natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Furthermore, the Court declared in the EDF case that, ‘[…] for the purposes of showing that, before or at the same time as conferring the advantage, the Member State took that decision as a shareholder, it is not enough to rely on economic evaluations made after the advantage was conferred, on a retrospective finding that the investment made by the Member State concerned was actually profitable, or on subsequent justifications of the course of action actually chosen’ [68].
Poleg tega letališče Leipzig/Halle zdaj oskrbuje približno 890000 zračnega prometa in je drugo največje letališče za zračni tovorni promet v Nemčiji.
In order to be able to apply the MEO test, the Commission has to place itself at the time when each decision to provide public funds to FLH was taken.
Nemčija je dejala, da je konkurenca letališča Leipzig/Halle z drugimi nemškimi letališči za zračni tovorni promet omejena, ker glavna nemška vozlišča za zračni tovorni promet (Frankfurt na Majni, München in Köln/Bonn), ki konkurirajo letališču, niso dovolj zmogljiva ali pa so njihovi nočni leti omejeni.
The Commission must also base its assessment on the information and assumptions, which were at the disposal of the relevant local authorities at the time, when the decision regarding the capital injections at stake was taken.
Po mnenju Nemčije ni prekrivanja konkurence z drugimi evropskimi letališči za zračni tovorni promet, predvsem z letališčem v Bruslju in letališčem Vatry.
Germany also stressed that the infrastructure is necessary to create jobs (5106 jobs depend directly on the airport).
Izpostavila je, da je letališče Vatry zelo majhno in da je bil leta 2010 obseg zračnega tovornega prometa na letališču Leipzig/Halle 80-krat večji od obsega enakega prometa na letališču Vatry.
The Commission however, observes that the social and regional considerations cannot be taken into account when conducting the MEO test.
Komisija na podlagi navedb tretjih oseb ugotavlja, da letališče Leipzig/Halle uporabljajo različni mednarodni letalski prevozniki tovora, kot so Wirtschaftsallianz v okviru projekta SALIS, Jade Cargo, Volga-Dnepr Group, Baring itd. Poleg tega je letališče Leipzig/Halle evropsko vozlišče družbe DHL.
In this particular case in relation to the infrastructure and infrastructure-related investments Germany appears to call into question the applicability of the MEO test.
Priglašeni infrastrukturni ukrepi zajemajo nadaljnjo širitev letališke infrastrukture za večja letala brez omejitev dovoljene največje vzletne teže.
Germany argued that the MEO test cannot be applied to transport infrastructure because there are no comparable private investors.
V zvezi s tem Komisija ugotavlja tudi, da letališče upravlja dve vzletno-pristajalni stezi (južno in severno, ki merita 3600 metrov).
According to Germany, private investors have no interest in airports, especially where large investments are necessary.
Na podlagi navedenega Komisija meni, da bi morebitna gospodarska prednost, ki bi jo družba FLH lahko pridobila od kapitalskih injekcij za financiranje različnih projektov razvoja in širitve infrastrukture na letališču Leipzig/Halle, okrepila njen položaj v primerjavi s konkurenti na trgu Unije ponudnikov letaliških storitev, zlasti kar zadeva tovor.
In this context, Germany submitted that this would mean that investments that private operators would not undertake would automatically fall outside the scope of State aid rules.
Zato meni, da javno financiranje, ki se ocenjuje, izkrivlja ali bi lahko izkrivljalo konkurenco in vpliva na trgovino med državami članicami.
The Commission cannot agree with this view of Germany.
Glede na ugotovitve iz uvodnih izjav 278–305 Komisija meni, da javno financiranje, odobreno družbi FLH v obliki kapitalskih injekcij, pomeni državno pomoč v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe.
The MEO test cannot be excluded just because the private sector would not be involved in financing airport infrastructure.
ZAKONITOST POMOČI
An economically difficult situation does not absolve the public investor from acting as reasonably as a private investor in the same situation would have done.
