natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
[…] had nevertheless raised a doubt specifically concerning the duration of the 2003 easyJet agreement, as originally agreed by the parties. […] considered that given this duration (10 years with an option to extend it by a further 10 years), a rational market economy operator, when concluding this agreement, would have probably taken into account the impact of the contemplated agreement on the future operations of the BER airport, which was due to open before the expiry of the 2003 easyJet agreement [39].
je dodeljena s strani države ali iz državnih sredstev,
According to […], the existence of the 2003 easyJet agreement may have put pressure on the charges that FBS would have been able to negotiate with other carriers for their operations at BER, affecting the profitability of the future airport.
daje prednost določenim podjetjem ali proizvodnji določenega blaga,
However, Germany pointed out that this comment on the originally foreseen duration of the 2003 easyJet agreement was no longer relevant since the agreement in question had been modified by the 2007 easyJet amending agreement, which introduced a provision whereby the agreement would expire upon the opening of BER, then scheduled for 2011.
izkrivlja ali bi lahko izkrivljala konkurenco in
Furthermore, in its observations on third parties’ comments, Germany took the view that the statements by certain third parties on the 2004 schedule of charges and the individual agreements with LCCs were partially incorrect and taken out of context.
vpliva na trgovino med državami članicami.
Germany underlined that the schedule of charges at Schönefeld would have encouraged the uptake of new destinations and would be non-discriminatory since any airline which managed to attract a sufficient number of passengers to Schönefeld or which opened new routes or new frequencies from Schönefeld would benefit from the discounts.
Nemčija je v tem primeru trdila, da je družba FBS vedno ravnala tako, kot bi v podobnem položaju ravnal preudaren udeleženec v tržnem gospodarstvu, ki se ravna po možnostih donosa, zato ukrepi, ki se ocenjujejo, družbi ne zagotavljajo nobene gospodarske prednosti, ki je ta ne bi mogla pridobiti pod običajnimi tržnimi pogoji.
The 2004 easyJet tenancy agreement (measure 4)
Če to drži, ukrepi, ki jih je izvajala družba FBS, ne pomenijo državne pomoči.
Regarding the use of Terminal B by easyJet, Germany stressed that easyJet rents only part (24 %) of the total usable area of Terminal B. According to Germany, allocating the use of office space and check-in desks in a particular area of a terminal to a particular airline was common practice at international airports and did not constitute preferential treatment.
Načelo vlagatelja v tržnem gospodarstvu – splošni premisleki
As regards the exclusivity granted to easyJet, Germany stressed that in view of the large number of passengers to be carried by easyJet, it would not be possible on purely practical grounds for other airlines to use Terminal B, as the terminal’s capacity would already have been exceeded by easyJet.
Komisija pri presoji, ali sklenitev določenega dogovora med javno družbo in tretjo stranko za zagotavljanje blaga ali storitev zadevni tretji stranki daje gospodarsko prednost, prouči, ali bi preudaren vlagatelj v tržnem gospodarstvu, ki se ravna po možnostih donosa, v podobnih okoliščinah sprejel podobne ukrepe.
Germany pointed out that other airlines were also granted exclusive use of specific areas of terminals at Schönefeld.
Ravnanje javne družbe, kot je družba FBS, in hipotetičnega preudarnega vlagatelja v tržnem gospodarstvu je treba primerjati glede na to, kako bi v času zadevne transakcije ob upoštevanju razpoložljivih podatkov in predvidenega razvoja v tistem času ravnal zadevni vlagatelj v tržnem gospodarstvu, ne glede na poznejše dogodke.
In particular, the Lufthansa group (Condor, Sun-Express and Germanwings) had initially enjoyed sole use of Terminal D when it was built in 2004-2005.
Zato je koncept pričakovanega donosa za javno družbo izredno pomemben.
Germany also disputed the comments made by some third parties in relation to measure 4 and claimed that the rent data mentioned by some of these third parties was false and unsubstantiated.
