natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
The Land associations, as the bodies competent for collecting and allocating the milk levy, also differed from the agricultural committees in the case Plans de Campagne, which were not involved in defining the measures in question and did not have any discretion in their application [28].
V zadevi VaľHor (Sklep 2014/416/EU) (sklep: ne gre za pomoč), kot pri dajatvi na mleko, sredstva v glavnem pobirajo in dodeljujejo državno priznane zasebne in prostovoljno združene panožne organizacije, s prispevki pripadnikov panoge se financirajo kolektivno usmerjeni ukrepi v korist panoge, z zakonom določena možnost državnega priznavanja zasebne panožne organizacije sama ne pomeni, da gre za državni nadzor, država dejansko ne more uporabljati sredstev, da bi podprla določena podjetja, in panožna organizacija sama odloča o uporabi sredstev.
Moreover, the benefit enjoyed by the dairy industry was not a drain on the public exchequer because the milk levy was collected from operators belonging to the dairy industry, i.e. the selective ‘advantage’ was offset by a selective burden.
V zadevi Doux Elevage (C-677/11) (sklep: ne gre za pomoč) so, kot pri dajatvi na mleko, sredstva v glavnem pobirale in dodeljevale državno priznane zasebne in prostovoljno združene panožne organizacije; z zakonom določena možnost državnega priznavanja zasebne panožne organizacije sama ne privede do domneve o državnem nadzoru, sredstva so se v celoti črpala iz zneskov, pobranih od gospodarskih subjektov, država dejansko ne more uporabljati sredstev, da bi podprla določena podjetja, in panožna organizacija sama odloča o uporabi sredstev.
This in itself was enough to rule out any preferential treatment or distortion of competition because the ‘advantages’ enjoyed by dairies and milk producers were offset by having to pay the levy.
V zadevi Plans de Campagne (T-139/09) (sklep: gre za pomoč) drugače kot pri dajatvi na mleko odloča organ o višini prispevkov, zbrani prispevki se povečajo z državnimi sredstvi, ukrepe določa država (žig državnega nadzornika itd.), odbori gospodarske panoge pri določanju ne sodelujejo in tudi nimajo nikakršnega manevrskega prostora pri uporabi ukrepov, sej odborov pa se je udeleževal delegat ministra.
In the case Vent de Colère, the Court of Justice had found a system of charges to constitute State aid because — following a change to the law — the burden was no longer offset solely by charges paid by members of the economic sector in question (energy) but by charges paid by all end consumers of electricity resident in the national territory [29].
V zadevi Pearle (C-345/02) (sklep: ne gre za pomoč) so bila, kot pri dajatvi na mleko, sredstva uporabljena izključno za namene posamezne gospodarske panoge, združenje določene gospodarske panoge je pri javnem uradu podalo predlog za zbiranje prispevkov za izvajanje ukrepov v korist te gospodarske panoge, drugače kot pri dajatvi na mleko pa je bilo pri pobiranju in uporabi prisilne dajatve odločilno vključeno javnopravno in ne zasebno poklicno združenje, tako da se zdi zadeva Pearle v tem delu težavnejša od dajatve na mleko.
The LVN also considered State aid not to exist in the event that it related to ‘collective operations’ implemented in the interests of a specific sector and funded on the basis of contributions collected from members of that sector.
Pripombe Nemčije z dne 3. decembra 2014
The contested measures were intended solely to promote milk as a product and thus the collective interest of the dairy industry.
Glede dodatnih pripomb LVN z dne 8. julija 2014 je z dopisom z dne 3. decembra 2014 navedla:
The measures in question also partially protected consumer interests because the two purposes could not be separated from each other owing to the overlapping of interests that existed.
Zadevne zvezne dežele so v postopku preiskave za dajatev na mleko v skladu z MFG osredotočile predvsem na dvoje, in sicer najprej pri dokazovanju skladnosti izvedenih ukrepov na materialna pravila za državne pomoči (zlasti v zvezi z združljivostjo ukrepov s cilji kmetijske uredbe o izjemah in vsakokrat veljavne kmetijske smernice) ter nato v smislu dejanskega stanja na vprašanje, ali obstaja upoštevna prednost v smislu člena 107(1) PDEU.
The role of the State was limited to making a statutory compensation mechanism available to the dairy sector via the MFG that — by its nature — guaranteed that the members of the dairy industry that benefited from the measures implemented in favour of milk were the ones who contributed to the costs.
