natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
This information was requested by the Commission in order to verify that the system of administrative prices — if they were updated properly — would be appropriate to reflect market prices for forest land on the basis and would lead in all cases to a price as close as possible to the market value, as required by the case-law.
Ob upoštevanju navedenega je treba dodati, da nekateri upravičenci do spornih poslov menjave niso nikoli opravljali gospodarskih dejavnosti z zamenjanimi gozdnimi zemljišči v obdobju pregleda, niti jih ne opravljajo zdaj.
ASSESSMENT OF THE MEASURE
Navedenih upravičencev torej ni mogoče šteti za podjetja v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe, tako da se šteje, da v poslih menjave, ki so jih sklenili z bolgarsko državo, ni obstajala nobena državna pomoč.
EXISTENCE OF AID
Zato se preostali del tega sklepa nanaša samo na tiste upravičence do spornih poslov menjave, ki so podjetja v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe.
According to Article 107(1) of the Treaty, 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 provision of certain goods shall be incompatible with the common market, in so far as it affects trade between Member States.
Neločljiva povezava med menjavami in spremembo namembnosti zemljišča
The qualification of a measure as aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) therefore requires the following cumulative conditions to be met: (i) the measure must be imputable to the State and financed through State resources; (ii) it must confer an advantage on its recipient; (iii) that advantage must be selective; and (iv) the measure must distort or threaten to distort competition and have the potential to affect trade between Member States.
Prvi dvom, ki ga je Komisija izrazila v sklepu o začetku postopka, je bil, ali je med posli menjave in spremembo namembnosti zamenjanih zemljišč, ki so jih prejeli upravičenci, obstajala neločljiva povezava.
As a preliminary matter, however, it is also necessary to consider in the present case whether the potential beneficiaries of the swap transactions are undertakings within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
To je pomembno, kajti če se ugotovi obstoj take povezave, bo to vplivalo na oceno Komisije glede tega, ali posli menjave vodijo do ekonomske ugodnosti in kako bi bilo treba to ugodnost količinsko opredeliti.
That is because, according to the wording of that provision, the State aid rules only apply where the recipient of an aid is an undertaking.
Neločljiva povezava pomeni, da je bil namen strank posla menjave, preden je bil navedeni posel končan, da se po menjavi namembnost zemljišča v javni lasti spremeni iz gozdnega v zazidljivo zemljišče.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) defines the notion of ‘undertaking’ for the purposes of Article 107(1) of the Treaty as any entity engaged in an economic activity, regardless of its legal status or the way in which it is financed [75].
Torej, če naj bi administrativne cene, izračunane za posel menjave na podlagi uredbe o osnovnih cenah, temeljile na menjavi dveh gozdnih zemljišč, bi lahko poznejša sprememba namembnosti zemljišča v javni lasti, če je bila predvidena že od samega začetka, privedla do prenizke ocene prejetega zemljišča, če se upošteva njegova predvidena prihodnja uporaba kot zazidljivega zemljišča.
According to the CJEU, any activity consisting in offering goods and services on a market constitutes an economic activity [76].
Po mnenju Komisije naj bi bilo dejstvo, da je spornim poslom menjave vedno – ali vsaj v večini primerov – sledila (odobrena) zahteva za spremembo namembnosti zamenjanega gozdnega zemljišča, ki ga je prejel upravičenec, v zazidljivo zemljišče, objektiven znak, da so stranke navedenih poslov menjave že od začetka nameravale po menjavi spremeniti namembnost zemljišča v javni lasti.
The classification of an entity as an undertaking is thus always relative to a specific activity.
Statistični podatki, ki so jih bolgarski organi predložili v odgovor na sklep o začetku postopka in ki potrjujejo podatke iz uvodne izjave 38, kažejo, da je bilo v zvezi s 132 posli menjave, ki so bili opravljeni v obdobju pregleda, vloženih 24 zahtev za spremembo namembnosti zemljišča v zazidljivo zemljišče (kar pomeni 18,2 % vseh menjav) in da je bila zahtevana sprememba odobrena v 15 primerih (kar pomeni 11,4 % vseh menjav).
An entity that carries out both economic and non-economic activities is to be regarded as an undertaking only with regard to the former.
Komisija na podlagi navedenih podatkov ugotavlja, da v večini primerov menjavam ni sledila zahteva za spremembo namembnosti zemljišča.