To ne pomeni nujno, da transakcija ne pomeni državne pomoči le, če jo vlagatelj sklene zgolj zaradi kratkoročne donosnosti.
The rents paid by easyJet would be set by reference to the general standard rents for Schönefeld.
Sodišče je odločilo, da se lahko ravnanje javnega vlagatelja primerja z ravnanjem zasebnega vlagatelja, ki se ravna po možnostih dolgoročnejšega donosa [40].
Germany took the view that contrary to the claims of some interested parties, rents at Schönefeld could not be compared with those at Tegel.
Komisija je v tem primeru najprej ocenila, ali se je za strategijo za nizkocenovne prevoznike, ki jo je družba FBS sprejela leta 2003, lahko štelo, da bo srednje- do dolgoročno zmožna ustvariti pozitivne rezultate, in ali bi bilo z vidika donosa zaprtje letališča Schönefeld razumno.
With regard to possible advantages for easyJet arising from the particular baggage handling equipment at Terminal B, Germany stated that this equipment was manufactured by the same company as that at Terminal A and was designed to comply with the same technical standards.
Komisija je nato vsak ukrep, ki je predmet formalnega postopka preiskave, proučila ob upoštevanju načela vlagatelja v tržnem gospodarstvu, in sklenila, da navedeni ukrepi ne pomenijo državne pomoči.
However, as a result of the incorporation of X-ray technology, the equipment at Terminal B would be more complex and consequently would have a lower technical capacity, longer baggage delivery times and a greater tendency to break down.
Predhodna analiza: ocena strateških možnosti družbe FBS z vidika vlagatelja v tržnem gospodarstvu
To that extent, the baggage handling facilities at Terminal B would actually place easyJet at a disadvantage compared with the airlines operating from Terminal A. Besides, because of the layout of the buildings, it would be possible to carry luggage to the waiting aircraft from Terminal A in considerably less time than from Terminal B. This would place easyJet at a further disadvantage compared to the airlines located at Terminal A.
Gospodarski okvir, v katerem je družba FBS upravljala letališče Schönefeld od začetka 90. let prejšnjega stoletja do leta 2003, je bil opisan v oddelkih 2, 3.1 in 3.2.
Germany claimed that contrary to the comments of some interested parties, the baggage handling facilities had not been refurbished for easyJet.
Kot je bilo v navedenih oddelkih pojasnjeno, je družba FBS upravljala tudi drugi berlinski letališči, tj. Tempelhof in Tegel.
The X-ray equipment would have been merely incorporated in the existing baggage handling system in 2003 for security reasons.
Letališče Tempelhof se zaradi svojih posebnih značilnosti in lokacije v središču mesta že od začetka ni štelo za primerno infrastrukturo za morebitno razširitev.
Finally, Germany argued that the allocation of easyJet’s passenger traffic to Terminal B had been based on non-discriminatory and appropriate criteria, though without a public procurement procedure, which for such cases is foreseen neither by German law nor by Union law.
Letališče Tegel je bilo sodobno letališče, ki je bilo za letalske prevoznike in potnike bolj zanimivo kot letališče Schönefeld, saj je imelo sodobno infrastrukturo in je bilo bližje središču mesta.
According to Germany, when easyJet decided to launch operations at Schönefeld in 2004, it was clear that this carrier would account for a very significant proportion of the airport’s traffic from the outset.
Letališče Tegel je v 90. letih prejšnjega stoletja že delovalo blizu polne zmogljivosti, ni pa ga bilo mogoče dovolj razširiti, da bi se izognili dolgoročnim omejitvam zmogljivosti.
Indeed, already in 2004, easyJet generated 30 % of the airport’s traffic.
V nasprotju s tem pa je bilo letališče Schönefeld pretežno neizkoriščeno, po potrebi pa bi ga bilo mogoče razširiti.
It was appropriate and rational to concentrate easyJet’s operations at one single terminal, and Terminal B was found to be the most suitable location in view of its free capacity.
