natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Brussels Airlines also notes that the Charleroi decision, which closed the formal investigation procedure extended by the decision of 21 March 2012, according to a minister from the Walloon Region, endorsed the financial compensation for security granted by the Walloon Region to Charleroi airport and, therefore, according to Brussels Airlines, to its operators.
Zato mora Belgija po mnenju zainteresirane strani, ki je želela ostati anonimna, skrbeti za upoštevanje pogojev, pod katerimi je izdana, in torej za nediskriminatorno naravo letaliških pristojbin.
Selective advantage
Zainteresirana stran, ki je želela ostati anonimna, meni, da če družba BAC teh pogojev ne upošteva, Belgija lahko sprejme in mora sprejeti ukrepe za odpravo kršitev.
Brussels Airlines refers to point 44 of the opening decision, in which the Commission concluded that the measure is selective for three reasons: (1) the measure benefits only airlines and not other modes of passenger transport, (2) the measure benefits airlines operating at Brussels airport, and (3) the measure benefits airlines that satisfy certain conditions regarding traffic at Brussels airport.
Zainteresirana stran, ki je želela ostati anonimna, se zato sprašuje glede dejstva, da je Belgija želela podpreti zadevne belgijske letalske prevoznike brez poseganja v ekonomsko ureditev iz uvodne izjave 108, in se torej sprašuje, ali bi morala družba BAC vsem letalskim prevoznikom, ki uporabljajo letališče Bruxelles-National, omogočiti enak popust pri stroških ukrepov varovanja.
Referring to the first point, Brussels Airlines expresses doubts as to the selectivity of the subsidy because it is granted only to airlines.
Zainteresirana stran, ki je želela ostati anonimna, poleg tega opozarja, da obstaja petletni sporazum med družbo BAC in letalskimi prevozniki o sistemu oblikovanja cen in načinu nadzorovanja cen.
Brussels Airlines considers that there are objective reasons behind the differentiation between air traffic and other modes of passenger transport, since they do not involve as many security risks as air transport.
Kakršna koli sprememba veljavnega sporazuma zahteva novo posvetovanje z letalskimi prevozniki.
As regards the second point, Brussels Airlines makes reference to Belgian law which provides for the distribution of aid only to airlines operating at Brussels airport.
Zainteresirana stran, ki je želela ostati anonimna, iz tega sklepa, da Belgija izhaja iz načela, da mora družba BAC vsem letalskim prevoznikom odobriti nediskriminatorni popust (in sicer na splošno znižati stroške v zvezi z ukrepi varovanja).
The Belgian regions are responsible for the equipment and operation of public airports and aerodromes, with the exception of Brussels airport, which is under federal jurisdiction.
V nasprotnem primeru bi bila nekaterim letalskim prevoznikom dana selektivna prednost ter bi bila kršena člen 15 Čikaške konvencije in Direktiva 2009/12/ES Evropskega parlamenta in Sveta.
Accordingly, Brussels Airlines concludes that the Federal State can provide this subsidy at Brussels airport only and not at other airports.
STALIŠČA BELGIJE GLEDE PRIPOMB ZAINTERESIRANIH TRETJIH STRANI
Regarding the third point, Brussels Airlines invites the Commission to refer to the Federal State which adopted the Royal Decree of 7 January 2014.
Stališča glede pripomb družbe Ryanair
However, it wishes to clarify that, in its view, a threshold related to the number of passengers is relevant in the case of a subsidy for airport security-related services because airport security costs are also related to the number of passengers.
Belgija najprej opozarja, da je v svojih pripombah z dne 16. januarja 2015 in odgovoru z dne 12. marca 2015 na zahtevo po informacijah z dne 10. februarja 2015 podrobno pojasnila, zakaj sporni ukrep ni državna pomoč.
Brussels Airlines also considers that the use of 2012 as the reference year is explained by the fact that this was the latest year for which the figures were available when the Council of Ministers decided to adopt the measure.
