natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
The advantage afforded by the measures at issue to an undertaking that operates in a competitive and relatively concentrated market is likely to distort competition and affect trade between Member States.
Kot je pojasnjeno v oddelku 2.1 tega sklepa, je družba Kem One dejavna predvsem na trgu za PVC, zlasti na trgih za osnovni S-PVC in E-PVC, ter ima precej pomemben tržni položaj v Franciji in Italiji.
Conclusion with regard to the presence of aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU
Vendar točka 39 smernic iz leta 2004 pojasnjuje, da bo „pri presojanju ustreznosti izravnalnih ukrepov […] Komisija upoštevala strukturo trga in konkurenčne pogoje, in s tem preprečila, da bi kateri od teh ukrepov povzročil poslabšanje strukture trga, na primer tako, da bi posredno povzročil monopolen ali hud oligopolen položaj.
In the light of the above, the Commission concludes that all the measures under scrutiny constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU, giving a total aid amount equivalent to EUR 49,27 million.
Če država članica lahko dokaže, da bi nastal takšen položaj, je treba izravnalne ukrepe oblikovati tako, da se takšen položaj prepreči.“
ASSESSMENT OF THE COMPATIBILITY OF THE MEASURES WITH THE APPLICABLE STATE AID RULES
Glede strukture trga je za trg za PVC na splošno značilna potreba akterjev po vertikalni integraciji, da lahko nadzorujejo celotno vrednostno verigo in so konkurenčni.
Applicable legal basis
Tako je Komisija v okviru sklepa Ineos/Solvay/JV navedla, da mora imeti subjekt samostojno, integrirano proizvodno strukturo.
The prohibition on State aid laid down in Article 107(1) TFEU is neither absolute nor unconditional.
Komisija je v sklepu Ineos/Solvay/JV zlasti opredelila različne poslovne modele z različnimi stopnjami integracije v sektorju PVC.
In the case at hand, the Commission regards the notified aid for the sole benefit of Kem One as serving to restore the long-term viability of an undertaking in difficulty.
Glede „virtualne integracije“, ki povezuje različne akterje s privilegiranimi dobavnimi pogodbami, več preteklih primerov, med katerimi nekateri vključujejo tudi družbo Kem One, potrjuje tveganja, povezana s takšno strukturo, ki temelji na zunanji dobavi ključnih surovin.
Even though the new Guidelines entered into force on 1 August 2014, the aid at issue will be examined in the light of the 2004 Guidelines.
Pomen vertikalne integracije za subjekte, dejavne na trgu za PVC, je bil potrjen z zavezami, ki so jih predlagali priglasitelji, Komisija pa jih je sprejela v zadevi Ineos/Solvay/JV.
Since the measures at issue were notified on 30 July 2014 and registered before 1 August 2014, they will be examined in the light of the 2004 Guidelines.
Poleg tega so v preteklosti nekateri neodvisni proizvajalci PVC, ki niso bili vertikalno integrirani, poskušali prevladati na trgu za PVC, vendar brez uspeha.
The assessment must therefore establish whether the measures at issue could be found compatible with the internal market on the basis of Article 107(3) TFEU, in the light of the criteria laid down in the 2004 Guidelines.
Ker so enote vertikalne verige geografsko ločene, so poleg tega stroški prevoza CVM ne glede na vrsto prevoza (cestni, železniški ali pomorski promet) še posebej visoki zaradi narave izdelka (zelo strupen utekočinjen plin).
Kem One's eligibility for restructuring aid
Ti visoki stroški prevoza (približno 10 % vrednosti izdelka) znatno poslabšajo razmere v primeru nizke stopnje dobička, kot je Komisija navedla v točki 1452 sklepa Ineos/Solvay/JV: „As regards imports from other areas, VCM transport costs seem to constitute a major hurdle.
A new company, K1, was set up to acquire and hold the shares in Kem One in accordance with the recovery and business continuity plan approved by Lyon Commercial Court.
IHS, a global information company that provides, among other things, monthly and annual indexes, reports and news related to the vinyl industry, talks about ‚prohibitive freight rates‘.