Pripombe LVN z dne 8. julija 2014 in sedanja praksa odločanja evropskih sodišč in Evropske komisije pomenijo priložnost za dopolnitev osnovnih navedb o vprašanju, ali je tukaj sploh izpolnjeno dejansko stanje državne pomoči v smislu člena 107(1) PDEU in zlasti, ali je tukaj izpolnjena značilnost dejanskega stanja „dodeljeno iz državnih sredstev“.
As in the cases Pearle, Doux Elevages and VaľHor, the State thus functioned solely as a facilitator enabling the compensation mechanism that had been brought into being by the private sector to be made mandatory and thus ensuring a fair sharing of burdens [30].
Pripombe LVN z dne 8. julija 2014 in pregled prej navedenih odločitev vzbujajo vsaj dvom o tem, ali je bila v tem primeru izpolnjena značilnost dejanskega stanja „dodeljeno iz državnih sredstev“, tako da pri pobiranju in uporabi dajatve na mleko ne bi šlo za državno pomoč.
The levy had been initiated by the Land associations and thus by the private sector.
To je po mnenju Nemčije mogoče utemeljiti z naslednjim:
The levy was thus collected pursuant to Section 22 of the MFG solely in ‘consultation’ with the Land associations.
Kot se je izkazalo iz zadeve Val'Hor (Sklep 2014/416/EU) in zadeve Doux Élevage (C-677/11), pri ukrepih, ki so jih financirale in izvajale zasebne panožne organizacije, ne gre za državne pomoči.
The Land associations were themselves not a product of State action either but rather ‘voluntary’ organisations made up of members of the dairy industry (Section 14 of the MFG).
Pri deželnih združenjih za mleko, ki obstajajo v posameznih zveznih deželah, gre za organizacije, ki jih je mogoče primerjati z organizacijami, imenovanimi v navedenih sodbah.
The situation in Thuringia, where the Land association was not recognised until 1999, was clearly documented in this respect.
Državni organi niso bili nikoli člani teh deželnih združenj.
At the request of the Thuringian Farmers' Association, the competent Ministry ‘initiated the necessary formal administrative steps’ to collect the levy from dairies and milk collection centres.
Udeležujejo se sej brez pravice glasovanja, tako rekoč kot zunanji gosti.
This made it blatantly clear that the milk levy was a purely private compensation mechanism, with the State acting solely as a facilitator in order to make payment of the levy mandatory [31].
Udeležba državnega organa v okviru pobiranja dajatve na mleko oz. nadzora nad upoštevanjem pravnih pogojev, predpisanih v MFG, ne pomeni, da deželna združenja ne bi bila merodajni organ za izbiro dejavnosti.
In summing up, the LVN stressed what it considered to be the similarities and differences between various legal cases on the one hand and the MFG on the other.
Dejansko posamezna deželna združenja upravljajo zbrane dajatve in določajo uporabo sredstev iz dajatev.
In the case VaľHor (Decision 2014/416/EU) (result: no aid), as in the case of the milk levy, the funds were collected and allocated essentially by a state-recognised private and voluntary interbranch organisation, the contributions paid by operators within the branch were used to fund collective operations for the benefit of the branch, the possibility provided for by law of state recognition of the private interbranch organisation did not in itself lead to the assumption of public control, the State could not in fact use the funds to support certain businesses, and the interbranch organisation decided itself on how the funds were to be used.
Državnega vpliva na podlagi „preskusa“ oz. „določitve“ predlogov deželnih združenj s strani državnih organov dejansko ni, saj to ostaja v okviru člena 22(2) MFG in je namenjeno preskusu, ali se upoštevajo pravna pravila člena 22 MFG.
In the case Vent de Colère (C-262/12) (result: aid), unlike with the milk levy, the amount of the charge in question was fixed unilaterally by ministerial decree without the involvement of private parties, there was a state guarantee, the funds were managed by a public body and a state penalty mechanisms were put in place.
Sredstva iz dajatev so se uporabljala v skladu s predlogi za uporabo deželnih združenj, kar v skladu s sodbo Sodišča z dne 16. maja 2002 v zadevi Stardust Marine (C-482/99) nedvomno kaže, da ne gre za uporabo državnih sredstev.
In the case Doux Elevage (C-677/11) (result: no aid), as in the case of the milk levy, the funds were collected and allocated essentially by a state-recognised private and voluntary interbranch organisation, the possibility provided for by law of state recognition of the private interbranch organisation did not in itself lead to the assumption of public control, the funds came entirely from contributions collected from economic operators, the State could not in fact use the funds to support certain businesses, and the interbranch organisation decided itself on how the funds were to be used.
Deželna združenja so docela zasebne organizacije.