Poleg tega Belgija meni, da elementi, ki jih navaja družba Ryanair, bolj odražajo njeno poslovno strategijo kot povsem pravno utemeljitev.
Brussels Airlines believes that the choice of a reference point is clearly still to a certain extent arbitrary.
Zahteva za začasno ukinitev pomoči
According to the analysis by Brussels Airlines, by choosing 2012 as the reference year, Belgium does not appear to have exceeded the bounds of its discretion on this point.
Belgija opozarja, da se je po dvomih, ki jih je Komisija izrazila v sklepu o začetku postopka, minister za mobilnost odločil, da iz previdnosti in brez poseganja v svoje stališče glede predhodne presoje Komisije v sklepu o začetku postopka začasno prekine izvajanje kraljeve uredbe z dne 7. januarja 2014.
Brussels Airlines concludes that the measure does not confer a selective advantage.
Belgija v zvezi s trditvami družbe Ryanair o obstoju državne pomoči, zlasti o domnevno samovoljni naravi praga 400000 potnikov letno, domnevno nenavadni naravi obravnave transfernih in tranzitnih potnikov za določitev prejemnikov pomoči in izračun zenska pomoči, ter domnevno samovoljni naravi uporabe leta 2012 kot referenčnega leta za izbiro prejemnikov pomoči, Komisijo napotuje na svoje pripombe z dne 16. januarja 2015 in svoj odgovor z dne 12. marca 2015 na zahtevo po informacijah z dne 10. februarja 2015.
Compatibility of the aid
Pri trditvah v zvezi z letom 2012 kot referenčnim letom družba Ryanair po mnenju Belgije ni navedla, da so podatki o prometu v prejšnjem mesecu res vsak mesec objavljeni na spletišču družbe BAC, vendar so to samo splošni statistični podatki o številu odhajajočih, prihajajočih, tranzitnih in transfernih potnikov, ki niso razčlenjeni po letalskih prevoznikih.
Brussels Airlines wishes to point out that if the Commission were nevertheless to conclude that aid existed, that aid was compatible until at least 4 April 2014, the date of entry into force of the aviation guidelines.
V zvezi z izjavo nekdanje državne sekretarke za mobilnost, na katero se sklicuje družba Ryanair, Belgija meni, da ta izjava v ničemer ne dokazuje obstoja državne pomoči niti obstoja kakršnega koli drugega načrta belgijske vlade, katerega namen bi bil kljubovati konkurenci, ki jo družba Ryanair pomeni za druge letalske prevoznike.
On this point, Brussels Airlines refers to the aforementioned Charleroi decision, in which the Commission accepted that several measures granted by the Walloon Region to the operator of Charleroi airport, which subsidised the economic activity of the airport in a selective way, therefore making it unlawful State aid, were incompatible with the internal market only since the entry into force of the aviation guidelines.
Združljivost domnevne pomoči z notranjim trgom
According to the Brussels Airlines analysis, this implies that the subsidies paid for security-related services provided before that date cannot in any case be recovered from the undertakings that received them.
Belgija v zvezi s tem opozarja, da ukrep ni državna pomoč, saj se nanaša na storitve, ki niso gospodarske narave, in – podredno – da upravičencem ne omogoča prednosti.
Conclusion
Belgija iz tega sklepa, da vprašanje združljivosti domnevne državne pomoči v obravnavanem primeru ni upoštevno.
Brussels Airlines considers that the measure in question does not constitute State aid because it does not subsidise an economic activity and does not confer a selective advantage.
Zahteva v zvezi s finančnimi informacijami upravičencev
In any event, it notes that the measure must be considered compatible with the internal market before the entry into force of the aviation guidelines.
Belgija v zvezi s tem poudarja, da zadevni ukrep ni državna pomoč in da zato Komisija nima razloga, da bi od družb Brussels Airlines, TUI Airlines Belgium in Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium zahtevala finančne informacije.