The Commission does not contest Kem One's eligibility for application of the 2004 Guidelines cited by the French authorities.
IHS, globalno informacijsko podjetje, ki med drugim zagotavlja indekse, poročila ter mesečne in letne informacije, ki zadevajo sektor vinila, omenja 'nedopustno visoke cene prevoza'.
In court-supervised administration since 27 March 2013, Kem One meets the criteria set out in point 10(c) of the 2004 Guidelines.
To ni presenetljivo, saj je CVM nevarna kemična snov, ki se težko prevaža, kot so priznali priglasitelji“).
Restoration of long-term viability
Poleg tega je treba omeniti, da je glavni izravnalni ukrep, ki ga predlaga družba Ineos, prenehanje dejavnosti celotne proizvodne verige v Lavéri, vključno z obrati, ki so nižje v prodajni verigi.
Point 17 of the 2004 Guidelines provides that 'Restructuring, on the other hand, will be based on a feasible, coherent and far-reaching plan to restore a firm's long-term viability.
To pomeni, da vsi akterji na trgu, vključno s konkurenti družbe Kem One, priznavajo, da je sposobnost preživetja na trgu odvisna od vertikalne integracije.
Restructuring usually involves one or more of the following elements: the reorganisation and rationalisation of the firm's activities on to a more efficient basis, typically involving the withdrawal from loss-making activities, the restructuring of those existing activities that can be made competitive again and, possibly, diversification in the direction of new and viable activities.
Zato se zdi, da izravnalni ukrep odprodaje enega obrata za proizvodno PVC družbe Kem One (kot je obrat v Balanu ali Berru) ni trajna rešitev.
Restructuring operations within the scope of these Guidelines cannot, however, be limited to financial aid designed to make good past losses without tackling the reasons for those losses.’
Poleg tega bi ločitev enega od obratov, ki so nižje v prodajni verigi, od družbe Kem One, destabilizirala njeno celotno proizvodno verigo, saj bi njeni obrati za proizvodnjo klora in etilena, ki so višje v prodajni verigi, ostali brez notranjega trga.
Points 34 et seq. of the 2004 Guidelines set out the features that a restructuring plan must have in order for the aid to be regarded as compatible with the State aid rules.
V zadevi Ineos/Solvay/JV je Komisija poudarila negotovost glede tega, ali bi bila družba Kem One glede na njene težave in negotovost glede uspešnega izvajanja načrta prestrukturiranja lahko agresivna tekmica skupni družbi Solvay in Ineos.
On the restructuring costs
Vendar Komisija ugotavlja, da bi zmanjšanje proizvodnih zmogljivosti družbe Kem One pomenilo povečanje tržnega deleža skupne družbe Ineos in Solvay, medtem ko bi izvajanje načrta prestrukturiranja lahko privedlo do zmanjšanja spodbude za družbo Kem One, da znatno poveča svojo proizvodnjo kot odgovor na povečanje cen omenjene skupne družbe.
During its in-depth investigation, the Commission examined the arguments put forward by France in its reply to the opening decision, in particular as regards the absence of costs linked to staff restructuring.
Pri presoji konkurenčnega položaja na trgu po koncentraciji je Komisija poleg tega sprejela konzervativen pristop, saj meni, da bo družba Kem One v celoti ohranila svojo konkurenčno moč [20].
France clarified that, of the [90-110] jobs that were to go, there would be only [35-45] actual departures from the firm.
V teh okoliščinah bi sprememba strukture družbe Kem One z zmanjšanjem njene prodaje na trgu za PVC ali bistveno spremembo njenega obsega dejavnosti ogrozila ravnovesje na trgu za PVC, kot je bilo vzpostavljeno po ustanovitvi skupne družbe Ineos in Solvay in po izpolnitvi zavez, ki so jih dale strani med preiskavo te transakcije [21].
Arkema had confirmed that it would take [25-35] employees without compensation and only [1-15] staff had had to be compensated by Kem One, for a total of EUR […] million.
