above findings are not altered by the possible influence which the State may exercise over the interbranch organisation's operation by deciding to extend an interbranch agreement to cover all those working in a sector.
Član Komisije
As the Court stressed that private funds used by interbranch organisations do not become ‘public resources’ simply because they are used together with sums which may come from the public budget, the mere fact that some of the measures concerned are also funded by means of FAM subsidies does not mean that the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) in question may be described as State resources in the absence of evidence according to which those subsidies would have allowed the State to carry out sufficient monitoring of the funds resulting from collecting the compulsory voluntary contributions (sic).
UL C 66, 6.3.2012, str. 32.
The Court has also stated that neither the State's power to recognise an interbranch organisation in accordance with Article L.632.1 of the Rural Code nor that State's power to extend an interbranch agreement to cover all those working in a sector in accordance with Articles L.632-3 and L.632-4 of that Code constitutes sufficient grounds for concluding that the measures taken by the interbranch organisation are attributable to the State.
Sodba z dne 15. julija 2004 v zadevi C-345/02.
For the reasons cited in the above recitals, the Commission considers that the funding of the measures in question carried out by the ‘Val'Hor’ interbranch organisation by means of compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) does not come from State resources and nevertheless (sic) does not constitute State aid.
Sodba z dne 20. septembra 2007 v zadevi Komisija proti Salvat, T-136/05.
CONCLUSION
Službe Komisije so pozvale francoske organe, da predložijo dodatne informacije v zvezi z morebitno državno pomočjo v sektorju hortikulture z dopisi z dne 13. julija 2007, 10. decembra 2007, 26. junija 2008, 22. februarja 2010, 16. decembra 2010 in 13. oktobra 2011.
The outcome is that funding measures by means of compulsory voluntary contributions (sic) does not constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the TFEU,
Francija je predložila te informacije z dopisi z dne 17. oktobra 2007, 7. aprila 2008, 1. septembra 2008, 2. aprila 2010, 22. februarja 2011 in 15. novembra 2011.
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Združenje Val'Hor je 12. novembra 2004 sprejelo medpanožni sporazum o financiranju, ki je bil spremenjen z dodatkom št. 1 z dne 14. septembra 2006.