natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
According to the Icelandic authorities, this discount was determined in line with the PTA Decision No 8/2008 of 18 April 2008 [37].
Ker je operater Síminn največji telekomunikacijski operater, je bila kakršna koli morebitna pomoč, vključena v Pogodbo, podeljena podjetju.
According to a note from the Fund dated 14 August 2009 [38], concerning the organisation of access options in the Agreement, resale access is only available with regard to UMTS connections.
Nadzorni organ je ugotovil tudi, da je javno financiranje projekta operaterju Síminn zagotovilo gospodarsko prednost, ki bi jo običajno kril s svojim proračunom.
Such connections do not benefit from more infrastructure-based wholesale access options.
Čeprav se pri konkurenčnem postopku oddaje javnega naročila znesek potrebne finančne podpore običajno zmanjša, se lahko razpravlja o tem, ali je bilo nadomestilo za dodatne objekte določeno na podlagi konkurenčnega razpisa ali pa je bilo dejansko določeno po izbiri ponudbe operaterja Síminn.
According to the Fund, the above discounts should therefore apply if another ISP wants resale access to Síminn's network.
Zato je predhodna ocena Nadzornega organa pokazala, da gospodarske prednosti ni mogoče izključiti.
For a more detailed description of the measure, reference is made to the Authority's Decision No 302/13/COL [39].
Ker je bil operater Síminn edini prejemnik državnih sredstev, je Nadzorni organ izrazil predhodno stališče, da se zdi, da je ukrep selektiven.
GROUNDS FOR INITIATING THE FORMAL INVESTIGATION PROCEDURE
Nadzorni organ je ugotovil, da sodelovanje pri uvedbi infrastrukture za zagotavljanje storitev elektronskih komunikacij krepi položaj izbranega ponudnika omrežja v primerjavi z njegovimi konkurenti.
In Decision No 302/13/COL, the Authority assessed preliminarily whether the Agreement between the Telecommunications Fund and Síminn for the roll-out of broadband networks in rural areas of Iceland could constitute State aid and, if so, whether that State aid could be considered compatible with the functioning of the EEA Agreement.
Običajno so trgi za storitve elektronskih komunikacij odprti za trgovino in konkurenco med operaterji in ponudniki storitev v EGP.
According to the Icelandic authorities the measure did not constitute State aid as the conditions of Article 61(1) of the EEA Agreement were not met.
Zato je predhodno stališče Nadzornega organa, da bi ukrep lahko izkrivljal konkurenco in vplival na trgovino v EGP.
In addition, the Icelandic authorities were of the view that the contribution could be characterised as the funding of a public service and that the criteria of the ‘Altmark test’ were fulfilled.
Nadzorni organ je navedel, da je podpora za vzpostavitev širokopasovnega omrežja na podeželskih območjih in manj pokritih območjih Islandije, za katero se zdi, da obravnava dobro opredeljene cilje skupnega interesa, ustrezen instrument za doseganje zastavljenih ciljev in spodbuda za naložbo izbranega ponudnika.
In case the Authority would consider the measure to constitute State aid, the Icelandic authorities submitted that such aid could be considered compatible with Article 61(3)(c) of the EEA Agreement, having regard to the objectives of the measure, including to increase public broadband access in assisted areas.
Vendar je zaradi obsega sprememb Pogodbe Nadzorni organ predhodno sklenil, da se postopek oddaje javnega naročila morda ne more šteti za odprt in nediskriminatoren razpis v smislu Smernic za uporabo pravil o državni pomoči v zvezi s hitro postavitvijo širokopasovnih omrežij, ki jih je Nadzorni organ izdal leta 2013 (v nadaljnjem besedilu: smernice za širokopasovna omrežja) [40].
However, in the preliminary view of the Authority, the Agreement between the Fund and Síminn was considered to involve State aid within the meaning of Article 61(1) of the EEA Agreement.
Nadzorni organ je izrazil tudi pomisleke v zvezi s tem, ali je za operaterja Síminn veljala obveznost zagotavljanja zadostnega veleprodajnega dostopa do dela omrežja UMTS in dela omrežja ADSL.
The following aspects were identified in Decision No 302/13/COL:
Pomanjkanje obveznosti zagotavljanja zadostnega veleprodajnega dostopa bi pomenila gospodarsko in konkurenčno prednost za operaterja Síminn.
The Authority noted that the Fund was established by law and owned by the Icelandic State which allocates resources to the Fund through the annual State budget, the measure thus appeared to be granted through State resources.
Zato se zdi, da ukrep ni v skladu z načeloma sorazmernosti in omejevanja izkrivljanja konkurence v skladu s preskusom izravnave.
As Síminn is Iceland's biggest telecoms operator, any potential aid involved in the agreement had been conferred upon an undertaking.
Zato je imel Nadzorni organ po predhodni oceni pomisleke glede tega, ali bi se financiranje razvoja širokopasovnih storitev na podeželskih območjih Islandije lahko štelo za združljivo s členom 61(3)(c) Sporazuma EGP.
The Authority also found that the public financing of the project had provided Síminn with an economic advantage that would normally be covered by its budget.
PRIPOMBE ISLANDSKIH ORGANOV
Although a competitive tender procedure tends to reduce the amount of financial support required, it can be discussed whether the compensation for the additional buildings was established through a competitive tender, or whether it was in fact determined after Síminn's bid was chosen.
Prisotnost državne pomoči
Hence, the preliminary assessment of the Authority showed that an economic advantage could not be excluded.
Kot je bilo prej navedeno, so islandski organi z dopisom z dne 15. oktobra 2013 predložili pripombe v zvezi z odločbo o začetku postopka Nadzornega organa [41].