Drugi pomemben element v tem okviru je bil povezan z enim samim berlinskim letališčem, ki bi nadomestilo vsa obstoječa berlinska letališča, nahajalo pa bi se na letališču Schönefeld.
According to Germany, access to Schönefeld was neither restricted nor prevented for other carriers, since the airport had sufficient capacity to host all potentially interested carriers.
Kot je bilo navedeno v uvodni izjavi 14, je odločitev o izvedbi takega projekta postala uradna s sporazumom, ki so ga nemška zvezna vlada ter deželi Berlin in Brandenburg podpisale maja 1996.
ASSESSMENT OF THE MEASURES
Tretji pomemben element sta bila neuspel poskus v 90. letih prejšnjega stoletja, da bi promet z letališča Tegel preselili na letališče Schönefeld, in dejstvo, da se je promet na letališču Schönefeld po obdobju mirovanja v drugi polovici 90. let prejšnjega stoletja med letoma 2000 in 2003 stalno zmanjševal, slednje pa je bilo leto, v katerem so javni organi morali priznati, da jim ni uspelo privatizirati berlinskih letališč.
In accordance with Article 107(1) of the TFEU, 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 is, insofar as it affects trade between Member States, incompatible with the internal market.
Zato so javni organi in družba FBS leta 2003 proučili različne strateške možnosti, ki so bile na voljo družbi FBS.
The criteria laid down in Article 107(1) of the TFEU are cumulative.
Kot je bilo navedeno, cilj glede novega, skupnega letališča v Berlinu, ki bi se nahajal na lokaciji letališča Schönefeld in obsegal del obstoječe infrastrukture letališča Schönefeld, ni bil vprašljiv [41].
Therefore, for a measure to constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the TFEU, each of the four following conditions need to be fulfilled.
Cilj družbe FBS in javnih organov je bil zato najti optimalno strategijo za letališče Schönefeld za obdobje od leta 2003 do odprtja letališča BER, ki je bilo načrtovano leta 2011.
The financial support must:
Na tej podlagi so, kot je bilo navedeno v uvodni izjavi 28, pri svetovalcu naročili študijo (v nadaljnjem besedilu: študija svetovalca), ki je priporočil strategijo, ki bo na letališče Schönefeld privabila nizkocenovne prevoznike (strategija za nizkocenovne prevoznike).
be granted by the State or through state resources,
Družba FBS je imela poleg strategije za nizkocenovne prevoznike (možnost 1) na voljo tudi možnost, da nadaljuje z izvajanjem dotedanje strategije na letališču Schönefeld (možnost 2) ali pa da letališče Schönefeld do odprtja novega letališča BER začasno zapre (možnost 3).
favour certain undertakings or the production of certain goods,
Primerjava med možnostjo 1 in možnostjo 2
distort or threaten to distort competition, and
Kot bo prikazano v nadaljevanju, bi bilo za preudarnega vlagatelja v tržnem gospodarstvu, ki se ravna po možnostih srednje- do dolgoročnejšega donosa in bi nadomestil družbo FBS, razumno, da ne izbere možnosti 2, ampak možnost 1.
affect trade between Member States.
Študija svetovalca
In the present case, Germany has argued that FBS consistently acted as a prudent market economy operator guided by profitability goals would have done in a similar situation, such that the measures under assessment do not confer any economic advantage that the company would not have obtained under normal market conditions.
Kot je bilo pojasnjeno v uvodnih izjavah 29 in 30, je svetovalec ugotovil, da iz različnih strukturnih razlogov obstaja možnost znatne razširitve zračnega prometa v Berlinu ter da je imel Berlin v primerjavi z drugimi letališči v glavnih mestih leta 2003 še vedno skriti potencial za vzpostavitev in rast prometa nizkocenovnih prevoznikov.
If this is indeed the case, the measures implemented by FBS do not constitute State aid.
