natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
In the opening decision, the Commission came to the preliminary conclusion that these did not provide a selective advantage to Propapier and hence did not constitute dedicated infrastructure, but it nevertheless invited third parties to comment on these measures as well.
Po navedbah pritožnika je bil obrat prvotno zasnovan za podjetje Propapier kot čistilna naprava odpadnih voda ter je bil pogoj za izgradnjo papirnice na območju (proizvodnja papirja je gospodarska dejavnost, v kateri se porabi zelo veliko vode).
REDUCED FEES FOR USE OF THE WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT
V zvezi z drugimi infrastrukturnimi projekti pritožnik navaja, da so gradnja parkirišča v bližini podjetja Propapier, izgradnja nove ceste, ki povezuje industrijsko območje z avtocesto B-112, ter širjenje in poglabljanje kanala Oder-Spree infrastrukturni ukrepi za podjetje Propapier.
A further element of the complaint concerning the waste water treatment plant is that the tariff of EUR 0,95 per cubic metre to be charged to Propapier for the use of the plant is lower than what a private investor would charge for such services.
Komisija je v sklepu o začetku postopka predhodno sklenila, da ti infrastrukturni projekti ne pomenijo selektivne prednosti za podjetje Propapier in zato tudi niso namenska infrastruktura.
The calculation of the user fees is governed by the relevant act, the Brandenburg Municipal Charges Act, (Kommunalabgabengesetz für das Land Brandenburg [8]) (hereinafter: KAG Brandenburg).
Kljub temu pa je tretje strani pozvala, naj predložijo pripombe tudi o teh ukrepih.
Paragraph 6 of the KAG Brandenburg provides that the calculation of the charges for the use of the plant has to cover, but must not exceed, all eligible costs of the relevant waste water treatment plant (construction, maintenance and repair, operating, personnel and charge management costs), imputed interest and cost-accounting depreciation.
NIŽJE PRISTOJBINE ZA ČISTILNO NAPRAVO ODPADNIH VODA
However, subsidies which the municipality receives from other public sources (in this case, the grant of EUR 33,8 million from the Gemeinschaftsaufgabe scheme) must not [9] be taken into account in calculating the imputed interest on capital invested.
Pritožnik se je v zvezi s čistilno napravo odpadnih voda pritožil tudi v zvezi s tarifo v višini 0,95 EUR na kubični meter, ki jo podjetje Propapier plačuje za uporabo čistilne naprave.
The complainant takes the view that the subsidy received by TAZV from resources of the Gemeinschaftsaufgabe scheme is passed on from the beneficiary TAZV to the users of the waste water treatment plant in the form of reduced waste water fees.
Ta tarifa naj bi bila nižja od tarife, ki bi jo za tako storitev zaračunal zasebni vlagatelj.
GROUNDS FOR INITIATING THE PROCEDURE [10]
Izračun pristojbin za uporabo ureja ustrezni zakon, in sicer brandenburški Zakon o komunalnih dajatvah (Kommunalabgabengesetz für das Land Brandenburg [8]) (v nadaljnjem besedilu: zakon KAG Brandenburg).
The alleged measures qualify as State aid if the following conditions are met: (i) the aid has to be granted by an act of a Member State or out of State resources; (ii) it has to confer an economic advantage on the undertaking; (iii) the advantage has to be selective; and (iv) the measure distorts or threatens to distort competition and affect inter-State trade.
Člen 6 zakona KAG Brandenburg določa, da mora izračun dajatev za uporabo obrata kriti, vendar ne sme preseči vseh upravičenih stroškov zadevne čistilne naprave odpadnih voda (izgradnjo, vzdrževanje in popravilo, stroške obratovanja, stroške dela in stroške upravljanja dajatve), pripisanih obresti in amortizacije.
The existence of State aid is established when the conditions laid down in Article 107(1) TFEU are met on a cumulative basis.