Observations of another interested party which asked to remain anonymous
Belgija vsekakor meni, da je treba po potrebi poziv k predložitvi pripomb nasloviti na zadevne tri letalske prevoznike.
On 26 February 2015, another interested party, which asked to remain anonymous (hereinafter ‘the interested party which asked to remain anonymous’), sent the Commission its comments on the opening decision.
Stališča glede pripomb skupine IAG
Firstly, the interested party which asked to remain anonymous recalls that the programme law of 30 December 2001 expressly provides that airport charges collected by BAC must be non-discriminatory, transparent and cost-oriented.
Belgija v svojih stališčih glede pripomb skupine IAG Komisijo napotuje na svoje pripombe z dne 16. januarja 2015 in odgovor z dne 12. marca 2015 na zahtevo po informacijah z dne 10. februarja 2015, v katerih naj bi podrobno pojasnila, zakaj zadevni ukrep ni državna pomoč.
It further points out that the Royal Decree of 7 January 2014 cannot call into question the provisions of the programme law because the latter is of higher rank than a royal decree.
Stališča glede pripomb družbe Brussels Airlines
The interested party which asked to remain anonymous observes that on the basis of the programme law, Belgium granted BAC the licence to operate at Brussels airport.
Belgija je upoštevala pripombe družbe Brussels Airlines, v katerih primarno ugotavlja, da zadevni ukrep ni državna pomoč.
Therefore, according to the interested party which asked to remain anonymous, Belgium should ensure compliance with the conditions attached to the licence and therefore the non-discriminatory nature of airport charges.
Belgija obvešča Komisijo, da se v zvezi s tem strinja z navedeno ugotovitvijo družbe Brussels Airlines.
The interested party which asked to remain anonymous considers that if BAC does not abide by these conditions, Belgium can and must take measures to remedy them.
Stališča glede pripomb zainteresirane strani, ki je želela ostati anonimna
The interested party which asked to remain anonymous therefore doubts whether Belgium aimed to support the Belgian airlines concerned without prejudice to the economic schedule referred to in recital (108) and therefore wonders whether BAC should not offer all the same discount on the cost of security measures to all airlines using Brussels airport.
Belgija se sklicuje na svoje pripombe z dne 16. januarja 2015 in odgovor z dne 12. marca 2015 na zahtevo po informacijah z dne 10. februarja 2015, v katerih naj bi podrobno pojasnila, zakaj zadevni ukrep ni državna pomoč.
Furthermore, the interested party which asked to remain anonymous recalls that there is a five-year agreement between BAC and the airlines with respect to the pricing system and tariff control procedures.
OCENA
Any change to the current agreement requires the airlines to be consulted again.
Obstoj državne pomoči
The interested party which asked to remain anonymous therefore concludes that Belgium assumes that BAC must offer all the airlines a non-discriminatory discount (i.e. reduce the costs of security-related measures across the board).
V skladu s členom 107(1) PDEU 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, nezdružljiva z notranjim trgom, kolikor prizadene trgovino med državami članicami.
Any other arrangement would confer a selective advantage on some airlines and would infringe Article 15 of the Chicago Convention and Directive 2009/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.
Da bi se ukrep opredelil kot državna pomoč, morajo torej biti izpolnjeni naslednji kumulativni pogoji: (1) upravičenci so podjetja v smislu člena 107(1) PDEU, (2) zadevni ukrep je odobren iz državnih sredstev in pripisljiv državi, (3) ukrep daje upravičencem gospodarsko prednost in ta je selektivna ter (4) zadevni ukrep izkrivlja ali bi lahko izkrivljal konkurenco ter lahko vpliva na trgovino med državami članicami.
COMMENTS BY BELGIUM ON THE OBSERVATIONS BY INTERESTED PARTIES
V skladu s členom 107(1) PDEU se pravila o državni pomoči uporabljajo le, kadar je prejemnik „podjetje“.
