natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
These elements appeared, at first sight, to confirm the thesis of the Bulgarian authorities that — as a general principle — the two steps are not intrinsically linked [34].
MOREBITNA DRŽAVNA POMOČ PRI MENJAVI GOZDNIH ZEMLJIŠČ
However, the Bulgarian authorities indicated that the formulas for setting the administrative prices of forest land and the stamp duty payable for the change in the designated use of the land were set at a level to ensure that the full swap price of forest land plus the change in the designed use of the land would, to a large extent, equal the market price of similar land available for construction.
Komisija je v sklepu o začetku postopka navedla, da so cene gozdnih zemljišč za menjave določili izvedenci zgolj na podlagi formul iz uredbe o osnovnih cenah.
This could imply that the authorities assumed that many investors would try to couple both steps into one transaction.
Zato je izrazila dvome glede tega, ali je bila z uporabo navedenih formul dobljena administrativna cena, ki je bila podobna cenam, doseženih pri poslih na strogo poslovni podlagi med dvema zasebnima strankama.
Consequently, the Commission raised doubts whether the potential change of the designated use of forest land concerned should be taken into account when determining the price of the plot for the purpose of the swap transactions, i.e. whether the swap and the subsequent change of the designated use of the swapped land should be considered intrinsically linked.
Komisija je torej pozvala Republiko Bolgarijo in tretje strani, naj zagotovijo informacije o tržnih cenah, doseženih pri popolnoma zasebnih prodajah (ali poslih menjave) gozdnih zemljišč, ki so bile opravljene v Bolgariji v obdobju pregleda.
POTENTIAL STATE AID IN THE CHANGE OF THE DESIGNATED USE OF THE LAND
Nadalje je Republiko Bolgarijo in tretje strani pozvala, naj zagotovijo informacije o razlikah med temi cenami in administrativnimi cenami, ki so se uporabljale za sporne posle menjave, in torej morebitni znesek državne pomoči pri navedenih poslih.
A second doubt raised by the Commission was whether the change in the designated use of the land swapped could result in the grant of State aid, as it further increased the value of the land swapped.
Poleg tega je Republiko Bolgarijo in tretje strani pozvala, naj zagotovijo informacije o pravilih, ki so se uporabljala za nadomestilo, plačano pri poslih menjave v primeru razlike v cenah za zamenjani zemljišči.
The Commission noted in the opening decision that the change in the designated use of the land does not prima facie seem to have involved any transfer of State resources.
Nazadnje je Republiko Bolgarijo pozvala, naj zagotovi dodatne informacije za utemeljitev svoje trditve, da sporne menjave ne vplivajo na trgovino znotraj Unije.
The stamp duty due on such transactions was calculated according to the legal provisions and — to the Commission’s knowledge — paid in all cases concerned.
Komisija je v sklepu o začetku postopka tudi predstavila svoje predhodno stališče glede tega, kako bi bilo treba količinsko opredeliti ugodnost, ki izhaja iz spornih poslov menjave, če bi bilo ugotovljeno, da navedene menjave vodijo do državne pomoči:
Therefore, although undertakings concerned by the change in the designated use of the land may have benefitted from that change, the administrative decisions effectuating the change would not result in State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty.
razlika med realno tržno ceno gozdnega zemljišča v zasebni lasti 1 in administrativno ceno za zemljišče 1, določeno v skladu z določbami uredbe o osnovnih cenah;
The Commission did not take a definite position on this issue and invited interested parties to comment on whether State aid was involved in the operation.
razlika med realno tržno ceno gozdnega zemljišča v javni lasti 2 in administrativno ceno za zemljišče 2, določeno v skladu z določbami uredbe o osnovnih cenah.
POTENTIAL STATE AID IN THE SWAP OF FOREST LAND
Znesek državne pomoči pri poslih menjave bi nato bil enak vrednosti (ii) minus vrednost (i).
The Commission noted in the opening decision that the prices of the forest land for the purposes of the swaps were determined by experts using solely the formulas set out in the Regulation on basic prices.
Pri izračunu morebitnega elementa državne pomoči pri poslu menjave se upošteva tudi kakršno koli denarno nadomestilo zaradi razlike v administrativnih cenah dveh zemljišč, vključenih v menjavo, ki ga ena stranka plača drugi.
The Commission, therefore, raised doubts as to whether the application of those formulas led to an administrative price which was similar to the prices obtained in arm’s length transactions between two private parties.
ZDRUŽLJIVOST MOREBITNE DRŽAVNE POMOČI
The Commission therefore invited the Republic of Bulgaria and third parties to provide information on market prices obtained in fully private sales (or swap transactions) of forest land that took place in Bulgaria during the period under review.