Dejansko bi imel izravnalni ukrep, ki bi ločil dejavnosti S-PVC družbe Kem One na dva vertikalno integrirana subjekta s prodajo proizvodnega obrata za S-PVC (Balan ali Berre) skupaj s proizvodnim obratom za vložke (proizvodni obrat v Fos-sur-Meru) to prednost, da bi ohranil naravo vertikalne integracije proizvodnje S-PVC.
This sum had been included in the projected deductions from the income statement at the start of the restructuring period.
To pa bi družbi Kem One odvzelo približno […] % njenih dejavnosti na področju S-PVC in oslabilo njeno sposobnost konkurirati skupni družbi Ineos in Solvay.
The other job losses were taken from posts that had been vacant up to that point.
Zato bi tako širokopotezna rešitev lahko omajala strukturo trga za S-PVC, ki je rezultat ustanovitve skupne družbe Ineos in Solvay, zaveze za odpravo težav v zvezi s konkurenco, ki so nastale zaradi te koncentracije, in zagotovitev učinkovite konkurence na trgu za S-PVC pa bi postale nezadostne.
Both France and Kem One also confirmed that the restructuring would not entail any additional costs.
Tako bi tak izravnalni ukrep lahko ogrozil ponovno vzpostavitev sposobnosti preživetja družbe Kem One.
On the duration of the restructuring plan
Nazadnje bi se tak ukrep lahko zdel kot nesorazmeren glede na znesek pomoči, ki ga je prejela družba (približno 10-krat manjši), in glede na stroške prestrukturiranja (približno 100 milijonov EUR manj).
In response to the doubts expressed in the opening decision, France explained that the start date for the restructuring period was 5 February 2014, i.e. the day on which Kem One's activities were taken over by the new shareholder (transfer of shares held by Kem One Holding, former parent company of Kem One, to K1, holding company holding the shares in Kem One).
Odsotnost dolgoročnih strukturnih presežnih zmogljivosti na zadevnem trgu
The end date for the restructuring period is 31 December 2016, the completion date for the SAM project.
Zainteresirane strani so vztrajale, da na evropskem trgu za PVC vladajo razmere presežnih zmogljivosti.
By that date, all actions under the restructuring plan will have been carried out.
Zato so se sklicevale na točko 42 smernic iz leta 2004, ki določa naslednje: „Če je upravičenec dejaven na trgu z dolgotrajno strukturno presežno zmogljivostjo, kot je določeno v večsektorskem okviru za regionalno pomoč za večje investicije, je morda potrebno zmanjšati zmogljivost ali prisotnost na trgu za 100 %“.
The duration of the restructuring plan is therefore less than three years, in compliance with point 35 of the 2004 Guidelines, which requires the duration of the restructuring plan to be ‘as short as possible’.
V sklepu Ineos/Solvay/JV je Komisija dejansko ugotovila razmere presežnih zmogljivosti na evropskem trgu za PVC.
The restructuring plan is therefore likely to restore the viability of Kem One within a reasonable time-scale.
Vendar Komisija opozarja na dve točki:
On whether the scenarios for the return to viability are realistic
Komisija ne sprejema metode za izračun presežnih zmogljivosti, ki jo uporabljata družba Ineos in anonimno podjetje 1.
In the opening decision, the Commission expressed doubts about the credibility of certain aspects of the scenarios for the restoration of long-term viability presented by the French authorities.
Opredelitev presežnih zmogljivosti predpostavlja, da industrijski obrati neprekinjeno delujejo s 100-odstotno tehnično zmogljivostjo.
It remarked in particular, in relation to the restoration of the cash position, that the base-case scenario left only a small cash surplus at the end of the period in 2020.
Sklep Ineos/Solvay/JV temelji na podatkih iz leta 2012.
The cash outcome was even worse under the pessimistic scenario, with a negative amount of EUR [100-150] million in 2020.
Vendar Komisija od leta 2012 ugotavlja, da več dejavnikov jasno kaže na to, da so se na trgu za PVC razmere presežnih zmogljivosti spremenile.
The third parties generally shared the doubts expressed by the Commission in the opening decision.
Izračun presežnih zmogljivosti.