Svetovalec je z vidika prometa nizkocenovnih prevoznikov primerjal Berlin in druga velika mesta.
Market economy operator principle – General considerations
Ugotovil je zlasti, da je pogostost letov na prebivalca v okolju velemesta v Berlinu precej nižja (0,011) kot v drugih velikih evropskih mestih, kot so London (0,029), Bruselj (0,040), Köln (0,030) in Dublin (0,051).
In judging whether a particular agreement entered into by a public company with a third party with respect to the provision of a good or service confers an economic advantage to the third party in question, the Commission examines whether a prudent market economy operator, guided by profitability prospects, would have adopted similar measures in similar circumstances.
Ugotovil je tudi, da je odstotek pogostosti letov nizkocenovnih prevoznikov od vseh pogostosti v Berlinu precej nižji kot v drugih velikih evropskih mestih, in na tej podlagi ocenil, da bi se ta odstotek lahko z […] % povečal na vsaj […] % ali celo na […] %.
The comparison between the conduct of a public company such as FBS and a hypothetical prudent market economy operator must be made by reference to the attitude which the market economy operator in question would have had at the time of the conclusion of the transaction in question, having regard to the available information and foreseeable developments at that time, and regardless of subsequent events.
Svetovalec je nadalje na podlagi izkušenj drugih velikih mest ocenil, da bi v primeru sprejetja ukrepov za razvoj nizkocenovnega prometa dve tretjini dodatnega prometa nizkocenovnih prevoznikov sestavljali „novi potniki“, tj. potniki, ki iz Berlina ne bi leteli, če ne bi bilo dodatne ponudbe nizkocenovnih prevoznikov, ki je nastala zaradi zadevnih ukrepov [42].
Thus the concept of foreseeable profitability for the public company concerned is of central importance.
Svetovalec je menil, da bi se nekateri „novi potniki“ „preusmerili“ z drugih načinov prevoza, kot je vlak ali avtobus.
This does not necessarily mean that for a transaction to be free of State aid, the operator must enter into it only for the purposes of short-term profitability.
Svetovalec je nato podrobno ocenil izvedljivost strategije, ki se je osredotočala na nizkocenovne prevoznike na letališču Schönefeld, pri čemer je opredelil morebitne ovire in dejavnike, ki bi lahko ogrozili uspeh take strategije.
However, the Court has also ruled that the conduct of a public investor may be compared with that of a private investor guided by prospects of profitability in the longer term [40].
Svetovalec je najprej podrobno analiziral operativne zahteve nizkocenovnih prevoznikov, ki se z več vidikov razlikujejo od zahtev tradicionalnih prevoznikov.
In the present case, the Commission has first of all assessed whether in the medium to long-term the LCC Strategy adopted as of 2003 by FBS appeared potentially capable of generating positive results, as well as whether it would have been rational, from a profitability perspective, to close down Schönefeld.
Njegova analiza je temeljila na primerih več evropskih letališč, ki jih uporabljajo nizkocenovni letalski prevozniki, ugotovil pa je, da so glavne zahteve nizkocenovnih prevoznikov naslednje:
The Commission has then analysed each measure covered by the formal investigation procedure in the light of the market economy operator principle, and has concluded that those measures did not constitute State aid.
kratko obračanje (25–30 minut [44]) – najpomembnejša zahteva,
Preliminary analysis: assessment of FBS’s strategic options from a market economy operator perspective
sklop letaliških storitev za oskrbo potnikov ter sprejem in odpremo prtljage, zmanjšan na najmanjšega potrebnega, vendar z visoko ravnijo kakovosti zahtevanih storitev,
The economic context in which FBS was running Schönefeld between the early 1990s and 2003 has been described in sections 2, 3.1 and 3.2 above.
