natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
The Stichting welcomes the opening decision, but is of the opinion that the contested measures described in this decision are part of a much wider aid operation and refers to its complaint and additional submissions.
Poleg tega je sporne ukrepe odobrilo javno-zasebno partnerstvo, kar pomeni, da je bilo potrebno soglasje občine, ki ima v lasti 50-odstotni delež javno-zasebnega partnerstva.
In particular, the Stichting refers to the alleged free transfer of land by the Municipality to the PPP.
Ker se odločitve v javno-zasebnem partnerstvu sprejemajo soglasno in teh ukrepov ne bi bilo mogoče sprejeti brez izrecne odobritve občinskega sveta, se odločitev javno-zasebnega partnerstva o odobritvi spornih ukrepov lahko pripiše državi.
The Stichting is of the opinion that the delay in the project was not due to the national court proceedings initiated by them, nor that the financial crisis delayed the sales of the housing units on the Damplein.
Poleg tega bi bila stopnja finančne izpostavljenosti občine, ki izhaja iz njenega deleža v javno-zasebnem partnerstvu, sorazmerno nižja, če občina ne bi pristala na odobritev spornih ukrepov.
According to the Stichting, there has been no market demand for the kind of housing units proposed for the Damplein ever since the beginning of the project in 2004.
Zato znižanje cen in opustitev nadomestil, ki ju je odobrilo javno-zasebno partnerstvo, pomenita izgubo državnih sredstev [16].
According to the Stichting, the land was not valued by an independent expert, neither in 2003, nor in 2009.
Ker dajejo ukrepi prednost le partnerstvu SJB in ne nazadnje tudi članicama partnerstva, družbama Schouten de Jong in Bouwfonds, jih je treba obravnavati kot selektivne.
COMMENTS FROM THE DUTCH AUTHORITIES ON THIRD PARTY COMMENTS
Vendar so nizozemski organi izpodbijali trditev, da je občina s pristankom na znižanje prvotno dogovorjene prodajne cene zemljišča, ki ga je prodala partnerstvu SJB, in z opustitvijo nadomestil dala partnerstvu SJB gospodarsko prednost, ki je to pod običajnimi tržnimi pogoji ne bi pridobilo.
The Dutch authorities stated that the set-up of the project by the Municipality has been transparent and described in the ‘Concept Masterplan Damcentrum’, approved on 6 April 2004.
Iz razlogov, navedenih v uvodnih izjavah (74)–(83), se lahko Komisija glede na posebne okoliščine zadeve in zlasti okvir spornih ukrepov, vključno predvsem s posebnim pravnim položajem občine na podlagi sporazuma o sodelovanju iz leta 2004 in več dvostranskih sporazumov s partnerstvom SJB, glede te točke strinja z nizozemskimi organi.
Only financially sensitive agreements or parts thereof were kept confidential.
Obstoj prednosti
Concerning the free transfer of land by the Municipality to the PPP, the Municipality explained that this is not part of the opening decision and referred to its submissions to the Commission in 2009, in which it explained that that transfer was not free of charge since the PPP provided services in return for it.
V skladu z ustaljeno sodno prakso gospodarski posli, ki jih izvede javni organ ali javno podjetje, nasprotni strani ne prinesejo prednosti in torej ne pomenijo pomoči, če se izvedejo v skladu z običajnimi tržnimi pogoji [17].
In its earlier submissions, the Municipality stressed that the works carried out by the PPP should normally have been borne by the Municipality.
Za ugotovitev, ali se gospodarski posel izvede pod običajnimi tržnimi pogoji, bi bilo treba ravnanje javnih organov ali podjetij primerjati s podobnimi zasebnimi gospodarskimi udeleženci pod običajnimi tržnimi pogoji in opredeliti, ali gospodarski posli, ki jih izvedejo taki organi ali podjetja, prinesejo prednost nasprotnim stranem.