An undertaking does not need to be a legal person; natural persons can also be considered undertakings under the State aid provided they carry out an economic activity.
Komisija vsekakor ugotavlja, da sta v bolgarski zakonodaji predvidena dva ločena postopka za menjave in spremembo namembnosti zemljišča ter da sta za ta postopka pristojna dva ločena državna organa, ki delujeta neodvisno drug od drugega.
With this in mind, it should be noted that certain beneficiaries of the contested swap transactions did not carry out economic activities with the swapped forest land during the period under review, nor do they carry out such activities at present.
To je dodaten znak, da v tem primeru ni neločljive povezave med posli menjave in spremembo namembnosti zemljišča.
As a result, those beneficiaries cannot be considered undertakings within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty so that no State aid is considered to be present in the swap transactions they concluded with the Bulgarian State.
Ker ni bilo dokazano, da med posli menjave in spremembo namembnosti zamenjanega zemljišča, ki ga je prejel upravičenec, obstaja neločljiva povezava, bo Komisija vsakega od navedenih poslov proučila posebej, da bi ugotovila obstoj državne pomoči v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe.
Consequently, the remainder of this decision concerns only those beneficiaries of the contested swap transactions that constitute undertakings within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
Obstoj pomoči pri spremembi namembnosti zemljišča
Intrinsic link between the swap and the change of the designated use of the land
Določitev uporabe zemljišča je pravni nadzor javnih organov nad uporabo in intenzivnostjo razvoja zemljišča.
The first doubt raised by the Commission in its opening decision was whether an intrinsic link existed between the swap transactions and the change of the designated use of the swapped land received by the beneficiaries.
Če javni organ odobri spremembo namembnosti zemljišča, izvaja regulativno dejavnost in ne deluje kot gospodarski subjekt.
This is important because, if such a link is found to exist, it will impact the Commission’s assessment of whether the swap transactions give rise to an economic advantage and how that advantage should be quantified.
Za državno pomoč v smislu člena 107 Pogodbe se štejejo samo ugodnosti, ki se dodelijo neposredno ali posredno iz državnih sredstev.
An intrinsic link means that it was the intention of the parties to the swap transaction, before that transaction was completed, to change the designated use of the publicly owned land from forest land to land available for construction subsequent to the swap.
V skladu s sodno prakso Sodišča [77] razlikovanje, vzpostavljeno v tej določbi, med „pomočjo, ki jo dodeli država“, in pomočjo „iz državnih sredstev“ ne pomeni, da vse ugodnosti, ki jih dodeli država, ne glede na to, ali izhajajo iz državnih sredstev ali ne, pomenijo pomoč.
Thus, while the administrative prices calculated for the swap transaction on the basis of the Regulation on basic prices would be based on the swap of two plots of forest land, the subsequent change in the designated use of publicly owned plot, if intended from the outset, could result in an undervaluation of the plot received considering its intended future use as construction land.
Namen tega razlikovanja je le, da se v to opredelitev vključijo ugodnosti, ki jih država dodeli neposredno, in ugodnosti, ki se dodelijo prek javnega ali zasebnega subjekta, ki ga določi ali ustanovi država.
According to the Commission, the fact that the contested swap transactions were always — or at least in a large majority of cases — followed by a (approved) request to change the designated use of the swapped forest land received by the beneficiary to land available for construction would be an objective indication that the parties to those swap transactions intended from the outset to change the designated use of the publicly owned land subsequent to the swap.
Čeprav lahko sprememba namembnosti določenega zemljišča iz gozdnega v zazidljivo, ki jo odobri javni organ, povzroči povišanje tržne vrednosti navedenega zemljišča, ta odobritev ne vključuje prenosa državnih sredstev v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe: izvajanje te regulativne naloge ne privede do pozitivnega prenosa sredstev na prejemnika navedene odobritve, niti ne vključuje odpovedi državnim sredstvom, ker državi pri izvajanju te regulativne naloge uspešnim prosilcem ni treba zaračunati pristojbine, v kateri je zajeta celotna gospodarska vrednost, ki jo pridobijo s to odobritvijo [78].
The statistical data provided by the Bulgarian authorities in response to the opening decision, reaffirming the data reflected in recital 38, demonstrates that in relation to the 132 swap transactions that took place during the period under review, 24 requests for a change in the designed use of the land into land available for construction were submitted (representing 18,2 % of the total swaps) of which in 15 cases approval was given for the requested change (representing 11,4 % of the total swaps).