Če bi bil ugotovljen obstoj državne pomoči zaradi spremembe namembnosti zemljišča in/ali poslov menjave, je Komisija nato v sklepu o začetku postopka izrazila dvome glede tega, ali bi bilo mogoče tako pomoč šteti za združljivo z notranjim trgom ter, natančneje, členom 107(3)(a) Pogodbe in določbami Smernic o državni regionalni pomoči za 2007–2013 [35] in/ali členom 107(3)(c) Pogodbe in določbami Smernic Skupnosti o državni pomoči v kmetijskem in gozdarskem sektorju 2007–2013 (v nadaljnjem besedilu: smernice za gozdarski sektor) [36].
The Commission further invited the Republic of Bulgaria and third parties to provide information on the differences between those prices and the administrative prices used for the contested swap transactions and, hence, the potential amount of State aid involved in those transactions.
Komisija je zato Republiko Bolgarijo in zainteresirane strani pozvala, naj predložijo stališča glede združljivosti spornih ukrepov.
In addition, the Commission invited the Republic of Bulgaria and third parties to provide information on the rules applied as far as the compensation paid in swap transactions in case of difference in prices for the two swapped plots of land is concerned.
PRIPOMBE ZAINTERESIRANIH STRANI
Finally, the Commission invited the Republic of Bulgaria to provide further information to substantiate its claim that the contested swaps do not affect intra-Union trade.
PRIPOMBE PRVEGA PRITOŽNIKA V ZVEZI Z DVOMI, KI JIH JE KOMISIJA IZRAZILA V SKLEPU O ZAČETKU POSTOPKA
The Commission also set out its preliminary view in the opening decision on how the advantage arising from the contested swap transactions should be quantified, should those swaps be found to give rise to State aid:
Prvi pritožnik trdi, da sporne menjave pomenijo državno pomoč v smislu člena 107(1) Pogodbe, ki je nezdružljiva z notranjim trgom.
the difference between the real market price of privately owned forest plot 1 and the administrative price for plot 1, determined in line with the prescriptions of the Regulation on basic prices,
V zvezi s prvim dvomom, ki ga je izrazila Komisija, prvi pritožnik trdi, da je treba spremembo namembnosti zemljišča in posle menjave šteti za neločljivo povezane.
the difference between the real market price of publicly owned forest plot 2 and the administrative price for plot 2, determined in line with the prescriptions of the Regulation on basic prices.
Prvič, pritožnik trdi, da so številni upravičenci do menjav dejavni v sektorjih gradbeništva in turizma, in ne v gozdarstvu.
The State aid amount involved in the swap transactions would then be equal to the value of (ii) less the value of (i).
Drugič, po navedbah prvega pritožnika se zamenjana gozdna zemljišča od začetka veljavnosti moratorija leta 2009 tržno praktično ne izkoriščajo.
Any monetary compensation resulting from the difference in the administrative prices of two plots being the object of the swap transaction paid by one party to another shall also be taken into account while calculating the potential State aid element involved in the transaction.
Tretjič, v času, ko so bili opravljeni posli menjave, naj bi številni upravičenci napovedali in oglaševali svoje razvojne projekte za zamenjana gozdna zemljišča, ki naj bi postala smučarska središča ali morska letovišča, in so celo začeli pogovore s pristojnimi lokalnimi organi za zagotovitev spremembe namembnosti zemljišča.
COMPATIBILITY OF POTENTIAL STATE AID
Četrtič, pritožnik trdi, da je bila ista državna agencija (IAG) pogosto odgovorna za sklenitev menjave in izključitev zamenjanega zemljišča iz sklada gozdov (IAG in pristojni regulator) [37], s čimer je sprostila pot za njegov komercialni razvoj.
Should State aid be found to be present either as a result of the change in the designated use of the land and/or as a result of the swap transactions, the Commission then raised doubts in the opening decision as to whether such aid could be considered compatible with internal market and, more specifically, with Article 107(3)(a) of the Treaty and the provisions of the Guidelines for national Regional Aid 2007-2013 [35] and/or 107(3)(c) of the Treaty and the provisions of the Community Guidelines for State aid in the agriculture and forestry sector 2007 to 2013 (‘Forestry Guidelines’) [36].
Prvi pritožnik zato meni, da bi bilo treba pri določitvi skupnega zneska državne pomoči pri poslih menjave upoštevati morebitno spremembo namembnosti zemljišča in ustrezno povišanje cene.
The Commission therefore requested the Republic of Bulgaria and interested parties to provide observations on the compatibility of the contested measures.