In the case Plans de Campagne (T-139/09) (result: aid), unlike with the milk levy, an authority decided on the level of contributions, the income from contributions was topped up by State resources, measures were defined by the State (stamp of the State financial controller, etc.) without involvement on the part of branch committees, the latter had no discretion in applying the measures, and a representative of the Minister took part in committee meetings.
To dejstvo in tudi ugotovitev, da deželna združenja upravljajo dajatev na mleko in njeno uporabo, odločilno govorita v prid temu, da se dajatev na mleko, ustrezno zgoraj navedeni zadevi, ne uvrsti med državno pomoč.
In the case Pearle (C-345/02) (result: no aid), as in the case of the milk levy, funds were used solely for the purposes of the branch in question, an association of a specific branch had asked a public body to collect contributions in order to implement certain measures for the benefit of that branch, and, unlike with the milk levy, a public and not a private professional association played an important role in collecting and allocating the compulsory levy, with the result that Pearle seemed to be more problematic than the milk levy.
Proti obstoju državne pomoči govori tudi dejstvo, da so sredstva dajatve na mleko čisto zasebna sredstva.
Germany's submission of 3 December 2014
Gre za sredstva, ki izvirajo iz premoženja zasebnih podjetij, ki jih bremeni dajatev.
Germany responded to an additional opinion of the LVN dated 8 July 2014 by letter dated 3 December 2014, as follows:
Državna subvencija ali prevzem garancije, drugače kot v zadevah Vent de Colère (C-262/12) in Plans de Campagne (T-139/09), v katerih je bil obstoj državne pomoči zaradi tega razloga potrjen, pri dajatvi na mleko ne obstaja.
In their comments in the formal investigation procedure concerning the milk levy provided for in the MFG, the German Länder in question had focused on two aspects: the consistency of the measures implemented with the material requirements of the State aid rules (in particular as regards their compatibility with the requirements of the Agriculture Exemption Regulation and the current agricultural guidelines), and the question whether there was any ‘favouring’ relevant to the State aid rules within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU.
Pri dajatvi na mleko gre za kolektiven ukrep za celotno panogo, kar v skladu z aktualnima pravnima položajema (Sklep 2014/416/EU (Val'Hor) in C-677/11 (Doux Élevage)) govori proti obstoju državne pomoči.
The LVN's comments of 8 July 2014 and the current decisional practice of the European Courts and the European Commission gave rise to the need for additional comments of a fundamental nature concerning whether State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU indeed existed, and in particular whether the constituent element of aid being granted ‘through State resources’ applied.
Prav tako se izraža dvom o dajanju prednosti, ki je nujno potrebno, da bi bilo mogoče domnevati, da gre za pomoč.
The LVN's comments of 8 July 2014 and an examination of the above-mentioned Judgments at least gave rise to doubts as to whether the element of aid being granted ‘through State resources’ applied in this case and whether, therefore, the collection and allocation of the milk levy constituted State aid.
To bi bilo mogoče utemeljiti s tem, da so se prednosti, ki so jih dobili mlekarne in proizvajalci mleka, popolnoma izničile oziroma „nevtralizirale“ z dajatvami, pobranimi pri mlekarnah in s tem posredno tudi pri proizvajalcih mleka.
The reasons for this were as follows:
To potrjuje tudi sodba Sodišča z dne 19. decembra 2013 (C-262/12; „Vent de Colère“), v kateri se dejansko stanje državne pomoči šteje kot izpolnjeno prav zato, ker se obveznosti ne pobirajo več samo pri pripadnikih panoge, ampak tudi pri vseh domačih odjemalcih električne energije.
As had emerged from the cases Val'Hor (Decision 2014/416/EU) and Doux Élevage (C-677/11), measures funded and implemented by private interbranch organisations did not constitute State aid.
Iz teh točk, ki deloma izhajajo iz ponovnega preskusa sistema dajatve na mleko in ob ohranjanju dosedanjega stališča zadevnih zveznih dežel, je treba sklepati, da so obstajali dvomi o tem, ali gre pri sistemu dajatve na mleko za državno pomoč.
The Land associations for milk that existed in the individual Länder were organisations that could be regarded as comparable to the organisations referred to in Val'Hor and Doux Élevage.
Na vprašanje, ali gre za državno pomoč in zlasti, ali je tukaj izpolnjena značilnost dejanskega stanja „državna sredstva“, mora odgovoriti Evropska komisija.
State bodies had never been members of these Land associations.
OCENA
They took part in meetings without any voting rights and thus essentially as external guests.
Obstoj pomoči
The involvement of state bodies in implementing the milk levy or monitoring compliance with the legal conditions set out in the MFG did not alter the fact that the Land associations were the competent body for selecting projects.