The Commission notes the necessary clarifications and updates provided by the French authorities in their reply to the opening decision in respect of the initial business-plan hypotheses.
Komisija zlasti poudarja, da so v preteklosti dejansko obstajale presežne zmogljivosti, vendar se zdi, da so tretje strani precenile njihov obseg.
First, France, confirmed that the need for and obtention of the bank loan of EUR [60-70] million were hypothetical and that such a loan would in any event not be called for before 2016.
Dejanske proizvodne zmogljivosti nekega subjekta na trgu so nazadnje odvisne od sezonske narave prodaje (prodaja S-PVC v Evropi upade avgusta in decembra).
Given the uncertainty surrounding the obtention of the loan and its timing and terms, the Commission considers that it is not appropriate to take account of the EUR [60-70] million provided by this hypothetical loan in the assessment of the restoration of viability.
Poleg tega so proizvodne zmogljivosti zelo redko izkoriščene 100-odstotno zaradi načrtovanih zaustavitev proizvodnje zaradi vzdrževanja, upočasnitve proizvodnje klora v zimskem času ter visokih cen električne energije.
At the Commission's request, the French authorities therefore provided accounting projections based on pessimistic, base-case and optimistic hypotheses that did not include the bank loan.
V industrijski dejavnosti za proizvodnjo PVC občasno prihaja tudi do incidentov pri izdelavi in izpadov pri dobavi surovin.
The planned investment amount of EUR [150-250] million has been cut to EUR [15-25] million.
Letna proizvodnja PVC dejansko le redkokdaj preseže 90 % zmogljivosti, ki jih navajajo vsi proizvajalci skupaj.
Completion has also been brought forward and is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2016, which is four to five months earlier than the date originally planned.
Po podatkih FIDES (notranja statistika te dejavnosti) je leta 2014 nazivna zmogljivost za proizvodnjo PVC v zahodni in srednji Evropi znašala [6000 – 7000] kt, dejanska proizvodnja pa [5000 – 6000] kt, kar pomeni stopnjo izkoriščenosti nazivnih zmogljivosti v višini [80 – 90] %.
The earlier completion generates estimated savings of EUR [10-20] million.
Presežna zmogljivost je bila v letu 2014 na tem trgu torej omejena.
As a result the cash position in the base-case scenario has improved by EUR [30-40] million.
Komisija poleg tega ugotavlja, da je stopnja izkoriščenosti zmogljivosti za proizvodnjo S-PVC v Združenih državah Amerike prav tako na stopnji 84,3 % (po podatkih IHS, ki je poleg ICIS (Independent Chemical Information Services) eden glavnih specializiranih analitikov tega trga).
In the pessimistic scenario, the cash position has shifted to the same degree and now stands at EUR – [70-80] million.
Prvič, znižanje vrednosti eura skupaj z znatnim znižanjem cen nafte je veliko prispevalo k rasti izvoza (Turčija, Indija, Severna Afrika).
The Commission notes further that Kem One recorded an overall growth in production and sales of […] % in 2014 compared with 2013 to reach the historic production levels of 2007/2008 and the target set by the restructuring plan for the 2017/2018 financial years.
Ti izvozni trgi so namreč lahko dostopni za evropske proizvajalce.
This increase in PVC and caustic soda production volumes is a result of the gradual implementation of the restructuring plan coupled with an absence of technical incidents at the production sites.
Zato so za družbo Kem One stroški prevoza S-PVC iz tovarne v Berru v Turčijo v višini […] EUR/tono v primerjavi z […] EUR/tono za prevoz v Nemčijo in severno Evropo.
Otherwise, owing to the continued downward trend in 2014 of the price of oil and therefore of ethylene, and of the price of caustic soda, Kem One recorded a higher than expected drop in turnover.
Posledično je celotni izvoz družbe Kem One v prvem četrtletju leta 2015 znašal […] kt, kar je povečanje v primerjavi z enakim obdobjem leto prej ([…] kt).
However, the Commission observes that this drop in turnover has not had a negative impact on the undertaking's margins in so far as the prices of the raw materials required to produce PVC have fallen in the same, or even greater, proportions.