Comments on the comments by Ryanair
Pojem podjetje pomeni vsak subjekt, ki opravlja gospodarsko dejavnost, ne glede na njegov pravni status in način financiranja.
As a preliminary remark, Belgium recalls that in its comments of 16 January 2015 and in its reply of 12 March 2015 to the request for information of 10 February 2015, it explained in detail how the contested measure did not constitute State aid.
Vsaka dejavnost, ki zajema ponujanje blaga in storitev na določenem trgu, se šteje za gospodarsko dejavnost.
Moreover, Belgium considers that the points put forward by Ryanair are more a reflection of its commercial strategy rather than purely legal arguments.
Kot je Komisija opozorila v točki 34 letaliških smernic, je vprašanje, ali je kateri koli subjekt podjetje ali ne, vedno povezano s konkretno dejavnostjo.
Request for suspension of the aid
Po navedbah Belgije se s subvencijo, izplačano na podlagi kraljeve uredbe z dne 7. januarja 2014, financirajo storitve za zagotavljanje varovanja potnikov in letaliških objektov in naprav, zato se z njo ne podpirajo dejavnosti gospodarske narave.
Belgium recalls that, in the light of the doubts expressed by the Commission in the opening decision, the Minister for Mobility decided, as a precautionary measure and without prejudice to his position on the Commission's preliminary assessment in the opening decision, to suspend the implementation of the Royal Decree of 7 January 2014.
Belgija se sklicuje na sklep o letališču Charleroi, v katerem je Komisija menila, da financiranje nekaterih dejavnosti v okviru pristojnosti javnega organa na letališču Charleroi, ki ga izvaja regija Valonija, ni državna pomoč, med drugim zaradi negospodarske narave teh dejavnosti.
Commenting on Ryanair's arguments on the existence of State aid, including the alleged arbitrariness of the threshold of 400000 passengers per year, the allegedly bizarre character of the treatment of transfer and transit passengers for the identification of beneficiaries of the aid and the calculation of the amount of the aid, and the allegedly arbitrary use of 2012 as the reference year for the selection of aid recipients, Belgium refers the Commission to its comments dated 16 January 2015 and its reply of 12 March 2015 response to the request for information of 10 February 2015.
Družba Brussels Airlines je predložila podobne trditve.
Regarding the arguments regarding the choice of 2012 as a reference year, according to Belgium, Ryanair failed to specify that although the traffic figures for the previous month are published each month on the BAC website, these are only general statistics on the number of passengers departing, arriving, transiting or transferring, not broken down by airline.
Komisija ne izpodbija tega, da lahko Belgija eventualno odobri nadomestila družbi BAC za dejavnosti varovanja, ki jih izvaja na letališču Bruxelles-National, pri čemer ni nujno, da se taka nadomestila označijo za državno pomoč v korist družbe BAC.
As regards the statement by the former Secretary of State for Mobility referred to by Ryanair, Belgium considers that this statement does not in any way demonstrate the existence of State aid, nor the existence of any other Belgian Government plan to counter competition from Ryanair in relation to other airlines.
Vendar predmet tega postopka ni subvencija družbi BAC, temveč subvencija letalskim prevoznikom.
Compatibility of the alleged aid with the internal market
Namen subvencij, ki jih letalski prevozniki prejmejo od družbe BAC na podlagi člena 2 kraljeve uredbe z dne 7. januarja 2014, je povrniti del pristojbine za varovanje, ki se plača družbi BAC.
In this regard, Belgium recalls that the measure does not constitute State aid because it covers services that are not of an economic nature and, secondarily, it does not confer any advantage on its beneficiaries.
Pristojbina za varovanje je ena od letaliških pristojbin, s katerimi letalski prevozniki plačajo družbi BAC za dostop do letališke infrastrukture in zagotavljanje letaliških storitev.
Belgium concludes that the question of the compatibility of alleged State aid is irrelevant in this case.
Gre torej za enega od sestavnih delov cene komercialnih storitev, ki jo določi zasebni gospodarski subjekt, ki te storitve ponuja.