Člen 107(1) PDEU določa, da je vsaka pomoč, ki jo dodeli država članica, ali kakršna koli vrsta pomoči iz državnih sredstev, ki izkrivlja ali bi lahko izkrivljala konkurenco z dajanjem prednosti posameznim podjetjem ali proizvodnji posameznega blaga in ki prizadene trgovino med državami članicami, nezdružljiva z notranjim trgom.
In actual fact, it was the respective Land associations that managed revenues from the levy and determined how they should be allocated.
Pomoči, ki jih dodeli država, oziroma pomoči iz državnih sredstev
No State influence as a result of the ‘monitoring’ or ‘adoption’ of the Land association's proposals by State bodies existed in reality since the latter merely operated as provided for in Section 22(2) of the MFG and sought to examine whether the statutory requirements of Section 22 of the MFG were being met.
Na podlagi informacij, ki so na razpolago, in zlasti pripomb, ki so jih predložile zainteresirane strani in nemški organi, je treba preveriti, ali gre pri sredstvih iz dajatve na mleko za državna sredstva v smislu člena 107(1) PDEU.
The levy resources were used in accordance with the proposals which the Land associations themselves made concerning their allocation, a fact which, in accordance with the Judgment of the Court of Justice of 16 May 2002 in the case Stardust Marine (C-482/99), clearly indicated that they were not State resources.
V skladu z ustaljeno sodno prakso ni primerno razlikovati med primeri, v katerih pomoč dodeli neposredno država, in primeri, v katerih to pomoč dodeli javna ali zasebna ustanova, ki jo je za to določila ali ustanovila država [32].
The Land associations were purely private organisations.
Da bi bilo dodeljene ugodnosti mogoče šteti za državno pomoč v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe, morajo biti, prvič, dodeljene neposredno ali posredno iz državnih sredstev, in, drugič, tako, da jih je mogoče pripisati državi [33].
This fact, together with the observation that the Land associations managed the milk levy and how it was used, was a clear indication that the milk levy should, in line with the above-mentioned case law, not be classified as State aid.
V zvezi z ukrepi, opisanimi v 2. razdelku predloženega sklepa, izhaja, da so podpore odobrene na podlagi zakonodaje zveznih držav, katere pravni okvir pa je MFG.
The existence of State aid was further disproved by the fact that the milk levy resources were purely private resources.
V prvem stavku člena 22(1) MFG je konkretno določeno, da lahko za spodbujanje sektorja mleka deželne vlade v posvetovanju z deželnim združenjem ali poklicnimi organizacijami skupaj pri mlekarnah, zbirališčih mleka in postajah za zbiranje smetane pobirajo dajatve v višini do 0,1 centa na kilogram dobavljenega mleka.
They were resources derived from the assets of the private undertakings that were required to pay the levy.
V skladu z drugim stavkom člena 22(1) MFG lahko deželne vlade na predlog deželnega združenja ali poklicnih organizacij skupaj pobirajo dajatve v višini do 0,2 centa na kilogram dobavljenega mleka, če dajatve iz prvega stavka ne zadostujejo za izpolnjevanje funkcij.
In the case of the milk levy, there was no State funding or guarantee, in contrast to the situation in Cases C-262/12 (Vent de Colère) and T-139/09 (Plans de Campagne), in which it was found that State aid existed for this very reason.
Deželne vlade pobirajo dajatev na mleko „v posvetovanju“ s posameznim deželnim združenjem.
Moreover, the milk levy was a collective, industry-wide measure which, in accordance with the current legal situation as established in cases Val'Hor (Decision 2014/416/EU) and Doux Élevage (C-677/11), militated against the existence of State aid.
Posvetovanje pa je bistveno šibkejša oblika udeležbe od soglasja.
It was also doubtful whether any advantage was conferred by the scheme, something that it would have to do if it were to be assumed to constitute aid.
Medtem ko „soglasje“ pomeni, da sprejetje akta (za njegovo zakonitost) nujno predpostavlja strinjanje drugega organa (npr. zakonodajni organ, uradni organ), odločitev, ki jo je treba sprejeti v „posvetovanju“ z drugim organom, v končni fazi ni odvisna od njegovega strinjanja.
This was because the advantages enjoyed by dairies and milk producers were fully cancelled out or ‘neutralised’ by the levies paid by dairies and thus indirectly by milk producers.
V nemškem upravnem pravu se včasih izvaja taka stopenjska razvrstitev oblik udeležbe [34].
This was also confirmed by the Judgment of the Court of Justice of 19 December 2013 in the case Vent de Colère, in which it was also deemed that State aid existed because the costs were no longer met solely by operators in the branch but by all domestic electricity consumers.