V skladu s členom 108(3) Pogodbe morajo države članice priglasiti vsak načrt o odobritvi ali spremembi pomoči in predlaganih ukrepov ne smejo izvesti, dokler se postopek priglasitve ne zaključi s končno odločitvijo.
In this context, the Commission notes that the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union has clarified that investment in economic activities which would not be undertaken by private investors operating in a market economy can contain State aid elements [69].
Ker o kapitalskih injekcijah odloča Komisija in njena odločitev družbi FLH še ni znana, Komisija meni, da je Nemčija spoštovala prepoved iz člena 108(3) Pogodbe [72].
Germany is not of the opinion that FLH’s shareholders acted as a MEO by deciding to increase the own capital of the airport and converting the shareholders loans into equity.
Veljaven pravni okvir
The Commission notes that Germany stated that the capital increases were done without an underlying business plan and without long-term prospects for profitability.
Ker kapitalske injekcije v družbo FLH pomenijo državno pomoč, mora Komisija proučiti, ali se ta pomoč iz uvodne izjave 306 šteje za združljivo z notranjim trgom.
Despite the inherent and significant uncertainties related to the project, such as the long-term nature of the investment project (around 50 years), there was neither an ex ante business plan, nor a sensitivity analysis nor any underlying profitability assumptions.
Člen 107(3) Pogodbe dopušča nekatera odstopanja od splošnega pravila iz člena 107(1) Pogodbe, po katerem je državna pomoč nezdružljiva z notranjim trgom.
This is not in line with the type of analysis that a prudent investor would have undertaken for a project of such magnitude.
Zadevna pomoč se lahko oceni na podlagi člena 107(3)(c) Pogodbe, ki določa, da se „pomoč za pospeševanje razvoja določenih gospodarskih dejavnosti ali določenih gospodarskih območij, kadar takšna pomoč ne spreminja trgovinskih pogojev v obsegu, ki bi bil v nasprotju s skupnimi interesi“ lahko šteje za združljivo z notranjim trgom.
On this basis, the Commission finds that the capital injections by the public shareholders and MFAG to FLH granted the latter an economic advantage (to the extent that the investment grants were not purely related to public policy remit activities as concluded in section 6.1.2).
V zvezi s tem smernice za letalski sektor iz leta 2014 zagotavljajo okvir, na podlagi katerega se lahko oceni, ali se pomoč letališčem lahko šteje za združljivo v smislu člena 107(3)(c) Pogodbe.
Selectivity
Komisija bo v skladu s smernicami za letalski sektor iz leta 2014 uporabila načela iz teh smernic za vse priglašene ukrepe pomoči za naložbe, v zvezi s katerimi se mora odločati od 4. aprila 2014, tudi če so bili projekti priglašeni pred tem datumom [73].
To fall within the scope of Article 107(1) of the Treaty, a State measure must favour ‘certain undertakings or the production of certain goods’.
Komisija je v uvodni izjavi 308 že sklenila, da neposredne in letne kapitalske injekcije ne pomenijo nezakonite državne pomoči, dodeljene pred 4. aprilom 2014.
Hence, only those measures favouring undertakings which grant an advantage in a selective way fall under the notion of State aid.
Vendar v tem primeru Komisija ugotavlja, da je letališče Leipzig/Halle z več kot 800000 tonami tovornega prometa specializirano za zračni tovorni promet.
In the case at hand, the capital injections only benefit FLH.
Nadalje ugotavlja, da se zadevni ukrepi nanašajo na strategijo širitve letališča, da se omogoči njegov vstop na trg tovornega prometa.
Hence, the measure is selective within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
V skladu s točko 29 smernic za letalski sektor iz leta 2014 Komisija še nima zadostnih izkušenj pri ocenjevanju pomoči za letališča, specializirana za tovorni promet, da bi svojo prakso lahko sklenila v obliko posebnih meril združljivosti.