Poročilo IHS iz marca 2015 poudarja ta razvoj evropskih proizvajalcev PVC.
The Commission accordingly concludes that the clarifications provided by the French authorities in response to the opening decision serve to confirm the credibility of Kem One's return to viability in the long term.
To ugotovitev podpira članek ICIS z dne 10. aprila 2015, ki se opira na analizo kontaktov s strankami na trgu: „One buyer said that with European market seeing low imports, production difficulties and an increase in demand, April will be a month in which producers potentially can break long standing records for margin improvements“ („Eden od kupcev je izjavil, da evropski trg pestijo nizka stopnja uvoza, težave v proizvodnji in povečano povpraševanje, vendar bodo aprila proizvajalci verjetno lahko podrli stare rekorde pri povečanju stopnje dobička“).
The restructuring measures are designed, in compliance with the 2004 Guidelines, to allow Kem One to make the necessary transition to a more vertically integrated industrial structure, which will be more efficient in terms of profitability, thanks to the SAM project and to the containment of production costs relating to the supply of raw materials.
Posledica tega je, da so proizvajalci večjim strankam naložili kvote in povečali prodajne cene.
Avoidance of undue distortions of competition
V teh okoliščinah bi razkosanje družbe Kem One in/ali trajno zmanjšanje njene prodaje samo okrepilo konkurenčni položaj skupne družbe Ineos in Solvay ter škodilo konkurenci na trgih zunaj EU.
Point 38 of the 2004 Guidelines provides that ‘In order to ensure that the adverse effects on trading conditions are minimised as much as possible, so that the positive effects pursued outweigh the adverse ones, compensatory measures must be taken.
Komisija ugotavlja, da zainteresirane strani v svoji analizi presežnih zmogljivosti na trgu niso ustrezno upoštevale gibanja trga PVC v obdobju po sklepu Ineos/Solvay/JV, čeprav lahko to gibanje privede do razmer, v katerih bi v razmerah šibke konkurence strateško usmerjen izvoz v tretje države in preusmeritev proizvodnje privedla do zvišanja cen v škodo strank v zahodni Evropi.
Otherwise, the aid will be regarded as “contrary to the common interest” and therefore incompatible with the common market’.
Po mnenju Komisije primerni izravnalni ukrepi
Point 39 of the 2004 Guidelines states that ‘these measures may comprise divestment of assets, reductions in capacity or market presence and reduction of entry barriers on the markets concerned’.
Uvodoma je treba opozoriti, da točka 39 smernic iz leta 2004 ne določa izčrpnega seznama možnih izravnalnih ukrepov, temveč se omejuje na seznam nekaterih a priori sprejemljivih rešitev, kar pa ne preprečuje Komisiji, da izbere izravnalne ukrepe, ki niso vključeni v ta seznam.
The purpose of the compensatory measures is therefore to limit the effects of the aid in the markets in which the beneficiary is present, without undermining the structure of competition in these markets or the ultimate viability of the beneficiary.
Ob koncu preiskave je Komisija prišla do zaključka, da so primerni naslednji izravnalni ukrepi:
Divestment of assets is not an appropriate compensatory measure in this instance
omejitev nazivne zmogljivosti za proizvodnjo klora ([600 – 700] kt na leto) in kavstične sode na ([600 – 700] kt na leto brez lastne porabe) v obratih v Fos-sur-Meru in Lavéri, in sicer za obdobje […] od datuma sprejetja tega sklepa,
Point 40 of the 2004 Guidelines provides that the compensatory measures ‘should take place in particular in the market where the firm will have a significant market position after restructuring’.
omejitev tržnega deleža S-PVC družbe Kem One na območju severozahodne Evrope (skupno Belgija, Danska, Nemčija, Francija, Irska, Luksemburg, Norveška, Nizozemska, Združeno kraljestvo in Švedska) [22] na [10 – 20] % v smislu obsega, in sicer za obdobje […] od datuma sprejetja tega sklepa, prepoved pridobitve deležev ali sredstev podjetij na trgih proizvodov EGP, na katerih je prisotna družba Kem One, in sicer za obdobje […] od datuma sprejetja tega sklepa.