Po njegovem mnenju bi bilo treba torej pri količinski opredelitvi pomoči opraviti primerjave z zazidljivimi zemljišči, da bi se ustrezno izrazila tržna cena zamenjanih zemljišč.
COMMENTS FROM INTERESTED PARTIES
Pritožnik navaja še, da bi bilo glede na privlačnost regij, v katerih so bila državna gozdna zemljišča, bolj preudarno, če bi organi najprej ukrepali za povišanje vrednosti zemljišč (tj. sprememba namembnosti v zazidljiva zemljišča) in jih šele nato prodali.
COMMENTS FROM THE FIRST COMPLAINANT IN RELATION TO THE DOUBTS RAISED BY THE COMMISSION IN THE OPENING DECISION
Po navedbah pritožnika ni IAG v nobenem primeru, v katerem je bila vložena zahteva za menjavo, spremenila namembnosti zemljišča pred navedeno menjavo.
The first complainant argues that the contested swaps constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty, which is incompatible with the internal market
To je po mnenju pritožnika jasen znak, da je obstajal namen zagotovitve koristi pridobitelju gozdnega zemljišča v državni lasti.
As regards the first doubt expressed by the Commission, the first complainant argues that the change in the designated use of the land and the swap transactions should be regarded as intrinsically linked.
Do te prakse je bila v poročilu o bolgarskih gozdovih iz leta 2009 kritična tudi Svetovna banka, ki je navedla, da si država na ta način ustvarja izgube [38].
Firstly, the complainant claims that many of the beneficiaries of the swaps are active in the construction and tourism sectors, not in forest activities.
V zvezi z drugim dvomom, ki ga je Komisija izrazila glede tega, ali je bila zaradi spremembe namembnosti zamenjanega zemljišča dodeljena državna pomoč, prvi pritožnik trdi, da čeprav je pridobitelj zemljišča po sklepu o spremembi namembnosti zemljišča plačal takso in bi bilo treba ta znesek odšteti od količinske opredelitve kakršne koli pomoči, prejete na podlagi menjave, ta taksa ne izraža dejanskega povišanja vrednosti zemljišča zaradi navedene spremembe.
Secondly, according to the first complainant, since the moratorium came into effect in 2009, swapped forest land is virtually not exploited commercially.
Pritožnik nadalje trdi, da bi morala biti v primerih, v katerih je bila menjava opravljena pred pristopom Bolgarije k Uniji, vendar je bila sprememba namembnosti zemljišča opravljena po pristopu, nezakonita državna pomoč, dodeljena pridobitelju zemljišča, razlika med tržno vrednostjo zadevnega zemljišča v času menjave (pred pristopom) in tržno vrednostjo zemljišča po spremembi njegove namembnosti (po pristopu).
Thirdly, at the time that the swap transactions were carried out many of the beneficiaries allegedly announced and advertised their development projects for the swapped forest land as ski or seaside resorts and had even initiated discussions with the relevant local authorities to ensure a change in the designated use of the land would come about.
Kar zadeva tretji dvom Komisije v zvezi z obstojem državne pomoči zaradi menjav, pritožnik tudi, da formule, določene z uredbo o osnovnih cenah, ne izražajo tržne vrednosti zamenjanega zemljišča.
Fourthly, the complainant contends that the same State agency (the EFA) was often responsible for the conclusion of the swap and for the exclusion of the swapped land from the forest fund (EFA and the competent regulator) [37], thus clearing the way for its commercial development.
Pritožnik tudi izpodbija neodvisnost cenilcev, ker lahko po njegovem mnenju pridobitelj zemljišča prosto izbere naklonjenega cenilca, ki cene oceni bistveno prenizko.
Accordingly, the first complainant considers that a potential reclassification of the designated use of the land and the corresponding price increase should be taken into account when quantifying the total amount of State aid involved in the swap transactions.
Pritožnik je zagotovil tudi dodatne informacije o tržnih cenah zamenjanih gozdnih zemljišč ali zelo podobnih gozdnih zemljišč, ki naj bi dokazovale velika razhajanja v primerjavi z administrativnimi cenami za zemljišča.
Therefore, in the complainant’s view, comparisons with plots of constructible land should be made in the quantification of the aid to properly reflect the market price of the swapped land.
Pritožnik je zaradi časovnih omejitev raziskal cene samo devetih zamenjanih zemljišč.
The complainant also mentions that in view of the attractiveness of the regions where the government forest plots were located, it would have been more prudent for the authorities first to act to increase the plots’ value (i.e. change their designated use to make them available for construction) and only afterwards dispose of the plots.