Vendar se subvencije, ki jih občina prejme iz drugih javnih virov (v tem primeru subvencija v višini 33,8 milijona EUR iz sheme Gemeinschaftsaufgabe), ne sme [9] upoštevati pri izračunu pripisanih obresti na vloženi kapital.
It was undisputed in the opening decision that all the measures in question involved the use of State resources and that they could potentially distort competition in the internal market.
Pritožnik je mnenja, da je TAZV subvencijo, ki jo je prejel iz sredstev sheme Gemeinschaftsaufgabe, prenesel na uporabnike čistilne naprave odpadnih voda v obliki nižjih pristojbin za odpadno vodo.
The Commission noted that, with respect to the elements of the allegation, it is necessary to distinguish between: (1) potential State aid to TVAZ for the construction of the waste water treatment plant; and (2) potential aid to Propapier in the form of reduced waste water treatment charges.
RAZLOGI ZA ZAČETEK POSTOPKA [10]
The opening decision also examined whether the construction of
Domnevni ukrepi so državna pomoč, če so izpolnjeni naslednji pogoji: (i) pomoč mora dodeliti država članica ali mora izhajati iz državnih sredstev, (ii) pomoč mora podjetju dajati gospodarsko prednost, (iii) prednost mora biti selektivna in (iv) ukrep izkrivlja ali bi lahko izkrivljal konkurenco in vplival na trgovino med državami članicami.
the waste water treatment plant; and
Obstoj državne pomoči se določi, ko so pogoji iz člena 107(1) PDEU kumulativno izpolnjeni.
the other infrastructure projects in the newly extended industrial park where the new Propapier plant is situated, namely:
V sklepu o začetku postopka je nesporno navedeno, da vsi zadevni ukrepi vključujejo uporabo državnih sredstev in da bi lahko izkrivljali konkurenco na notranjem trgu.
the new car park;
Komisija je navedla, da je v zvezi z elementi pritožnikove navedbe treba razlikovati med (1) morebitno državno pomočjo za TVAZ za izgradnjo čistilne naprave odpadnih voda in (2) morebitno pomočjo za podjetje Propapier v obliki nižjih dajatev za čiščenje odpadnih voda.
the new road; and
V sklepu o začetku postopka je bilo preverjeno tudi, ali sta izgradnja:
the widening and deepening of the Oder-Spree Canal;
čistilne naprave odpadnih voda in
created a selective advantage or constituted infrastructure dedicated to Propapier [11].
izvedba drugih infrastrukturnih projektov v novem delu industrijskega parka, v katerem se nahaja nov obrat podjetja Propapier, in sicer
Given that, under Article 107(1), a measure can only qualify as State aid if it is selective (i.e. it must treat differently undertakings that are in a comparable legal and factual situation with regard to the objective of the measure, the Commission had to assess whether Propapier has been selectively favoured by the measures.
novo parkirišče,
The Commission has already approved regional investment aid for Propapier.
nova cesta ter
Given that the measures for the other infrastructure projects are to be carried out in an assisted region eligible for regional aid pursuant to Article 107(3)(a) TFEU and are alleged to be closely linked/dedicated to an investment project which benefits from regional aid, the Commission took the preliminary view that, if they are proven to be selective in favour of Propapier, they would form part of the investment project of Propapier and would therefore need to meet the requirements of the Guidelines on National Regional Aid for 2007-2013 [12] (hereinafter: RAG).
širjenje in poglabljanje kanala Oder-Spree,
The Commission expressed doubts regarding the compatibility of any investment aid in the form of dedicated infrastructure, in particular with regard to compliance with the rules on maximum State aid intensity and incentive effect.
ustvarili selektivno prednost ali pomenili infrastrukturo, namenjeno podjetju Propapier [11].
Under the applicable rules of the RAG, aid beneficiaries who have received investment aid may benefit from additional operating aid.
Glede na to, da je ukrep v skladu s členom 107(1) državna pomoč le v primeru, če je selektiven (tj. drugače mora obravnavati podjetja, ki so v primerljivem pravnem in dejanskem položaju, kar se tiče cilja ukrepa), je Komisija morala oceniti, ali je bilo podjetje z ukrepi obravnavano selektivno prednostno.