According to the Dutch authorities, both the different legal procedures initiated by the Stichting, which generated a lot of negative publicity for the project, and the credit crisis had a negative effect on the sales of housing units on the Damplein.
Ta pristop se imenuje „načelo udeleženca v tržnem gospodarstvu“.
However, when initial sales started in 2007, almost a third of the housing units were sold.
Zato je za ugotovitev, ali je občina s pristankom na znižanje prvotno dogovorjene prodajne cene zemljišča, ki ga je prodala partnerstvu SJB, in z opustitvijo nadomestil dala partnerstvu SJB gospodarsko prednost, treba preučiti, ali je občina upoštevala načelo udeleženca v tržnem gospodarstvu.
These sales agreements were later cancelled owing to the late delivery of the necessary building permits.
Da se izključi obstoj prednosti, ki bi izhajala iz spornih ukrepov, je torej treba preučiti, ali bi hipotetični zasebni prodajalec v enakem položaju kot občina pristal na enako znižanje cene in opustitev nadomestil.
It can therefore be concluded that there was a demand for these units at the beginning of the project.
V zvezi s tem bi bilo treba upoštevati vse vidike spornih ukrepov in njihovega okvira [18], zlasti pravni položaj občine in partnerstva SJB glede na sporazum o sodelovanju iz leta 2004 in različne dvostranske sporazume ter zahtevnost projekta, ki je bil del širšega nepremičninskega projekta.
The Dutch authorities further note that the independent experts were selected by the Municipality, which had no interest in obtaining a low value for the land.
Nizozemski organi trdijo, da je občina ravnala v skladu z načelom udeleženca v tržnem gospodarstvu, saj bi neuresničitev projekta Damplein vplivala na celoten projekt Mestno središče Leidschendama, kar bi občini povzročilo škodo.
ASSESSMENT OF THE CONTESTED MEASURES
V zvezi s tem so nizozemski organi v bistvu navedli naslednje.
THE EXISTENCE OF STATE AID WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 107(1) TFEU
Po navedbah nizozemskih organov je bil čimprejšnji začetek izvajanja gradbenih del na Dampleinu v velikem finančnem in socialnem interesu občine, saj bi nadaljnje zamude za občino pomenile neposredno in posredno škodo, ki bi bila višja od stroškov zaradi pristanka na sporne ukrepe.
Article 107(1) TFEU provides 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’.
Občina se je zaradi tega finančnega interesa odločila pregledati sporazume, sklenjene s partnerstvom SJB.
First, it has not been challenged that SJB as well as Schouten de Jong and Bouwfonds, the members of the partnership, qualify as undertakings for the purpose of this provision, since they pursue economic activities offering goods and services on the market, as indicated in the opening decision.
Nizozemski organi tudi trdijo, da je občina s sprejetjem zaveze partnerstva SJB, da se v zameno za sporne ukrepe odpove pravici do uveljavljanja klavzule o 70 % iz sporazuma o sodelovanju iz leta 2004, ravnala kot zasebni vlagatelj.
Second, the contested measures were granted by the PPP, which means with the necessary agreement of the Municipality, which holds a 50 % stake in the PPP.
V zvezi s tem Komisija navaja naslednje.
Since the decision-making of the PPP is by unanimity and these measures could not have been agreed to without the express approval of the Municipality's Council, the decision to grant the contested measures by the PPP are imputable to the State.
Iz pogodbenih določb sporazuma o sodelovanju iz leta 2004 dejansko izhaja, da se morajo strani v primeru nepravočasne izdaje gradbenih dovoljenj znova pogajati o dogovorih, sklenjenih leta 2004.
Furthermore, had the Municipality not agreed to grant the contested measures, the extent of its financial exposure resulting from the PPP would have been proportionally lower.
Natančneje, člen 6(6) sporazuma o sodelovanju iz leta 2004 določa, da bi se morale strani v primeru nepravočasne izdaje gradbenih dovoljenj znova pogajati o prvotno dogovorjeni ceni zemljišča in plačilnih rokih.