Za to so bila uporabljena bančna vrednotenja zemljišč in informacije iz javnega registra nepremičnin v Bolgariji, iz katerih so razvidne dejanske cene, po katerih so se sklepali nepremičninski posli za podobna zemljišča.
According to the complainant, in none of the cases where a request for a swap was made, did the EFA proceed to change the designated use of that land prior to that swap.
Ugotovljena razhajanja v cenah so segala od prenizkega vrednotenja (z uporabo administrativne cene) za 50–65 % do primerov, v katerih naj bi bila gozdna zemljišča domnevno pridobljena po 1–2 % njihove tržne vrednosti.
This is, according to the complainant, a clear indication that there was intent to bring benefit to the acquirer of the government-owned forest land.
Nazadnje, pritožnik trdi, da je dejstvo, da je bil zoper nekdanjega vodjo IAG uveden kazenski postopek na podlagi obtožbe zaradi sklepanja menjav v škodo države, znak, da bolgarski organi sami menijo, da so bila gozdna zemljišča nekaterim zasebnim strankam zagotovljena po ceni, ki je precej nižja od tržne vrednosti.
This practice was also criticised by the World Bank in a Report on Bulgarian Forest of 2009, which noted that the State was incurring losses in this particular way [38].
V zvezi z vprašanjem, ali menjave izkrivljajo konkurenco in vplivajo na trgovino med državami članicami, pritožnik trdi, da gozdarske dejavnosti, kolikor ve, niso glavna poslovna dejavnost nobenega od upravičencev do menjav.
As regards the second doubt expressed by the Commission, on whether State aid was granted as a result of the change in the designated use of the swapped land, the first complainant argues that while the acquirer of the land subsequently paid a stamp duty upon the decision to convert the designated use of the land and that this amount should be deducted from the quantification of any aid received as a result of the swap, that duty does not reflect the actual increase in the value of the plot as a result of that change.
Skoraj vsi upravičenci pa naj bi imeli pretekle ali prihodnje poslovne načrte za gospodarske dejavnosti ali naložbe v enem od naslednjih sektorjev: nepremičninske špekulacije, gradbeništvo in/ali turizem.
The complainant further claims that in those instances where the swap was conducted before Bulgaria’s accession to the Union but the change in the designated use of the land took place after accession, the illegal State aid granted to the acquirer of the land should be the difference between the market value of the respective plot at the time of the swap (prior to accession) and the market value of the plot after the change in the land designation (after accession).
Po mnenju pritožnika turizem po opredelitvi zajema celotni notranji trg, tako da lahko celo le nekaj primerov selektivne pomoči povzroči izkrivljanje na njem.
As regards the third doubt expressed by the Commission concerning the presence of State aid as a result of the swaps, the complainant argues that the formulas prescribed by the Regulation on basic prices do not reflect the market value of the swapped land.
Pritožnik še dodaja, da so glede na število in obseg menjav tuji konkurenti dejansko odvrnjeni od vstopa na bolgarski trg.
The complainant also contests the independence of the evaluators, as, in its view, the acquirer of the land is free to choose a friendly evaluator, leading towards a significant underestimate of prices.
Čeprav je bilo v projekte urbane gradnje v Bolgariji (poslovni centri ali velika nakupovalna središča) vključenih več velikih vlagateljev Unije (npr. Lindner, ECE), naj bi praktično vse velike naložbe v morska letovišča, smučarska središča ali golf igrišča izvedle družbe pod nadzorom bolgarske države.
The complainant also provided additional information on the market prices of the swapped forest land or very similar forest land allegedly showing considerable discrepancies with the administrative prices for the plots.
PRIPOMBE UPRAVIČENCEV DO POSLOV MENJAVE IN DRUGIH TRETJIH STRANI
Due to time constraints the complainant only researched the prices of nine of the swapped plots.
Komisija je prejela pripombe številnih tretjih strani, ki so večinoma zasebne stranke poslov menjave (v nadaljnjem besedilu: upravičenci).
For this exercise, bank evaluations of land were used, as well as information from the public real estate registry in Bulgaria showing actual prices at which real estate deals were concluded for similar plots.
Komisija ugotavlja, da je nekaj upravičencev [39] zgolj zagotovilo kratko izjavo, da posli menjave, v katerih so bili udeleženi, niso vključevali nobene državne pomoči.
The price discrepancies encountered ranged from an undervaluation (by using the administrative price) of 50-65 % to cases where forest land was allegedly acquired at 1 to 2 % of its market value.
Drugi upravičenci so predložili podrobnejše pripombe glede dvomov Komisije v sklepu o začetku postopka, ki bodo proučene v naslednjih oddelkih.