The compatibility of the operating aid with the internal market, however, has to be assessed independently of the compatibility of the investment aid, on the basis of the criteria laid down in Section 5 of the RAG.
Komisija je že odobrila regionalno pomoč za naložbe za podjetje Propapier.
The Commission concluded in the opening decision that, should Propapier benefit from operating aid in the form of reduced waste water treatment charges which did not reflect the market economy investor principle, this operating aid could not be considered to be in conformity with the rules of the RAG and the Commission’s practice in approving operating aid.
Glede na to, da naj bi se ukrepi za druge infrastrukturne projekte izvedli v regiji prejemnici pomoči, ki je do regionalne pomoči upravičena v skladu s členom 107(3)(a) PDEU, in naj bi bili tesno povezani z investicijskim projektom/namenjeni investicijskemu projektu, ki ima koristi od regionalne pomoči, je Komisija zavzela predhodno stališče, da bodo ukrepi, če bo dokazano, da so selektivni v korist podjetja Propapier, tvorili del investicijskega projekta podjetja Propapier in bi zato morali izpolnjevati zahteve smernic o državni regionalni pomoči za obdobje 2007–2013 [12] (v nadaljnjem besedilu: smernice o državni regionalni pomoči).
Indeed, although the aid beneficiary was situated in a region which was eligible for operating aid (Article 107(3)(a) TFEU-region), other key criteria for the compatibility of the operating aid with the internal market were not met.
Komisija izraža dvome o združljivosti katere koli pomoči za naložbe v obliki namenske infrastrukture, zlasti v zvezi s skladnostjo s predpisi o največji intenzivnosti državne pomoči in spodbudnem učinku.
There was no indication that the operating aid would be justified in terms of its contribution to regional development or its nature, or that its level was proportional to the handicaps it sought to alleviate.
V skladu z veljavnimi pravili smernic o državni regionalni pomoči lahko upravičenci do pomoči, ki so prejeli pomoč za naložbe, prejmejo tudi dodatno pomoč za tekoče poslovanje.
In addition, the operating aid would neither be temporary, nor reduced over time.
Vendar je treba združljivost pomoči za poslovanje z notranjim trgom oceniti neodvisno od združljivosti pomoči za naložbe, in sicer na podlagi meril, določenih v oddelku 5 smernic o državni regionalni pomoči.
The Commission therefore raised doubts as to the fundamental compatibility with the internal market of any operating aid in the form of reduced charges.
Komisija je v sklepu o začetku postopka sklenila, da če ima podjetje Propapier korist od pomoči za poslovanje v obliki nižjih dajatev za čiščenje odpadnih voda, ki ne izražajo načela vlagatelja pod tržnimi pogoji, te pomoči za poslovanje ni mogoče označiti za skladno s pravili smernic o državni regionalni pomoči in prakso Komisije pri odobritvi pomoči za poslovanje.
GRANTS FOR PUBLICLY FUNDED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, INCLUDING THE WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Upravičenec do pomoči je sicer res v regiji, ki je bila upravičena do pomoči za poslovanje (člen 107(3)(a) PDEU ‒ regija), vendar druga glavna merila za združljivost pomoči za poslovanje z notranjim trgom niso bila izpolnjena.
Car park, widening/deepening of the Oder-Spree Canal, new road
Nič ni kazalo na to, da bi bila pomoč za poslovanje upravičena z vidika prispevka k regionalnemu razvoju ali njegovi naravi, prav tako pa ne, da je bila raven pomoči sorazmerna z omejitvami, ki naj bi jih odpravila.
In the course of the preliminary assessment, it was established that the capacity of the car park did not correspond to the allegation of the complainant and that it was not located in immediate proximity to Propapier’s premises.
Poleg tega pomoč za poslovanje ne bi bila začasna ali bi se sčasoma znižala.