Distortion of competition and effect on trade
Zato bo za take kategorije podjetij uporabila skupna načela združljivosti, določena v oddelku 5 smernic za letalski sektor iz leta 2014, za vsako posamezno oceno.
When aid granted by a Member State strengthens the position of an undertaking compared with other undertakings competing in the internal market, the latter must be regarded as affected by that aid [70].
Ocena združljivosti
The economic advantage that will be granted by the capital injections to the airport operator strengthens its economic position, as the airport operator will be able to set up its business without bearing the inherent investment costs.
Da bi Komisija ocenila, ali se ukrep državne pomoči lahko šteje za združljiv z notranjim trgom v smislu člena 107(3)(c) Pogodbe, običajno analizira, ali ukrep pomoči zagotavlja, da pozitiven vpliv, ki ga ima na cilj skupnega interesa, presega njegov negativen vpliv na trgovino in konkurenco.
As assessed in section 6.1.1, the operation of an airport is an economic activity.
Sporočilo o posodobitvi področja državnih pomoči [74] zahteva, da se ugotovijo in opredelijo skupna načela, ki veljajo pri oceni združljivosti vseh ukrepov pomoči, ki jih izvede Komisija.
Competition takes place, on the one hand, between airports to attract airlines and the corresponding air traffic (passengers and freight), and, on the other hand, between airport managers, which may compete between themselves to be entrusted with the management of a given airport.
Ukrep pomoči se v skladu s členom 107(3) Pogodbe šteje za združljiv z notranjim trgom, če so izpolnjeni naslednji kumulativni pogoji:
Moreover, the Commission underlines that notably with respect to freight forwarders, air cargo specialised airlines and also passenger airlines and charter operators, airports that are not located in the same catchment areas and in different Member States can also be in competition with each other to attract those airlines.
prispevek k jasno opredeljenemu cilju skupnega interesa;
The General Courts confirmed that Leipzig/Halle airport is in competition with airports in other Member States, in particular Brussels (Belgium) and Vatry (France) airports notably as regards to cargo flights [71].
potreba po posredovanju države;
In addition, Leipzig/Halle airport currently serves approximately 890000 tonnes air cargo and is the second biggest freight airport in Germany.
ustreznost ukrepa pomoči;
Germany submitted that the competition of Leipzig/Halle airport with other German air cargo airports was limited since the major German air cargo hubs (Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Cologne/Bonn), which were in competition with the airport, had capacity bottlenecks or restrictions on night flights.
spodbujevalni učinek;
According to Germany, there was also no competitive overlap with the other European cargo airports, mainly Brussels and Vatry.
sorazmernost pomoči (pomoč, omejena na najnižji znesek);
Concerning the Vatry airport, Germany pointed out that Vatry was a very small airport and that in 2010 the air cargo volume of Leipzig/Halle airport was more than 80 times larger than the air cargo volume at Vatry airport.
izogibanje nedovoljenim negativnim vplivom na konkurenco in trgovino med državami članicami;
From the submission of third parties, the Commission observes that Leipzig/Halle airport is used by different international air cargo carriers, such as Wirtschaftsallianz for the SALIS project, Jade Cargo, Volga-Dnepr Group, Baring etc.
preglednost ukrepa.
Moreover, Leipzig/Halle airport is the European hub of DHL.
Državam članicam, Komisiji, gospodarskim subjektom in zainteresirani javnosti je treba zagotovi enostaven dostop do vseh pomembnih aktov in ustreznih informacij o pomoči, ki se odobri na podlagi teh aktov, kot je določeno v oddelku 8.2 smernic za letalski sektor iz leta 2014.
The notified infrastructure measures involve a further extension of the airport’s infrastructure to serve bigger planes without any MTOW restrictions.
Prispevek k jasno opredeljenemu cilju skupnega interesa
In this regard, the Commission further observes that the airport operates two runways (southern and northern runway with a length of 3600 metres).