Therefore, the price decrease and waived fees agreed to by the PPP imply a loss of State resources [16].
Poleg tega člen 16 istega sporazuma določa, da se lahko ta sporazum delno ali v celoti razveljavi le v posebej navedenih primerih.
Third, since the measures benefit only SJB and, ultimately, Schouten de Jong and Bouwfonds, the members of the partnership, they must be considered selective in nature.
Med te spadajo „nepredvidene okoliščine, opredeljene v členu 6(258) civilnega zakonika“: če ena od strani nato meni, da druge strani od nje ne morejo zahtevati nespremenjene izvedbe sporazuma, morajo začeti pogajanja za skupno določitev spremenjenih pogojev.
However, the Dutch authorities have challenged the contention that the Municipality, by agreeing to a reduction in the initially agreed sales price for the land sold to SJB and a waiver of fees, conferred an economic advantage on SJB which it would not have otherwise obtained under normal market conditions.
Nazadnje, člen 18 sporazuma o sodelovanju določa, da se morajo spori reševati z medsebojnim dogovorom ali arbitražo.
For the reasons set out in recitals 74 to 83 below, the Commission can agree with the Dutch authorities on this point, given the specific circumstances of the case and the particular context of the contested measures, including in particular the specific legal position of the Municipality on the basis of the 2004 Cooperation agreement and several bilateral agreements with SJB.
Iz teh pogodbenih določb sledi, da je bil namen strani ohraniti medsebojno sodelovanje in omejiti morebitno razveljavitev sodelovanja na okoliščine, v katerih strani ne bi mogle doseči soglasja ali zaradi neizpolnjevanja njihovih obveznosti ponovna pogajanja ne bi bila več mogoča.
The existence of an advantage
Glede na to bi bilo treba upoštevati tudi, da je bil projekt zapleten in sestavljen iz več medsebojno povezanih podprojektov ter da je bilo v širši nepremičninski projekt vključenih več strani, povezanih s sporazumom o sodelovanju iz leta 2004.
It is settled case law that economic transactions carried out by a public body or a public undertaking do not confer an advantage on its counterpart, and therefore do not constitute aid, if they are carried out in line with normal market conditions [17].
Čeprav je občina v nepremičninskem projektu sodelovala le v fazi uporabe stavbnega zemljišča, medtem ko so za fazo gradnje v projektu tveganje in stroške nosili zadevni zasebni razvijalci, vključno s partnerstvom SJB, je bilo ugotovljeno, da je bil leta 2008, ko je partnerstvo SJB občini sporočilo, da ne želi začeti gradbenih del, projekt še vedno v fazi uporabe stavbnega zemljišča.
In order to determine whether an economic transaction is carried out under normal market conditions, the behaviour of public authorities or undertakings should be compared with that of similar private economic operators under normal market conditions to determine whether the economic transactions carried out by such authorities or undertakings grant an advantage to their counterparts.
V tej fazi je bila občina finančno vključena v projekt, saj je nosila 50 % stroškov in tveganj.
Therefore, to determine whether the Municipality, by agreeing to a reduction in the initially agreed sales price for the land sold to SJB and the waiver of fees, conferred an economic advantage on SJB, it needs to be examined whether the Municipality respected the MEOP.
V zvezi s tem Komisija ugotavlja tudi, da se je v času ponovnih pogajanj začela finančna kriza, ki je prizadela zlasti nizozemski nepremičninski trg.
That is, whether a hypothetical private vendor in the same situation as the Municipality would have agreed to the same price reduction and fee waivers, so as to preclude the existence of an advantage as a result of the contested measures.
Ponovna pogajanja med stranmi so privedla do tega, da je partnerstvo SJB jeseni leta 2008 javno-zasebnemu partnerstvu za zemljišče ponudilo 4 milijone EUR, pri čemer bi začelo gradbena dela izvajati aprila 2009 ne glede na to, ali bi bile stanovanjske enote vnaprej prodane.