In addition, it was established that it was generally accessible and served not only the industrial park ‘Industriegebiet am Oder-Spree-Kanal’, but also other inner-city commercial locations, and that its capacity should enable the municipality to close down car parks for trucks in the city centre.
Komisija je zato izrazila dvome o tem, ali je pomoč za poslovanje v obliki nižjih dajatev res združljiva z notranjim trgom.
Besides, Propapier was constructing its own car park which would also be accessible to trucks.
SUBVENCIJE ZA JAVNO FINANCIRANE INFRASTRUKTURNE PROJEKTE, VKLJUČNO S ČISTILNO NAPRAVO ODPADNIH VODA
For these reasons, it seemed that the construction of the car park probably did not give Propapier a selective advantage.
Parkirišče, širjenje/poglabljanje kanala Oder-Spree, nova cesta
With regard to the construction of the new road connecting the industrial area with the B-112 motorway, the Commission noted that the construction of the road reduced traffic and air pollution in the centre of Eisenhüttenstadt since trucks heading for the industrial area could avoid the city centre, and that it shortened the time needed to drive to the nearest regional centre.
V okviru predhodne ocene je bilo ugotovljeno, da zmogljivost parkirišča ne ustreza navedbam pritožnika in da parkirišče ni v neposredni bližini podjetja Propapier.
Therefore, it seemed that the construction of the new road probably did not constitute a selective advantage for Propapier.
Poleg tega je bilo ugotovljeno, da je parkirišče splošno dostopno in da ne služi le industrijskemu parku „Industriegebiet am Oder-Spree-Kanal“, temveč tudi drugim mestnim poslovnim lokacijam, zmogljivost parkirišča pa naj bi občini omogočila zaprtje parkirišč za tovornjake v mestnem središču.
As regards the widening and deepening work on the Oder-Spree Canal, the Commission noted that this was not undertaken in order to provide a selective advantage to Propapier, but that it was part of the necessary regular maintenance of the waterway system.
Poleg tega pa je podjetje Propapier gradilo lastno parkirišče, ki bi bilo dostopno tudi za tovornjake.
Therefore, it seemed that the widening and deepening of the Oder-Spree Canal probably did not constitute a selective advantage for Propapier.
Zaradi tega se je zdelo, da izgradnja parkirišča podjetju Propapier verjetno ni dala selektivne prednosti.
At the time, however, the Commission considered that it could not be entirely excluded that Propapier benefited from these infrastructure measures to a greater extent than other undertakings.
V zvezi z izgradnjo nove ceste, ki povezuje industrijsko območje z avtocesto B-112, je Komisija ugotovila, da je ta cesta zmanjšala promet in onesnaževanje zraka v središču mesta Eisenhüttenstadt, saj so se tovornjaki, namenjeni v industrijsko območje, lahko izognili mestnemu središču, cesta pa je tudi skrajšala čas, potreben za vožnjo do najbližjega regijskega središča.
Before taking a final view on the presence of aid with respect to these measures, the Commission invited interested third parties to present their views.
Zato se zdi, da izgradnja nove ceste po vsej verjetnosti ni pomenila selektivne prednosti za podjetje Propapier.
At the same time, it invited Germany to provide, during the formal investigation procedure, more information on the creation of the car park, the construction of the new road and the widening/deepening of the Oder-Spree Canal.
V zvezi s širjenjem in poglabljanjem kanala Oder-Spree je Komisija ugotovila, da ta dela niso bila izvedena z namenom dajanja selektivne prednosti za podjetje Propapier, temveč so bila del nujnega rednega vzdrževanja plovnih poti.
Grant for the construction of the waste water treatment plant
Zato se zdi, da širjenje in poglabljanje kanala Oder-Spree verjetno ni pomenilo selektivne prednosti za podjetje Propapier.
In its opening decision, the Commission concluded that, if the aid scheme in case N 644e/02 were to be regarded as aid in the meantime due to the development of the internal market, it would be seen as existing aid to TAZV.