V skladu s členom 107(3) Pogodbe mora državna pomoč prispevati k cilju skupnega interesa.
On the basis of what precedes, the Commission considers that the possible economic advantage which FLH might receive from capital injections to finance the different infrastructure development and extension projects at Leipzig/Halle airport strengthen its position vis-à-vis its competitors on the Union’s market of providers of airport services, in particular as regards freight.
Običajno se šteje, da pomoč za naložbe letališčem prispeva k doseganju cilja skupnega interesa, če (i) poveča mobilnost in povezanost regij z vzpostavitvijo dostopnih točk za lete znotraj Unije; ali (ii) zmanjša preobremenjenost zračnega prometa na velikih letaliških vozliščih Unije; ali (iii) spodbuja regionalni razvoj.
Therefore, the Commission considers that the public funding under examination distorts or threatens to distort competition and affects trade between Member States.
Kapitalske injekcije iz tega sklepa so namenjene financiranju infrastrukturnih ukrepov na letališču Leipzig/Halle, ki je specializirano za zračni tovorni promet.
In the light of the considerations in recitals 278 to 305, the Commission considers that the public funding granted to FLH in the form of capital injections constitutes State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
Kot je navedla Nemčija, sektor zračnega tovornega prometa, zlasti hitrega prevoza tovora, kaže znatne stopnje rasti.
LAWFULNESS OF THE AID
Dejala je tudi, da se tri glavna vozlišča za zračni tovorni promet v Nemčiji, kot so Frankfurt na Majni, München in Köln/Bonn, srečujejo z omejitvami glede zmogljivosti nočnih letov.
Pursuant to Article 108(3) of the Treaty, Member States must notify any plans to grant or alter aid, and may not put the proposed measures into effect until the notification procedure has resulted in a final decision.
V zvezi s tem je Nemčija dejala tudi, da v skladu s sodbo Nemškega zveznega upravnega sodišča z dne 4. aprila 2012 letališče Frankfurt na Majni ne sme več izvajati nočnih letov.
As the capital injections are subject to a Commission decision and were not yet put at the disposal of FLH, the Commission considers that Germany has respected the prohibition of Article 108(3) of the Treaty [72].
Posledično je dejala, da družba FLH prispeva k spopadanju z resnim pomanjkanjem zmogljivosti za zračni tovorni promet v Nemčiji.
The applicable legal framework
Dejala je še, da je predvideni projekt del strategije za razvoj letališča kot „vozlišča Skupnosti“, ki je zajeta v okvirnem načrtu vseevropskega prometnega omrežja (Obzorje 2020) iz leta 2004.
Since the capital injections into FLH constitute State aid, the Commission has to examine if this aid identified in recital 306 can be found compatible with the internal market.
Letališče Leipzig/Halle se nahaja v regiji osrednje Nemčije (v bližini petih glavnih vseevropskih prometnih osi in vseevropskih koridorjev) med osema, ki povezujeta Severno in Južno Evropo (tj. avtocesta A 9) ter Zahodno in Vzhodno Evropo (tj. avtocesta A 14) z dostopom do železniškega in cestnega omrežja.
Article 107(3) of the Treaty provides for certain exemptions to the general rule set out in Article 107(1) of the Treaty that State aid is not compatible with the internal market.
Po njenem mnenju ima letališče zaradi svoje lege v središču Evrope in okoliškega trga, kjer na površini 100 km okoli letališča živi približno 7 milijonov ljudi, ter zaradi bližine cestne in železniške infrastrukture velik potencial rasti.
The aid in question can be assessed on the basis of Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty, which stipulates that: ‘aid to facilitate the development of certain economic activities or of certain economic areas, where such aid does not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest’, may be considered to be compatible with the internal market.