In this connection all relevant aspects of the contested measures and their context should be taken into account [18], in particular the legal position of the Municipality and SJB in view of the 2004 Cooperation agreement and the different bilateral agreements, as well as the complexity of the project, which was part of a wider real estate project.
Neodvisni cenilec Fakton, ki ga je najela občina, je v poročilu z dne 11. februarja 2009 ugotovil, da se cena v višini 4 milijonov EUR (vrednost na dan 1. januarja 2010) za zadevno zemljišče, ki je bila dogovorjena kot nova cena zemljišča, lahko šteje za skladno s tržno ceno, pri čemer je upošteval nadaljnje obveznosti partnerstva SJB.
The Dutch authorities submit that the Municipality acted in accordance with the MEOP, as the non-realisation of the Damplein Project would have had an effect on the entire Leidschendam Centrum Project and would have caused damage to the Municipality.
Glede na navedena dejstva Komisija nima razloga za domnevo, da občina, s tem ko je v teh posebnih okoliščinah pristala na ceno v višini 4 milijonov EUR, ni ravnala v skladu z običajnimi tržnimi pogoji.
In this regard the Dutch authorities submitted in essence the following.
Ob upoštevanju navedenega Komisija meni, da znižanje prodajne cene zemljišča ter opustitev nadomestila za uporabo stavbnega zemljišča in nadomestila za uporabnost iz dopolnilnega sporazuma, ki so ga sklenili občina, javno-zasebno partnerstvo in partnerstvo SJB, ne vsebuje državne pomoči v smislu člena 107(1) PDEU –
First, according to the Dutch authorities, the Municipality had an important financial and social interest in starting the construction works on the Damplein as soon as possible, since further delays would lead to direct and indirect damage for the Municipality and this damage would be higher than the cost to the Municipality of agreeing to the contested measures.
SPREJELA NASLEDNJI SKLEP:
Because of this financial interest the Municipality decided to review the agreements that were made with SJB.
Člen 1
Second, the Dutch authorities contend that the Municipality behaved as a private investor by accepting a commitment from SJB to waive its right to invoke the 70 % clause of the 2004 Cooperation Agreement in return for the contested measures.
Znižanje prodajne cene zemljišča ter opustitev nadomestila za uporabo stavbnega zemljišča in nadomestila za uporabnost, ki ju je 1. marca 2010 občina Leidschendam-Voorburg odobrila v korist partnerstva Schouten-de Jong Bouwfonds, ki ga sestavljata družbi Schouten & De Jong Projectontwikkeling BV in Bouwfonds Ontwikkeling BV, ne pomeni državne pomoči v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe o delovanju Evropske unije.
The Commission notes in this regard the following.
Člen 2
In the case at hand it is not contested, as stated in recital 30 above, that the construction works on the Damplein, which were initially planned to start in November 2005, were delayed since owing to several national court proceedings the necessary building permits could only be obtained in November 2008.
Ta sklep je naslovljen na Kraljevino Nizozemsko.
Indeed it follows from the contractual provisions of the 2004 Cooperation agreement that the delay in the building permits required the parties to re-negotiate the arrangements agreed in 2004.
Za Komisijo
In particular, Article 6.6 of the Cooperation agreement provides that the parties in case of a delay of the building permit should re-negotiate the initially agreed price for the land and the payment dates.
Članica Komisije
One of the situations listed is ‘unforeseen circumstance as referred to in Article 6:258 of the Civil Code’: if one of the parties is then of the opinion that the other parties cannot require from him an unchanged execution of the agreement, they have to enter into negotiations in order to arrive at mutually agreed modified terms.
Glej opombo 1.
Finally, Article 18 of the Cooperation agreement stipulates that disputes are to be resolved by mutual agreement or be the subject of arbitration.
Sodba Sodišča z dne 30. junija 2015 v združenih zadevah T-186/13, T-190/13 in T-193/13, Nizozemska (T-186/13), občina Leidschendam-Voorburg (T-190/13) in Bouwfonds Ontwikkeling BV en Schouten & De Jong Projectontwikkeling BV (T-193/13) proti Komisiji, ECLI:EU:T:2015:447.