Vendar je Komisija takrat menila, da ni mogoče v celoti izključiti dejstva, da je podjetje Propapier od teh infrastrukturnih ukrepov imelo več koristi kot druga podjetja.
The Commission expressed doubts, however, as to whether or not the waste water treatment plant constituted dedicated infrastructure.
Komisija je pred sprejetjem končnega stališča v zvezi z obstojem pomoči pri teh ukrepih zainteresirane tretje strani pozvala, naj podajo svoja mnenja.
In this connection it was noted that, besides Propapier, there were only two additional users of the plant, namely the Canadian photovoltaic component supplier 5N PV and the energy provider EnBW.
Hkrati je Nemčijo pozvala, naj med postopkom formalne preiskave predloži več informacij o gradnji parkirišča in nove ceste ter širjenju in poglabljanju kanala Oder-Spree.
Furthermore, it was not known how much of the capacity of the waste water treatment plant was actually allocated to these two customers.
Subvencija za izgradnjo čistilne naprave odpadnih voda
On the basis of the information available at the time, the Commission was not in a position to assess whether the construction of the new waste water treatment plant was necessary with regard to only these two undertakings.
Komisija je v sklepu o začetku postopka sklenila, da če bi program pomoči v zadevi N 644e/02 obravnavala kot pomoč v tistem času zaradi razvoja notranjega trga, bi bila pomoč obstoječa pomoč za TAZV.
Furthermore, one of these two additional users, the power plant operated by EnBW, was directly involved in the Propapier project as the power plant provided the energy supply for the production processes of the paper mill [13].
Vendar je Komisija dvomila o tem, ali čistilna naprava odpadnih voda res pomeni namensko infrastrukturo.
The Commission further noted that, if the actual share of Propapier amounted to 90 % of the sewage capacity as alleged by the complainant, it should be questioned whether this fact in itself did not provide sufficient evidence that the plant actually was solely or at least predominantly intended (and thus dedicated) to serve Propapier.
V zvezi s tem je bilo ugotovljeno, da poleg podjetja Propapier čistilno napravo uporabljata le še dva uporabnika, in sicer kanadski dobavitelj fotovoltaičnih komponent 5N PV in dobavitelj energije EnBW.
Germany’s argument in this respect that the construction of the waste water treatment plant would be used by additional users in the future therefore had to be examined further.
Poleg tega ni bilo znano, kolikšna zmogljivost čistilne naprave odpadnih voda je bila dejansko dodeljena tema dvema uporabnikoma.
It was also noted that it should be taken into account how many investors could be located in the industrial park ‘Industriegebiet am Oder-Spree-Kanal’ and how much capacity on average they would use.
Komisija na podlagi takrat razpoložljivih informacij ni mogla oceniti, ali je bila izgradnja nove čistilne naprave odpadnih voda potrebna z vidika potreb le teh dveh podjetij.
In this regard Germany was requested to provide more detailed information on the overall plan for the development of the industrial area and the remaining capacity of the waste water treatment plant which could be allocated to potential users.
Eden od teh dveh uporabnikov, tj. elektrarna podjetja EnBW, je bil neposredno udeležen pri projektu podjetja Propapier, saj je elektrarna podjetju Propapier dobavljala energijo za proizvodne postopke papirnice [13].
Germany was also requested to provide more information as regards the technical feasibility of the modular approach in building the treatment plant [14].
Komisija je nadalje ugotovila, da bi bilo treba, če dejanski delež podjetja Propapier znaša 90 % zmogljivosti čistilne naprave, kot je navedel pritožnik, preveriti, ali morda že to dejstvo samo ne zagotavlja zadostnega dokaza, da je bila čistilna naprava izključno ali predvsem namenjena za potrebe podjetja Propapier.
As explained above, the Commission took the preliminary view that, if the measures for the infrastructure projects were proven to be selective, they would form part of the investment project of Propapier and would need to meet the requirements of the RAG, in particular its rules on the State aid intensity ceiling and incentive effect.