Regarding the request concerning the beneficiaries' financial information
Poleg tega je pristojbina za varovanje znesek, ki se zaračuna na odhajajočega potnika, ki ga prepelje letalski prevoznik.
In this regard, Belgium points out that the measure in question does not constitute State aid and therefore the Commission has no reason to request financial information from Brussels Airlines, TUI Airlines Belgium or Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium.
Očitno je torej, da se z zadevnimi subvencijami financirajo dejavnosti komercialnega prevoza potnikov, ki so gospodarske dejavnosti, kot je Komisija pojasnila v točki 27 letaliških smernic.
In any event, Belgium considers that comments should be invited from the three airlines concerned, if appropriate.
V nobenem primeru ne gre za nadomestilo stroškov, ki bi jih morali nositi letalski prevozniki pri izvajanju dejavnosti, ki spadajo v pristojnost države pri izvrševanju njenih uradnih pooblastil kot javnega organa.
Comments on the comments by IAG
Komisija je v sklepu o letališču Charleroi preučila financiranje dejavnosti, ki spadajo v pristojnost države pri izvrševanju njenih uradnih pooblastil kot javnega organa in ki jih je opravljal upravljavec letališča Charleroi.
In its comments on AGI's comments, Belgium refers the Commission to its comments of 16 January 2015 and its reply of 12 March 2015 to the request for information of 10 February 2015, in which it considers that it has explained in detail how the measure in question did not constitute State aid.
Sklep o letališču Charleroi torej ni upošteven pri analizi ukrepa, ki je predmet tega sklepa.
Comments on the comments by Brussels Airlines
Iz zgoraj navedenega izhaja, da se z obravnavanim ukrepom, in sicer subvencijo v korist letalskih prevoznikov, odobreno s kraljevo uredbo z dne 7. januarja 2014, financira gospodarska dejavnost, in sicer komercialni prevoz potnikov.
Belgium has taken due note of the comments made by Brussels Airlines, the main conclusion of which is that the measure in question does not constitute State aid.
Njeni upravičenci, ki so letalski prevozniki, so očitno podjetja v smislu člena 107(1) PDEU.
Belgium informs the Commission that it agrees with the conclusion of Brussels Airlines in that regard.
Državna sredstva in pripisljivost državi
Comments on the comments by the interested party which asked to remain anonymous
Subvencija se podeljuje na podlagi kraljeve uredbe, ki jo je sprejel svet ministrov.
ASSESSMENT
Poleg tega se subvencija financira iz sredstev, ki izvirajo iz proračuna belgijske države.
Existence of State aid
Člen 3 kraljeve uredbe z dne 7. januarja 2014 namreč določa: „Subvencija iz člena 1 se odšteje od osnovne dodelitve 52.60.31.32.01, ‚Pomoč letalskemu sektorju‘, […] proračuna zvezne javne službe za mobilnost in promet za proračunsko leto 2014.“
According to Article 107(1) of the TFEU, any aid granted by a Member State or through State resources in any form whatsoever which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods shall, in so far as it affects trade between Member States, be incompatible with the internal market
Poleg tega je v členu 2 kraljeve uredbe z dne 7. januarja 2014 določeno, da mora družba BAC razdeliti celotno subvencijo, ki jo prejme od države, določenim letalskim prevoznikom v zneskih, ki so za vsakega letalskega prevoznika določeni po metodi, ki je v celoti določena v kraljevi uredbi.
For a measure to be classed as State aid the following cumulative criteria therefore have to be met: (1) the beneficiaries must be undertakings within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU; (2) the measure must be granted through state resources and be imputable to the State; (3) the measure must confer a selective advantage on its recipients; and (4) the measure must distort or threaten to distort competition and must be likely to affect trade between Member States.
Ta določba ne pušča družbi BAC nobenega manevrskega prostora pri izbiri upravičenih letalskih prevoznikov in zneskih, ki so jim dodeljeni.