Ker je v prvem stavku člena 22(1) MFG za obliko udeležbe določeno posvetovanje, imajo deželne vlade pravico do pobiranja dajatve in do odločanja o tem [35].
It followed from these points, some of which had emerged from a re-examination of the milk levy scheme and from the fact that the German Länder in question were maintaining their current position, that doubts existed as to whether the milk levy system did constitute State aid.
Nasprotno so deželna združenja vključena zgolj pri pripravi in tehničnem izvajanju ukrepov, ki jih je treba sprejeti v skladu s členom 22 (člen 14(1) MFG) in jih pri tem nadzira najvišji deželni organ (člen 14(2) in (4) MFG).
This question, and in particular whether the ‘State resources’ element existed, had to be answered by the European Commission.
Pravna podlaga za pobiranje dajatve na mleko v posameznih zveznih deželah so glede na to uredbe dežel, ki urejajo podrobnosti pobiranja dajatve, med drugim njeno višino [36].
ASSESSMENT
S tem pobiranje dajatve ureja država (ki jo predstavlja posamezna deželna vlada).
Existence of aid
Kot je obrazloženo v prejšnji uvodni izjavi 119, no v nasprotju s tem niti dejstvo, da so bile uredbe sprejete v sodelovanju s posameznim deželnim združenjem sektorja mleka.
Article 107(1) TFEU lays down that any aid granted by a Member State or through State resources in any form which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods and affects trade between Member States is incompatible with the internal market.
V tem primeru se dajatev pobira pri zasebnih podjetjih.
Aid granted by the State or through State resources
Prihodki iz te dajatve se stekajo v deželni proračun, preden se uporabijo za financiranje različnih podpornih ukrepov, in jih je treba tam v skladu s prvim stavkom člena 22(3) MFG upravljati ločeno.
It must be examined on the basis of the available information and, in particular, the comments submitted by the interested parties and by the German authorities whether the milk levy resources constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU.
V skladu s členom 23 posameznih deželnih finančnih uredb (glej uvodno izjavo 25) se smejo izdatki in odobritve za prevzem obveznosti za dajatve na organih zunaj deželne uprave za izpolnjevanje določenih namenov (pomoči) načrtovati samo, če ima dežela za izpolnjevanje s takimi organi velik interes, ki ga brez pomoči ni mogoče zadovoljiti ali ga ni mogoče zadovoljiti v potrebnem obsegu.
According to settled case-law, it is not appropriate to distinguish between cases in which aid is granted directly by the State and those in which it is granted by a public or private body designated or established by that State [32].
Ta določba pomeni, da obstaja državni interes za izvajanje ukrepov.
However, for advantages to be capable of being categorised as State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU, they must, first, be granted directly or indirectly through State resources and, second, be imputable to the State [33].
Komisija v odgovoru na trditve zainteresiranih strani in Nemčije ugotavlja:
With regard to the measures described above in Section 2 of the present Decision, it is apparent that support is granted on the basis of legal provisions of the German Länder, for which in turn the MFG constitutes the legal framework.
S trditvijo MPBW, da s sistemom dajatve na mleko ni povezana nobena obremenitev državnega proračuna dežele Baden-Württemberg (uvodne izjave od 60 do 63), je v nasprotju dejstvo, da se sredstva iz dajatve na mleko v proračunu knjižijo v posebni naslovni skupini (uvodna izjava 61).
Specifically, the first sentence of Section 22(1) of the MFG provides that the Land Governments, acting in consultation with the Land association or professional organisations, may collect levies of up to 0,1 cent per kilogram of delivered milk jointly from dairies, milk collection centres and creameries.
Na splošno velja, da je treba tudi takrat, ko sredstva, uporabljena za pomoč, izvirajo iz (namenske) dajatve, ki jo plačujejo zasebniki, izhajati iz obremenitve državnega proračuna in s tem iz uporabe državnih sredstev, če se ta sredstva najprej stekajo v proračun.
Under the second sentence of Section 22(1) of the MFG, Land Governments may, if requested to do so by the Land association or professional organisations, collect joint levies of up to 0,2 cents per kilogram of delivered milk if the levies provided for under the first sentence are not sufficient for the performance of tasks.
To je odločilna razlika od zadeve PreussenElektra, ki jo je navedel MPBW in v kateri gre za sistem minimalnega plačila, pri katerem zadevna finančna sredstva v nobenem obdobju niso postala del proračuna ali pa država ni kako drugače izvajala nadzora nad njimi (tudi če bi sredstva samo zaupala tretjim osebam).
The Land Governments collect the milk levy in consultation with the Land association in question.
Uporaba državnih sredstev je bila v takratnem primeru torej izključena [37].