Argument Nemčije v zvezi s tem, da bodo čistilno napravo odpadnih voda v prihodnosti uporabljali tudi drugi uporabniki, je zato bilo treba preveriti.
Germany took the view that, as with the measure for the construction of the waste water treatment plant, if the fees to be charged by Propapier entailed aid it would constitute existing aid.
Ugotovljeno je bilo tudi, da je treba upoštevati, koliko vlagateljev bi lahko bilo v industrijskem parku „Industriegebiet am Oder-Spree-Kanal“ in kolikšno zmogljivost bi ti v povprečju uporabljali.
Germany expressed the view that the Commission’s decision in case N 644e/02, which authorised the ‘Gemeinschaftsaufgabe’ scheme, also covered indirect effects of the scheme.
V zvezi s tem je Nemčija morala predložiti več podrobnih informacij o celotnem načrtu razvoja industrijskega območja in o preostali zmogljivosti čistilne naprave odpadnih voda, ki bi se lahko dodelila morebitnim uporabnikom.
The Commission, however, concluded in the opening decision that possible aid in the form of reduced fees was not covered by decision N 644e/02, and if the fee constituted State aid that State aid would be new aid.
Komisija je Nemčijo tudi pozvala, naj predloži več informacij v zvezi s tehnično izvedljivostjo modularnega pristopa pri izgradnji čistilne naprave [14].
In trying to assess whether the charges set provided an economic advantage to Propapier, the Commission in its opening decision expressed doubts as to whether the fees charged by TAZV reflected the full costs and whether a private investor would have set the charges at the same level.
Kot je pojasnjeno zgoraj, je Komisija sprejela predhodno stališče, da bi, če bi se izkazalo, da so ukrepi za infrastrukturne projekte selektivni, ti bili del investicijskega projekta podjetja Propapier in bi morali izpolnjevati zahteve smernic o državni regionalni pomoči, zlasti predpise o največji intenzivnosti državne pomoči in spodbudnem učinku.
The Commission expressed the view that the fees charged to Propapier did not cover the full cost for the waste water treatment, as Germany acknowledged that these fees covered only 20 % of imputed interest on capital invested, since the 80 % subsidy which the municipality received from other public sources for the construction of the plant must not be taken into account for the calculation of imputed interest.
Tako kot pri ukrepu za izgradnjo čistilne naprave odpadnih voda je Nemčija menila, da če bi pristojbine, ki se zaračunajo podjetju Propapier, pomenile pomoč, bi to pomenilo obstoječo pomoč.
In this respect, the Commission in its opening decision first established that neither Directive 2000/60/EC (hereinafter: ‘the EU Water Framework Directive’) [15], nor the KAG Brandenburg appeared to require that fees for the use of a waste water treatment facility should cover the full costs [16].
Nemčija je menila, da je odločba Komisije v zadevi N 644e/02, s katero je Komisija odobrila shemo Gemeinschaftsaufgabe, zajemala tudi posredne učinke sheme.
The opening decision, however, referred to the InfraLeuna [17] and Kimberly-Clark/Scott [18] cases, in which charges set at the level of full costs were considered to correspond to the costs normally included in the budget of an undertaking.
Vendar je Komisija v sklepu o začetku postopka sklenila, da odločba v zadevi N 644e/02 ne zajema morebitne pomoči in da bi, če pristojbina pomeni državno pomoč, ta državna pomoč bila nova pomoč.
The complainant argued that, in order to establish the advantage, the level of the charges actually paid by Propapier should be compared with the level of the charges that a private investor, placed in the same situation as TAZV, would have charged.
Komisija je pri preverjanju, ali pristojbine pomenijo gospodarsko prednost za podjetje Propapier, v sklepu o začetku postopka izrazila dvome o tem, ali pristojbine, ki jih je zaračunal TAZV, res izražajo vse stroške in ali bi zasebni vlagatelj zaračunal enake pristojbine.