Odločitev javnega organa o spremembi namembnosti določenega zemljišča torej ne pomeni državne pomoči v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe.
On the basis of that data, the Commission concludes that in the majority of cases the swaps were not followed by a request to change the designated use of the land.
Obstoj pomoči pri poslih menjave
In any event, the Commission observes that Bulgarian legislation provides for two separate procedures for swaps and for the change in the designated use of land, respectively, and two separate State bodies are competent for each operation and operate independently from one another.
V skladu z ustaljeno sodno prakso [79] lahko prodaja zemljišč ali zgradb podjetju ali posamezniku, ki opravlja gospodarsko dejavnost, s strani javnih organov povzroči ekonomsko ugodnost in torej pomeni državno pomoč v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe, zlasti če ni opravljena po tržni vrednosti, tj. po ceni, ki bi jo verjetno določil zasebni vlagatelj v običajnih konkurenčnih razmerah.
This provides a further indication that an intrinsic link between the swap transactions and the change in the designated use of the land is missing in the present case.
Enako velja za posel menjave, pri katerem je vrednost zemljišča v javni lasti, prejetega od države, višja od vrednosti zemljišča v zasebni lasti, prepuščenega državi.
Since no intrinsic link has been shown to exist between the swap transactions and the change in the designated use of the swapped land received by the beneficiary, the Commission shall examine each of those operations separately for the existence of State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
Vendar bo Komisija pred proučitvijo, ali posli menjave vodijo do ekonomske ugodnosti, proučila, ali so za ugotovitev državne pomoči v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe izpolnjeni preostali pogoji iz uvodne izjave 124.
Existence of Aid in the change of the designated use of the land
Prvič, kar zadeva odgovornost za ukrep, posli menjave spadajo v pristojnost ministra za kmetijstvo in prehrano ali sveta ministrov (odvisno od velikosti zemljišča, ki bo zamenjano) in IAG, ki so vsi državni organi.
Land use designation is the legal control by public authorities on the use and intensity of development of a plot of land.
Če posel menjave privede do menjave gozdnega zemljišča v javni lasti višje vrednosti za odstopljeno gozdno zemljišče v zasebni lasti, povzroči prenos državnih sredstev, ker se bolgarska država odpove nekaterim prihodkom, ki bi jih lahko pridobila, če bi pri izvedbi tega posla ravnala v skladu s tržnimi pogoji.
Where a public authority approves a change in the designated use of a plot of land it performs a regulatory activity and is not acting as an economic agent.
Drugič, posli menjave so selektivni, ker prinašajo koristi samo tistim lastnikom zemljišč, ki so svoja zasebna gozdna zemljišča zamenjali z gozdnimi zemljišči v javni lasti.
Only advantages granted directly or indirectly through State resources are to be considered aid within the meaning of Article 107 of the Treaty.
Tretjič, posli menjave izkrivljajo konkurenco in vplivajo na trgovino med državami članicami.
According to the case-law of the CJEU [77], the distinction made in that provision between ‘aid granted by a Member State’ and aid granted ‘through State resources’ does not signify that all advantages granted by a State, whether financed through State resources or not, constitute aid.
Če so upravičenci do menjav podjetja, ki na določenem trgu ponujajo blago in storitve, kakršna koli finančna korist, ki izhaja iz menjav, okrepi njihov položaj v primerjavi z drugimi podjetji, ki z istim blagom in storitvami konkurirajo v trgovini znotraj Unije [80].
Rather, the distinction is intended merely to bring within that definition both advantages which are granted directly by the State and those granted by a public or private body designated or established by the State.
Vrsta upravičencev [81] do poslov menjave ima namreč v bolgarskem poslovnem registru kot gospodarski sektor, v katerem delujejo, med drugim navedene nepremičnine, turizem, gostinske dejavnosti in pogozdovanje.
While the approval by a public authority to change the designated use of a particular plot of land from forest land to land available for construction may result in an increase in the market value of that land, that approval does not entail a transfer of State resources within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty: the exercise of that regulatory task does not result in a positive transfer of funds to the recipient of that approval, nor does it entail a forgoing of State resources, since the State is not obliged in exercising that regulatory task to charge successful applicants a fee that captures the full economic value they extract from obtaining that approval [78].
Ti sektorji so odprti za konkurenco na ravni Unije.