Kot je navedeno v uvodni izjavi 319, sektor zračnega tovornega prometa kaže znatne stopnje rasti (to pomeni, da je bila v letih od 2007 do 2011 zabeležena 5-odstotna povprečna rast v mednarodnem potniškem prometu in 4,3-odsotna rast v tovornem prometu) [75].
In this regard, the 2014 Aviation Guidelines provide a framework for assessing whether aid to airports may be declared compatible pursuant to Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty.
Vendar se letališče zaradi sedanjih zmogljivosti srečuje z omejitvami nočnih letov (glej uvodno izjavo 319).
According to the 2014 Aviation Guidelines, the Commission will apply the principles set out in these guidelines to all notified investment aid measures in respect of which it is called upon to take a decision from 4 April 2014, even where the projects were notified prior to that date [73].
Kot izhaja iz uvodne izjave 319, se na letališču pričakuje postopno in znatno povečanje zračnega tovornega prometa.
The Commission has already concluded in recital 308 that the direct and annual capital injections do not constitute unlawful State aid granted before 4 April 2014.
V zvezi s tem je pojasnila, da se bo v skladu s pričakovanji obseg zračnega tovora do leta 2020 povečal na približno 820000 ton [76].
However, in the present case the Commission observes that Leipzig/Halle airport with more than 800000 tonnes is a freight specialised airport.
Komisija meni, da bo izvajanje projekta pozitivno vplivalo na vso regijo ter na njen gospodarski in socialni razvoj.
The Commission further observes that the measures at stake relate to the airport’s expansion strategy to enter the freight market.
Nemčija je navedla, da je na letališču trenutno prisotnih 133 družb, ki so leta 2010 zaposlovale skupaj 5106 ljudi (kar je 14,4 % več v primerjavi z letom 2009).
According to point 22 of the 2014 Aviation Guidelines, the Commission does not yet have sufficient experience in assessing the compatibility of aid to airports specialised in freight transport to summarise its practice in the form of specific compatibility criteria.
Dodala je še, da bo naložbeni projekt izboljšal dostop do regije in povečal njeno privlačnost za vlagatelje in obiskovalce.
Hence, for those categories of undertakings, the Commission will apply the common principles of compatibility as set out in section 5 of the 2014 Aviation Guidelines through a case-by-case assessment.
Komisija opozarja, da to ugotavljajo tudi tretje strani (glej oddelek 4).
Compatibility assessment
Poleg tega bi to moralo pozitivno vplivati na zaposlovanje, če se upošteva, da je brezposelnost znatno višja v regiji Leipzig/Halle (v Saški regiji je brezposelnost 10,3-odstotna, v regiji Saška-Anhalt pa 11,2-odstotna) v primerjavi z nacionalnim povprečjem (6,9 %).
To assess whether a State aid measure can be considered compatible with the internal market pursuant to Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty, the Commission generally analyses whether the design of the aid measure ensures that the positive impact towards an objective of common interest exceeds its potential negative effects on trade and competition.
Zato Komisija lahko sklene, da sta gradnja in upravljanje infrastrukture v skladu z natančno opredeljenim ciljem skupnega interesa, ker se razvoj letališča s široko komponento zračnega tovornega prometa ujema s politiko Unije v zvezi s tem, pri čemer se ustrezno upoštevajo regionalni vidiki in da je v tem primeru izpolnjeno merilo združljivosti.
The Communication on State Aid Modernisation [74] called for the identification and definition of common principles applicable to the assessment of compatibility of all aid measures carried out by the Commission.
Ukrep državne pomoči mora biti usmerjen v primere, ko lahko privede do znatnih izboljšav, ki jih trg sam ne more doseči, ker na primer odpravi natančno opredeljeno nedelovanje trga ali obravnava vprašanje v zvezi z lastniškim kapitalom ali kohezijo.