It follows from these contractual provisions that it was the intention of the parties to maintain their cooperation and limit a possible annulment of the cooperation to situations where no agreement could be reached or the parties failed to fulfil their obligations in such a way that re-negotiations would no longer be possible.
V nadaljevanju tega sklepa je torej treba sklicevanja na partnerstvo SJB razumeti tudi kot sklicevanja na družbi Schouten de Jong in Bouwfonds.
In this light it should also be taken into account that the project was complex, consisted of several sub-projects that were linked to each other and that the wider real estate project involved several parties that were connected to the 2004 Cooperation agreement.
Člen 4(1) sporazuma o uporabi stavbnega zemljišča/javno-zasebnem partnerstvu z dne 22. novembra 2004 določa: „Gemeente en SJB vormen met ingang van de datum van ondertekening van deze overeenkomst een VOF.
Furthermore, although the Municipality was only involved in the ground exploitation phase of the real estate project, while the construction phase of the project was at the risk and expense of the private developers concerned, including SJB, it is established that in 2008, when SJB communicated to the Municipality that it was not willing to start with the construction works, the project was still at the ground exploitation phase.
Als zodanig dragen zij met ingang van die datum gezamenlijk op basis van separaat te sluiten project-gronduitgifteovereenkomsten, in goed overleg, zorg voor de uitvoering van de grondexploitatie.
In this phase the municipality was financially involved in the project, since it bore 50 % of the costs and risks.
De daaraan verbonden kosten en risico's komen voor 50 % voor rekening van SJB en voor 50 % van de Gemeente.
The costs of the ground exploitation phase of the project included the costs of making the land ready for construction, the costs for the public section of the underground parking garage and 50 % of the construction costs of the school.
Schouten en Bouwfonds zijn ieder hoofdelijk aansprakelijk voor de nakoming door SJB van haar verplichtingen ingevolge deze Overeenkomst (de Sok en de projectovereenkomst).“
Therefore it was in the financial interest of the Municipality that the ground exploitation works were carried out promptly so that the land could be delivered and the sales price of the land was paid, pursuant to Article 10.5 of the 2004 Cooperation agreement.
Projekt se je prvotno imenoval projekt Mestno središče Dama, leta 2005 pa je bil preimenovan v projekt Mestno središče Leidschendama.
In these particular circumstances, the Commission accepts that, while the public authority considerations of the Municipality in the realisation of the project are not relevant for the MEOP, a hypothetical private operator, who would have been in a similar contractual and financial position, would have sought to renegotiate the price rather than immediately annulling the agreement and putting out a call for tender, especially as the contract for the construction of the parking garage had already been awarded to SJB.
V tem sklepu projekt Mestno središče Leidschendama pomeni nepremičninski projekt.
The Commission also notes in this regard that, at the time of the re-negotiations, the financial crisis had started and affected the Dutch real-estate market in particular.
V končnih načrtih za Damplein je bilo predvideno, da bo partnerstvo SJB zgradilo le 67 stanovanjskih enot.
The renegotiations between the parties resulted in the Autumn of 2008 in a proposal by SJB to the PPP to pay EUR 4 million for the land, whereby SJB would start the construction works in April 2009 regardless of whether the housing units had been pre-sold.
V zvezi s tem ni bil izveden postopek oddaje javnega naročila.
In addition, SJB was willing to waive its right to invoke the 70 % clause contained in the 2004 Cooperation agreement.
Ta sklep ne vpliva na nobeno analizo, ki bi jo Komisija lahko izvedla v zvezi z vidiki oddaje javnega naročila, povezanimi s projektom.
Furthermore, half of the reduced costs of the sales price would be borne by SJB itself, through its participation in the PPP.
Točka 5.1.2 Glavnega načrta o uporabi stavbnega zemljišča Damcentrum z dne 10. februarja 2004.