Finally, the complainant claims that the fact that criminal proceedings were initiated against the former head of the EFA on charges of concluding swaps to the detriment of the State is an indication that the Bulgarian authorities themselves consider that forest land was delivered to certain private parties at a price far below market value.
Neločljiva povezava med menjavami in spremembo namembnosti zemljišča
As regards the question whether the swaps distort competition and affect trade between Member States, the complainant claims that to its knowledge none of the beneficiaries of the swaps engage in forest activities as their main commercial activity.
V zvezi s prvim dvomom Komisije glede obstoja neločljive povezave med menjavami in spremembo namembnosti zemljišča večina upravičencev [40], ki se je odzvala na sklep o začetku postopka, trdi, da taka povezava ne obstaja.
Rather, almost all beneficiaries allegedly have a history of or future business plans for economic activities or investments in one of the following sectors: real estate speculation, construction and/or tourism.
Menjava in poznejša sprememba namembnosti zamenjanega zemljišča naj bi se urejali v dveh ločenih postopkih, za katera sta pristojna dva različna državna organa, ki delujeta neodvisno drug od drugega.
According to the complainant, tourism by definition concerns the whole of the internal market so that even a few cases of selective aid are bound to distort it.
Menjave spadajo v pristojnost ministrstva za kmetijstvo in prehrano ali sveta ministrov, odvisno od velikosti zemljišča, ki bo zamenjano, in IAG, medtem ko sprememba namembnosti zemljišča spada v pristojnost lokalnih organov – županov občin ali občinskega sveta, ministra za regionalni razvoj in javna naročila ali pokrajinskega guvernerja za lokacije v njegovi pokrajini – in zahteva odobritev podrobnega ali splošnega načrta prostorskega razvoja.
The complainant further adds that, in light of the number and the scale of the swaps, foreign competitors are effectively deterred from entering the Bulgarian market.
Eden od upravičencev [41] še dodaja, da ni samodejne povezave med spremembo namembnosti zemljišča in povišanjem njegove vrednosti.
While several major Union investors (e.g. Lindner, ECE) have been active in urban construction projects in Bulgaria (business centres and large department stores), virtually all large-scale investments in sea, ski or golf resorts have allegedly been made by Bulgarian-controlled companies.
Odločitev za spremembo namembnosti zemljišča naj bi temeljila na presoji potrebe po spremembi, ki ima širšo razsežnost in pogosto presega zasebne interese lastnikov, in torej ne temelji na poslovnih interesih strank v poslu menjave.
COMMENTS FROM THE BENEFICIARIES OF THE SWAP TRANSACTIONS AND OTHER THIRD PARTIES
Drug upravičenec [42] navaja, da statistični podatki, ki so jih predložili bolgarski organi, potrjujejo neobstoj neločljive povezave.
The Commission received comments from numerous third parties, most of which were private parties to the swap transactions (‘the beneficiaries’).
Nazadnje, drugi upravičenci [43] menijo, da je vprašanje obstoja neločljive povezave nepomembno, ker v njihovih posameznih primerih zamenjano zemljišče, ki so ga pridobili, ni bilo niti izključeno iz varstva gozdov zaradi razvoja niti se ni začel postopek za spremembo namembnosti zemljišča.
The Commission notes that a number of beneficiaries [39] merely issued a brief statement that no State aid was involved in the swap deals they were a party to.
V zvezi z vprašanjem, ali bi bilo treba pri določitvi cene zamenjanega zemljišča upoštevati morebitno spremembo namembnosti navedenega zemljišča, večina upravičencev trdi, da ne, in sicer iz različnih razlogov.
Other beneficiaries provided more detailed observations on the doubts expressed by the Commission in the opening decision, which will be examined in the following sections.
Več upravičencev [44] trdi, da bi bilo neupravičeno upoštevati hipotetično možnost spremembe namembnosti zamenjanega zemljišča, ker zahteva za tako spremembo morda ne bo nikoli vložena ali pa bo morda zavrnjena zaradi neizpolnjevanja ustreznih upravnih zahtev.
Intrinsic link between the swap and the change in the designated use of the land
Strateška lokacija zamenjanega gozdnega zemljišča, zaradi katere se domnevno poviša njegova vrednost, ne bi smela biti pomembna, če namembnost zemljišča ni bila spremenjena in če se lahko pridobljeno zemljišče uporablja le za namen, določen z zakonom.
As regards the first doubt expressed by the Commission on the existence of an intrinsic link between the swaps and the change in the designated use of the land, the majority of beneficiaries [40] who responded to the opening decision argue that no such link exists.
Eden od upravičencev [45] zato trdi, da bi bilo treba upoštevati poseben dogovor med strankama menjave na datum vrednotenja.