Accordingly, the decision by a public authority to change the designated use of a particular plot of land does not constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
To dokazujejo informacije iz istega registra, v katerem ima več upravičencev [82] do poslov menjave kot gospodarski sektor, v katerem delujejo, navedeno trgovino ali (mednarodne) trgovinske dejavnosti.
Existence of aid in the swap transaction
Kar zadeva trditev bolgarskih organov, da morajo biti družbe, da bi bile dejavne v sektorju turizma ali gradbeništva, vpisane v posebne registre in da to ne velja za večino družb, ki so bile udeležene v poslih menjave, Komisija ugotavlja, da je pojem „podjetje“ v členu 107(1) Pogodbe objektiven pojem, tako da je treba na vprašanje, ali podjetja ponujajo blago in storitve na določenem trgu ter torej konkurirajo z drugimi podjetji in so vključena v trgovino znotraj Unije, odgovoriti ob upoštevanju dejavnosti, ki jih ta podjetja dejansko opravljajo, in ne tega, ali so izpolnila nekatere nacionalne pravne formalnosti.
According to settled case law [79], the sale by public authorities of land or buildings to an undertaking or to an individual involved in an economic activity may give rise to an economic advantage and thus constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty, in particular where it is not made at market value, that is to say, where it is not sold at the price which a private investor, operating in normal competitive conditions, would be likely to have fixed.
Nazadnje, kar zadeva obstoj ekonomske ugodnosti, se posli menjave nanašajo na zamenjavo (vsaj) dveh gozdnih zemljišč med bolgarsko državo in zasebnimi strankami.
The same is true of a swap transaction where the value of the publicly owned land received from the State is superior to the value of the privately owned land relinquished to the State.
Za določitev, ali so zasebne stranke s poslom menjave pridobile ekonomsko ugodnost, je treba oceniti tržni vrednosti zamenjanih zemljišč in ju primerjati med seboj.
However, prior to examining whether the swap transactions give rise to an economic advantage, the Commission shall examine whether the remaining conditions listed in recital 124 are present for a finding of State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
Če posel menjave privede do menjave gozdnega zemljišča v javni lasti, ki je višje vrednosti, za gozdno zemljišče, ki ga odstopi zasebna stranka, bo navedeni zasebni stranki podeljena ekonomska ugodnost.
First, as regards the imputability of the measure, the swap transactions fall within the competence of the Minister of Agriculture and Food or the Council of Ministers (depending on the size of the plot to be swapped) and the EFA, all of which are State bodies.
Kot je pojasnjeno v uvodni izjavi 16, so bile administrativne cene za zadevne menjave izračunane na podlagi uredbe o osnovnih cenah.
To the extent the swap transaction results in a transfer of publicly owned forest land of superior value to the privately owned forest land relinquished, it gives rise to a transfer of State resources in so far as the Bulgarian State forgoes certain revenues it would have been able to attain if it had operated in accordance with market conditions when carrying out that transaction.
Sodišče je priznalo, da kadar nacionalno pravo določa upravna pravila za izračun tržne vrednosti zemljišč, po kateri bi jih javni organi prodali, mora uporaba teh pravil, da bi bila v skladu s členom 107 Pogodbe, v vseh primerih voditi do administrativne cene, ki je čim bližje tržni vrednosti zemljišča [83].
Second, the swap transactions are selective in so far as they only benefit those land owners which swapped their privately owned forest land with publicly owned forest land.
Ker je navedena tržna vrednost teoretična, bo dopustno odstopanje dobljene cene v primerjavi s teoretično ceno [84].
Third, the swap transactions distort competition and affect trade between Member States.
Bolgarski organi so bili pozvani, naj predložijo informacije o administrativnih cenah, uporabljenih za 132 poslov menjave, ki so bili opravljeni v obdobju pregleda, in tržnih cenah za navedene posle.
To the extent the beneficiaries of the swaps are undertakings that offer goods and services on a particular market, any financial benefit resulting from the swaps strengthens their position as compared with other undertakings competing in intra-Union trade for the same goods and services [80].
Komisija je bolgarske organe tudi pozvala, naj pri določitvi tržne vrednosti upoštevajo tudi kakršne koli predhodne ali poznejše posle z istimi gozdnimi zemljišči.
Indeed, a number of beneficiaries [81] of the swap transactions have, amongst others, real estate, tourism, restaurant activities and afforestation listed as the economic sectors in which they operate in the Bulgarian Commercial Registry.