An aid measure will be considered compatible with the internal market pursuant to Article 107(3) of the Treaty provided that the following cumulative conditions are met:
Nemčija je dejala, da letališče Leipzig/Halle trpi zaradi zaostanka pri naložbah v preteklosti.
need for State intervention;
Poleg tega je menila, da gre pri ukrepih za dolgoročne infrastrukturne naložbe, ki izpolnjujejo potrebe letališča glede na povečanje tovornega prometa v prihodnje.
incentive effect;
Dejala je, da so se stroški po temeljitem vnaprejšnjem načrtovanju in oceni stroškov zmanjšali na najnižjo raven.
proportionality of the aid (aid limited to the minimum);
Po njenem mnenju ni mogoče nadalje zmanjšati državnega financiranja, ker upravljavci letališč ne morejo financirati tako obsežne infrastrukture z lastnimi sredstvi.
avoidance of undue negative effects on competition and trade between Member States;
Nemčija je trdila, da se s prihodki od storitev ne pokrijejo stroški za gradnjo infrastrukture, ter trditev utemeljila na podlagi vrzeli v financiranju in primerjalne ocene dejstev in hipotetičnega scenarija.
transparency of aid: Member States, the Commission, economic operators, and the interested public, must have easy access to all relevant acts and to pertinent information about the aid awarded thereunder as outlined in section 8.2 of the 2014 Aviation Guidelines.
Komisija ugotavlja, da bo pomoč privedla do znatnih izboljšav za naložbeni projekt, ki jih trg ne more zagotoviti sam, zaradi česar je potrebno posredovanje države.
Contribution to a well-defined objective of common interest
Ukrep pomoči mora biti ustrezen instrument politike za obravnavo cilja skupnega interesa.
A State aid measure must have an objective of common interest in accordance with Article 107(3) of the Treaty.
Kot je pojasnjeno v oddelku 6.5.2.2, je Nemčija dokazala, da je financiranje projekta s kapitalskimi injekcijami ustrezen instrument za izboljšanje stanja infrastrukture na letališču Leipzig/Halle.
Investment aid to airports is usually considered to contribute to the achievement of an objective of common interest, if it (i) either increases mobility and the connectivity of the regions by establishing access points for intra-Union flights; or (ii) combats air traffic congestion at major Union hub airports; or (iii) facilitates regional development.
Financiranje potrebnih infrastrukturnih del se ne bi zagotovilo z nobeno drugo manj izkrivljajočo obliko pomoči.
The capital injections subject to this Decision are aimed at financing infrastructure measures at Leipzig/Halle airport, an airport specialised in air freight.
Komisija ugotavlja, da je zadevni ukrep pomoči ustrezen instrument politike.
As submitted by Germany, the air freight sector, in particular express freight, is showing considerable growth rates.
Pomoč mora spremeniti ravnanje zadevnih podjetij tako, da začnejo opravljati dodatno dejavnost, ki je brez pomoči ne bi opravljala ali bi jo opravljala omejeno, drugače ali na drugi lokaciji.
Germany stated further that the three main air-freight hubs in Germany, Frankfurt/Main, Munich and Köln/Bonn, are facing night flight capacity constraints.
Prvič, posamezna naložba se lahko začne šele po predložitvi vloge organu, ki dodeli pomoč.
In this regard, Germany stated that according to the judgment of the German Federal Administrative Court of 4 April 2012, Frankfurt Main/Airport is not allowed to carry out any night flight operations anymore.
Če se naložba začne pred vložitvijo vloge navedenemu organu, se nobena pomoč, odobrena tej posamezni naložbi, ne šteje za združljivo z notranjim trgom.
As a consequence, Germany stated that FLH helps to counter a serious air-freight capacity crunch in Germany.
Nemčija je navedla, da se naložba ni začela pred vložitvijo vloge za pomoč organu, ki dodeli pomoč.
Germany stated further that the envisaged project forms part of the strategy for the development of the airport contained in the Trans-European Transport Network Outline Plan from 2004 valid up to 2020 as a Community connecting point.
Zato Komisija ugotavlja, da je to merilo izpolnjeno.