According to Article 107(1) of the TFEU, State aid rules apply only where the recipient is an ‘undertaking’.
Zato je treba plačila, ki jih je družba BAC izvedla v korist letalskih prevoznikov na podlagi kraljeve uredbe z dne 7. januarja 2014, šteti za pripisljive državi in financirane iz državnih sredstev, ne da bi na to ugotovitev vplivalo dejstvo, da je BAC družba, v kateri imajo 75 % delnic v lasti zasebni vlagatelji.
The notion of undertaking covers any entity engaged in an economic activity, regardless of its legal status or the way in which it is financed.
Poleg tega je treba opozoriti, da so bila edina plačila, izvedena na podlagi kraljeve uredbe z dne 7. januarja 2014, izplačana, ne da bi se natančno upoštevala podrobna pravila, ki jih je ta izvirno določala.
Any activity consisting in offering goods or services on a given market is regarded as an economic activity.
Zneske za plačilo posameznemu letalskemu prevozniku, izračunane v skladu z določbami člena 2 navedene kraljeve uredbe, je namreč država izplačala neposredno prevoznikom, ki so izpolnjevali merila iz člena 2(1) navedene kraljeve uredbe, brez prenosa prek družbe BAC.
According to Belgium, the subsidy paid pursuant to the Royal Decree of 7 January 2014 funds services to ensure the security of passengers and airport facilities, and therefore does not support activities of an economic nature.
Očitno je, da je mogoče ta neposredna plačila pripisati državi in da so financirana iz državnih sredstev.
Belgium refers to the Charleroi decision in which the Commission considered that the financing by the Walloon Region of certain activities falling within the remit of public authorities at Charleroi airport did not constitute State aid, in particular because these activities were not of an economic nature.
Na podlagi teh elementov je treba ugotoviti, da je mogoče mehanizem subvencij v korist letalskih prevoznikov, uveden s členom 2 kraljeve uredbe z dne 7. januarja 2014, pripisati državi in da ga je Belgija odobrila iz državnih sredstev v smislu člena 107(1) PDEU.
Brussels Airlines put forward similar arguments.
Gospodarska prednost
The Commission is not contesting Belgium's right to grant compensation to BAC for the security activities it carries out at Brussels airport, as such compensation is unlikely to be classed as State aid in favour of BAC.
Pri presoji, ali državni ukrep pomeni pomoč podjetju, je treba ugotoviti, ali ima zadevno podjetje gospodarsko prednost, zaradi katere se izogne stroškom, ki bi običajno morali bremeniti njegova lastna finančna sredstva, oziroma ali ima prednost, ki je v običajnih tržnih razmerah ne bi moglo pridobiti.
However, this procedure relates not to a subsidy paid to BAC, but rather a subsidy to the airlines.
Pomemben je le učinek ukrepa na podjetje, ne pa vzrok ali cilj posredovanja države.
In this regard, it should be noted that the Royal Decree of 7 January 2014 provides for BAC to pass on the entire subsidy it receives to airlines that carried more than 400000 departing passengers in 2012.
Prednost obstaja, kadar se finančni položaj podjetja izboljša zaradi posredovanja države, in sicer pod pogoji, ki so drugačni od običajnih tržnih pogojev.
Consequently, the subsidy provided for by the Royal Decree of 7 January 2014, benefits the airlines that transported more than 400000 departing passengers in 2012, through the redistribution mechanism introduced by Article 2 of the Royal Decree.
To se oceni tako, da se finančni položaj podjetja po ukrepu primerja z njegovim finančnim položajem, če ukrep ne bi bil uveden.
The subsidies received by the airlines from BAC pursuant to Article 2 of the Royal Decree of 7 January 2014 are designed to refund them part of the security charge due to BAC.
Ker je pomemben samo učinek ukrepa na podjetje, je nepomembno, ali je prednost zanj obvezna, ker se ji podjetje ne bi moglo izogniti ali jo zavrniti.