Zato so se, čeprav Komisija meni, da je za oceno morebitnih elementov državne pomoči v poslih menjave izvor zamenjanih gozdnih zemljišč nepomemben, upoštevale informacije o cenah, če so bile na voljo.
Those sectors are open to competition at Union level.
Bolgarski organi so navedli nekatere težave v zvezi z zanesljivostjo podatkov, ki so jih lahko predložili v zvezi s tržnimi cenami [85].
This is demonstrated by information in that same registry in which several beneficiaries [82] of the swap transactions have trade or (international) commercial activities listed as the economic sector in which they operate.
Hkrati so navedli, da predložene informacije vsebujejo najboljše ocene tržnih cen [86].
As regards the argument put forward by the Bulgarian authorities that for companies to be active in the tourism or construction sectors their inscription in dedicated registers is necessary and that that would not be the case for most of the companies participating in the swap transactions, the Commission observes that the notion of ‘undertaking’ in Article 107(1) of the Treaty is an objective concept, so that the question of whether undertakings offer goods and services on a particular market, and thus compete with other undertakings and engage in intra-Union trade, is to be determined in light of the activities actually carried out by those undertakings and not whether they have complied with certain national legal formalities.
Komisija meni, da so navedeni podatki dovolj zanesljive ocene realne (tj. „poštene“) tržne vrednosti zadevnih zemljišč.
Finally, as regards the presence of an economic advantage, the swap transactions concern the exchange of (at least) two plots of forest land between the Bulgarian State and private parties.
Analiza podatkov je pokazala, da je uporaba administrativnih cen za zemljišča v zasebni lasti povzročila sistematično previsoko vrednotenje zadevnih zemljišč v primerjavi s tržnimi cenami [87], medtem ko je bil pri gozdnih zemljiščih v javni lasti položaj bolj raznolik, saj so bila ta ocenjena previsoko in prenizko.
To determine whether an economic advantage was derived by the private parties as a result of the swap transaction, the market value of the plots swapped needs to be assessed and compared to one another.
Pri določitvi, ali je bila s posli menjave upravičencem podeljena ugodnost, se torej s preprosto primerjavo tržne cene zemljišča v javni lasti v času menjave s tržno ceno zemljišča v zasebni lasti, za katero je bilo zamenjano, ne bi zadostno upoštevalo sistematično previsoko vrednotenje zadnjenavedenega.
If the swap transaction results in a transfer of publicly owned forest land which is of superior value to the forest land relinquished by the private party, an economic advantage will be conferred upon that private party.
Zato je Komisija oblikovala formulo, v kateri so se upoštevale administrativne cene, uporabljene v prvotnem poslu, da bi pravilno ocenila ugodnost, ki izhaja iz menjave.
As explained in recital 16, for the swaps in question administrative prices were calculated on the basis of the Regulation on basic prices.
Za to formulo, ki je bila predstavljena že v sklepu o začetku postopka, je potreben izračun naslednjih zneskov:
The CJEU has recognised that, where national law establishes administrative rules for calculating the market value of land for their sale by public authorities, the application of those rules must, in order to comply with Article 107 of the Treaty, lead in all cases to an administrative price as close as possible to the market value of the land [83].
razlike med realno tržno ceno gozdnega zemljišča v zasebni lasti in administrativno ceno za to zemljišče, določeno v skladu z določbami uredbe o osnovnih cenah, in
As that market value is theoretical, a margin for variation on the price obtained as compared with the theoretical price will be tolerated [84].
razlike med realno tržno ceno gozdnega zemljišča v javni lasti in administrativno ceno za to zemljišče, določeno v skladu z določbami uredbe o osnovnih cenah.
The Bulgarian authorities were requested to provide information on the administrative prices used for the 132 swap transactions that took place during the period under review, as well as on market prices for those same transactions.
Za ugodnost bi se štelo, da obstaja, če je bila vrednost (ii) minus vrednost (i) pozitivna.
The Commission requested the Bulgarian authorities to also consider any prior or subsequent transactions with the same forest plots when determining their market value.
Vendar se bo pri določitvi, ali je bila s poslom menjave dodeljena ugodnost, upoštevalo tudi kakršno koli denarno nadomestilo, ki ga je ena stranka plačala drugi za kritje razlike v administrativnih cenah dveh zemljišč, ki sta bili predmet posla menjave.