An independent expert, Fakton, commissioned by the Municipality concluded in its report of 11 February 2009 that the EUR 4 million (value on 1 January 2010) agreed as the new price for the land could be considered as a market-compliant price for the land concerned, taking into account also the further commitments by SJB.
V skladu z Glavnim načrtom o uporabi stavbnega zemljišča Damcentrum z dne 10. februarja 2004 bi občina prispevala 7,3 milijona EUR, partnerstvo SJB pa 2,6 milijona EUR.
Under these circumstances, the Commission has no reason to believe that the behaviour of the Municipality, in agreeing to a price of EUR 4 million in the particular circumstances, is not in line with normal market conditions.
V skladu z občinskim predpisom „Exploitatieverordening Gemeente Leidschendam-Voorburg 2009“ lahko občina od zasebnih subjektov zahteva, da prispevajo za stroške infrastrukturnih del.
In the light of the above, the Commission considers that the decrease of the sales price of land and the waiver of the ground exploitation fee and quality fee agreed in the Supplementary Agreement between the Municipality, the PPP and SJB does not contain State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU,
V sporazumu o sodelovanju iz leta 2004 je zato določeno, da bodo zasebni subjekti poleg cene za zemljišče javno-zasebnemu partnerstvu plačali nadomestilo za uporabo stavbnega zemljišča, in glede na to, da se je občina odločila za uporabo visokokakovostnih proizvodov za razvoj javnega območja, tudi nadomestilo za uporabnost.
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Člen 6(6) sporazuma o sodelovanju iz leta 2004 določa: „Indien de vereiste bouwvergunningen als gevolg van niet aan de aanvragende partij toe te rekenen planologische belemmeringen niet binnen de terzake in het ATS voorziene termijn verkregen worden, zullen Partijen dienaangaande – daaronder begrepen aangaande grondprijsberekening en grondprijsbetaaldata – nadere afspraken met elkaar maken die zo dicht mogelijk blijven bij de inhoud van deze SOK, respectievelijk de Bilaterale overeenkomsten.“
Article 1
V točki 1 člena 2(1)(2) dopolnilnega sporazuma je navedeno: „In afwijking van het bepaalde in een of meer van de in de considerans genoemde overeenkomsten (i) wordt de koopsom van het Verkochte, welke koper bij levering verschuldigd is aan Verkoper, onder de in deze overeenkomst opgenomen voorwaarden nader bepaald op € 4000000,- (zegge: vier miljoen euro) exclusief btw kosten Koper Vermeerderd met 5 % rente vanaf 1 januari 2010. (ii) zijn de oorspronkelijk overeengekomen grex en kwaliteitsbijdragen niet verschuldigd, (iii) wordt de grond bouwrijp geleverd.
The decrease of the sales price of land and a waiver of the ground exploitation fee and quality fee agreed on 1 March 2010 by the Municipality of Leidschendam-Voorburg in favour of Schouten-de Jong Bouwfonds, a partnership consisting of Schouten & De Jong Projectontwikkeling BV and Bouwfonds Ontwikkeling BV, does not constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
De koopsom is gebaseerd op prijspeil 1 januari 2010 en is niet verrekenbaar.“
Article 2
Novi sporazum se nanaša na 208 parkirnih mest, tj. manj od prvotno predvidenih 225.
This Decision is addressed to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Znesek ustreza predhodno dogovorjenemu znesku 4,6 milijona EUR (vrednost na dan 1. januarja 2003), indeksiranemu z 2,5 % do 1. januarja 2010.
Done at Brussels, 15 January 2016.
Kot je Splošno sodišče potrdilo v sodbi z dne 30. junija 2015; glej sprotno opombo 3, točke 62–72.
For the Commission
Zadeva C-39/94, SFEI in drugi, EU:C:1996:285, točki 60 in 61.
Member of the Commission
Zadeva T-244/08, Konsum Nord proti Komisiji, EU:T:2011:732, točka 57 in navedena sodna praksa.