As set out in Section 2.1 of this Decision, Kem One is active primarily in the PVC market, particularly commodity S-PVC and E-PVC, and it has a relatively significant market position in France and Italy.
Ta prepoved se uporablja za družbo Kem One ter vse fizične in pravne osebe, ki imajo ali bodo imele nadzor nad družbo Kem One v naslednjih […] v smislu člena 3(2) Uredbe Sveta (ES) št. 139/2004 [23].(287) Ti trije izravnalni ukrepi izravnavajo negativne učinke pomoči na pogoje trgovanja tako, da preprečujejo družbi Kem One uporabo prejete pomoči za povečanje svoje prisotnosti tako na trgu za PVC kot na drugih trgih, kjer je prisotna.
However, under point 39 of the 2004 Guidelines, ‘when assessing whether the compensatory measures are appropriate the Commission will take account of the market structure and the conditions of competition to ensure that any such measure does not lead to a deterioration in the structure of the market, for example by having the indirect effect of creating a monopoly or a tight oligopolistic situation.
Trenutna stopnja izkoriščenosti zmogljivosti za proizvodnjo klora in kavstične sode znaša [80 – 90] % ([85 – 95] % in ustreza stopnji običajne praktične izkoriščenosti, zmanjšane za približno [5 – 15] % zaradi izrednega dogodka v obratu v Fos-sur-Meru junija 2014).
If a Member State is able to prove that such a situation would arise, the compensatory measures should be construed in such a way to avoid this situation’.
Izkoriščenost proizvodne zmogljivosti [90 – 100] % v letih 2015 in 2016 pomeni […] kt/leto.
As regards the structure of the market, a general feature of the PVC market is the need for operators to be vertically integrated in order to control the whole value chain and to be competitive.
Ta stopnja izkoriščenosti bi se morala povečati na [85 – 95] %, ko bo opravljena pretvorba elektrolize za klor/kavstično sodo v Lavéri, tako da bo že zaradi same povečane zanesljivosti dosežena dejanska proizvodnja klora iz poslovnega načrta, in sicer […] kt na leto.
In that decision the Commission examined a number of business models with varying degrees of integration in the PVC sector.
To tehnično možnost je družba Kem One sprejela in z dobaviteljem sklenila dogovor o dobavi potrebnega materiala, da bi pozneje lažje dosegla višjo stopnjo proizvodnje v skladu s pričakovano rastjo trga za klor v letu 2017 in naslednjih letih.
It pointed out that models without vertical integration of PVC up to chlorine were the exception in Europe and that ‘the current competitive landscape indicates that full vertical integration is the general trend in the industry’.
Če upoštevamo vse prodajne priložnosti za klor družbe Kem One, ki ga proizvajajo njeni obrati, ki so nižje v prodajni verigi, (S-PVC, PVC pasta, klorirani PVC in klorometan), ima družba Kem One dovolj zmogljivosti, da absorbira proizvodnjo […] kt klora na leto.
As for the model of ‘virtual integration’ by way of supply contracts between two players, past examples, some involving Kem One, have demonstrated the risks associated with this kind of structure, based on the external supply of key raw materials.
Poleg tega družba Kem One napoveduje povečano povpraševanje po kloru in kavstični sodi v zahodni Evropi, in sicer […] % oziroma […] % na leto [24].
The importance of vertical integration for the players in the PVC market was confirmed by the commitments offered by the notifying parties and accepted by the Commission in the Ineos/Solvay/JV case.
Omejitev proizvodne zmogljivosti bo družbi Kem One preprečila, da poveča svojo proizvodnjo klora na [600 – 700] kt na leto v smislu dejanske proizvodnje, kar bi ji omogočilo, da se približa zasičenosti vseh svojih potencialnih prodajnih priložnosti, tj. poveča stopnjo izkoriščenosti sredstev za proizvodnjo klora, ki je nižje v prodajni verigi, na najvišjo raven.