„vkrcanje peš“ (walk boarding) [45] namesto dražje uporabe potniških mostov, s kratko razdaljo med terminalom in ploščadjo,
As explained in those sections, FBS was also running the other Berlin airports, notably Tempelhof and Tegel.
enostavna in funkcionalna infrastruktura, brez dragega sistema IT, smiselne in enostavne poti na letališču,
From the outset, Tempelhof was not considered as a suitable infrastructure for possible expansion, given its peculiarities and its inner-city location.
ustrezne povezave kopenskega prevoza z letališčem,
Tegel was a modern airport which was overall more attractive to airlines and passengers than Schönefeld because it had more modern infrastructures and was closer to the city centre.
izključna dodelitev prehodov, okenc za prodajo in prijavo na let ter zagotavljanje zadostnega števila pisarn nizkocenovnim prevoznikom.
In the 1990s, Tegel was already operating at close to full capacity and could not be significantly extended to avoid long-term capacity constraints.
Svetovalec je ugotovil, da je letališče Schönefeld v veliki meri izpolnjevalo te zahteve.
By contrast, Schönefeld was largely under-utilised and could be extended if necessary.
Zlasti kratki časi obračanja na letališču Schönefeld bi bili izvedljivi.
A second important element of the context was the prospect of a single Berlin airport substituting for all existing Berlin airports and located at Schönefeld.
Poleg tega je poudaril, da obstajajo optimalne železniške, avtobusne in cestne povezave z letališčem.
A third important element was the failed attempt to shift traffic from Tegel to Schönefeld in the 1990s, and the fact that after a period of stagnation in the second half of the 1990s, Schönefeld’s traffic decreased steadily between 2000 and 2003, the year in which the public authorities acknowledge that they had failed to privatise the Berlin airports.
Svetovalec je ob delnem upoštevanju rešitev, izvedenih na drugih letališčih, ki jih uporabljajo nizkocenovni letalski prevozniki, priporočal več razmeroma manjših prilagoditev, ki bi jih bilo mogoče izvesti, da bi se v celoti izpolnile zahteve nizkocenovnih prevoznikov, ki se zanimajo za opravljanje dejavnosti na letališču Schönefeld.
In 2003, this led the public authorities and FBS to examine the different strategic options available to FBS.
Obsežna vlaganja v infrastrukturo ali znatne spremembe obstoječe infrastrukture niso bile potrebne.
At that time, as indicated above, the objective of having a new and single airport in Berlin located at Schönefeld and incorporating part of Schönefeld’s existing infrastructures was not questioned [41].
Zlasti glede vkrcanja peš se je izkazalo, da bi bilo mogoče obstoječi infrastrukturi v nekaj mesecih in z nizkimi stroški dodati dodatne prehode za vkrcanje peš.
The objective of FBS and the public authorities was thus to find an optimal strategy for Schönefeld for the period from 2003 up to the opening of BER, scheduled for 2011.
Svetovalec je poleg tega ocenil pritiske konkurence, ki bi se izvajali na dejavnosti nizkocenovnih prevoznikov na letališču Schönefeld, če bi se družba FBS odločila, da jih bo razvila.
In that context, as already indicated in recital 28, they commissioned a study from Roland Berger (‘the consultant’s study’), which recommended a strategy consisting in attracting LCCs to Schönefeld (LCC Strategy).
Ugotovil je, da bi bil pritisk omejen, saj so bila najbližja mednarodna letališča, na katerih bi lahko potekal znaten promet nizkocenovnih prevoznikov, kot so Dresden, Leipzig ali Hannover, predaleč, da bi lahko izvajala znaten pritisk konkurence.
In addition to the LCC Strategy (option 1), FBS still had the options of retaining the strategy implemented up to that time at Schönefeld (option 2), or temporarily closing Schönefeld until the new airport BER would open (option 3).
Po mnenju svetovalca je bila to potrditev, da bi bilo mogoče velik potencial za promet nizkocenovnih prevoznikov na območju Berlina dejansko uresničiti na letališču Schönefeld.
Option 1 versus option 2
Svetovalec je poleg tega opredelil in analiziral različne možnosti, ki jih je imela na voljo družba FBS, da bi nizkocenovnim prevoznikom ponudila privlačne letališke pristojbine.
As will be shown below, it would have been rational, for a prudent market economy operator guided by medium to long-term profitability prospects and acting in lieu of FBS, to choose option 1 rather than option 2.
Ta vidik se je štel za ključni element morebitne strategije za nizkocenovne prevoznike.
The consultant’s study
Dejansko ni sporno, da nizkocenovni prevozniki zaradi lastne politike določanja cen za potnike na podlagi strategije, ki je osredotočena na veliko število in privlačne prevoznine, od upravljavcev letališč zahtevajo nizke letališke pristojbine.
As explained at recitals 29 and 30, the consultant found that there was a potential for a significant expansion of air traffic in Berlin, for a variety of structural reasons and that compared with other capital city airports, Berlin still had considerable potential in 2003 for the establishment and growth of an LCC traffic.
Poleg tega nizkocenovni prevozniki pogosto uporabljajo sistem povezav med dvema točkama (point-to-point) namesto sistema vozlišč in manjših letališč (hub-and-spoke), zato lahko odpirajo nove povezave, ki so pogosto blizu že obstoječim, in povečajo ali zmanjšajo pogostost letov na zelo prožen in dinamičen način.
The consultant compared Berlin with other large cities from the viewpoint of LCC traffic.
S tem se poveča njihova zmožnost, da izvajajo pritisk nad upravljavci letališč in pridobijo najnižje mogoče letališke pristojbine.
It found in particular that the number of frequencies per inhabitant in the metropolitan area was much lower in Berlin (0,011) than in other large European cities such as London (0,029), Brussels (0,040), Cologne (0,030) and Dublin (0,051).
Zato je bilo jasno, da nobena strategija za nizkocenovne prevoznike ne bo uspešna brez privlačnejšega sistema letaliških pristojbin na letališču Schönefeld.
Also, the consultant found that the percentage of LCC frequencies out of all frequencies was much smaller in Berlin than in other major European cities and estimated on that basis that this percentage could be increased from […] % to at least […] % and possibly […] %.
Posebne možnosti, ki jih je svetovalec ocenil, so bile (i) splošno znižanje letaliških pristojbin, (ii) popusti na podlagi števila potnikov, (iii) različne pristojbine glede na naravo zagotovljenih storitev ali (iv) kombinacija teh različnih osnovnih možnosti.
Further, on the basis of the experience of other major cities, the consultant estimated that if measures were taken to develop LCC traffic, two thirds of the additional LCC traffic would be made up of ‘new passengers’, namely passengers that would not travel by air from Berlin absent the additional LCC offer brought about by the measures in question [42].
Na podlagi pravnega pregleda in gospodarske ocene teh možnosti je priporočil pristop, ki združuje splošno znižanje letaliških pristojbin, popust na potniške pristojbine na podlagi števila potnikov in različne pristojbine na podlagi ravni zagotovljenih storitev, kar bi vključevalo zlasti oprostitev plačila pristojbin za parkiranje letala pri obračanju v manj kot 30 minutah.
The consultant considered that part of the ‘new passengers’ would be ‘diverted’ from other modes of transport such as train or coach.
Ti ukrepi, razen splošnega znižanja letaliških pristojbin, so bili oblikovani zato, da bi koristili le tistim nizkocenovnim prevoznikom, ki bi se šele preselili na letališče Schönefeld, ne pa prevoznikom, ki so to letališče že uporabljali.
On the basis of these analyses, the consultant forecasted that the potential for additional LCC traffic at Schönefeld amounted to a growth of between 600000 and 900000 additional passengers per year in the short term, namely from 2003 to 2005, and 300000 additional passengers per year in the medium term, namely between 2005 and 2010.
Utemeljitev za to strategijo je bila, da se privabijo novi prevozniki, ne da bi to škodljivo vplivalo na prihodke, ki jih ustvarijo prevozniki, že prisotni na letališču.