Furthermore, since Síminn was the only recipient of the state funds, it was the Authority's preliminary view that the measure appeared to be selective.
Islandski organi menijo, da plačila operaterju Síminn v skladu s pogoji Pogodbe ne vključujejo državne pomoči, ker po njihovem mnenju pogoji iz člena 61(1) Sporazuma EGP niso izpolnjeni, saj so organi delovali v skladu z načelom vlagatelja pod tržnimi pogoji.
Finally, the Authority concluded that involvement in deploying infrastructure to provide electronic communications services strengthens the position of the selected supplier of the network in relation to its competitors.
Poleg tega islandski organi menijo, da se ta plačila lahko opredelijo kot financiranje javne storitve, da so izpolnjena štiri kumulativna merila „preskusa Altmark“ in da ukrep zato ni državna pomoč.
In general, the markets for electronic communications services are open to trade and competition between operators and service providers across the EEA.
Islandski organi so navedli, da sklenitev zadevne pogodbe ni pomenila gospodarske prednosti za operaterja Síminn, ki bi presegala tržne razmere.
Therefore, in the preliminary view of the Authority, the measure was deemed to threaten to distort competition and affect trade within the EEA
Po navedbah islandskih organov se je uporaba postopka oddaje javnega naročila v skladu z okvirom o postopku oddaje javnega naročila štela za zadostno, da se lahko predpostavlja, da se gospodarskemu subjektu, izbranemu v postopku, ni zagotovila državna pomoč, saj je tržna cena zajamčena [42].
The Authority noted that support for broadband network deployment in rural and underserved areas of Iceland appeared to address well-defined objectives of common interest, was an appropriate instrument to achieve the set objectives, and provided the chosen supplier with an investment incentive.
Zato se po mnenju islandskih organov na podlagi poštene tržne cene lahko predpostavlja, da operaterju Síminn ni bila dodeljena državna pomoč [43].
However, due to the scope of the changes to the Agreement, the Authority came to the preliminary conclusion that the procurement process might not be considered as an open and non-discriminatory tender within the meaning of the Authority's 2013 Guidelines on the Application of the State Aid Rules in relation to the Rapid Deployment of Broadband Networks (‘the Broadband Guidelines’) [40].
V zvezi s spremembami Pogodbe z operaterjem Síminn zaradi razširitve območja razvoja so islandski organi navedli, da v skladu s pravili Evropske komisije državna pomoč ni vključena v spremembe take pogodbe, če splošni pogoji za ponudnika niso ugodnejši od pogojev prvotne pogodbe.
The Authority also expressed doubts as to whether Síminn had been obliged to provide sufficient wholesale access to both the UMTS and ADSL parts of the network.
Tudi če se pogoji zaradi spremembe štejejo za ugodnejše, ni državne pomoči, če naročnik deluje tako, kot bi deloval zasebni izvajalec pri uresničevanju svojih poslovnih interesov.
The lack of a sufficient wholesale access obligation would give Síminn economic and competitive advantages.
Po navedbah islandskih organov je lahko ponudbo predložil vsak, ki je želel sodelovati pri postopku oddaje javnega naročila, saj so bile dovoljene ponudbe vseh zainteresiranih strani, kar je bilo navedeno tudi v oglasih.
Hence, the measure appeared not to be in line with the principles of proportionality and limitation of the distortion of competition under the balancing test.
Dejstvo, da je bil na koncu postopka za izvedbo projekta izbran operater Síminn, ki je predložil najnižjo in ekonomsko najugodnejšo ponudbo, zato ne more samodejno pomeniti, da je določeno podjetje imelo prednost.
Consequently, following its preliminary assessment, the Authority had doubts whether the financing of the roll-out of broadband services in rural areas of Iceland could be found to be compatible with Article 61(3)(c) of the EEA Agreement.
Poleg tega islandski organi poudarjajo, da je širokopasovna storitev običajno storitev splošnega gospodarskega pomena (v nadaljnjem besedilu: SSGP) [44].
COMMENTS BY THE ICELANDIC AUTHORITIES
Islandski organi navajajo, da so vzpostavili stik z zasebnimi operaterji in objavili oglas, da bi ugotovili, ali je kateri koli tržni vlagatelj pripravljen izvesti naložbo v infrastrukturo.
The presence of State aid
Ker ni noben tržni vlagatelj izrazil interesa za zagotovitev storitve, so islandski organi sklenili, da je ta območja prizadelo nedelovanje trga in da ne bi prejela hitrih internetnih povezav brez pomoči Sklada.
As previously mentioned the Icelandic authorities submitted comments, relating to the Authority's opening decision, by letter dated 15 October 2013 [41].
Po navedbah islandskih organov bi se morala zagotovitev ustrezne širokopasovne pokritosti na teh podeželskih območjih Islandije, na katerih niso delovali drugi operaterji ali pa niso izrazili zanimanja za naložbe, opredeliti kot SSGP, saj je bila vzpostavitev širokopasovnega omrežja za zadevne objekte zelo pomembna za zadevna območja in družbo kot celoto.
The Icelandic authorities do not consider the payments made to Síminn, under the terms of the Agreement, to involve State aid, as they take the view that the conditions of Article 61(1) of the EEA Agreement are not met since the authorities acted in line with the Market Economy Investor Principle (‘MEIP’).
Po navedbah islandskih organov sta bila narava in obseg storitve jasno opredeljena v postopku oddaje javnega naročila in poznejši Pogodbi z operaterjem Síminn (tj. vzpostavitev infrastrukture, da se določenim objektom zagotovi hitra internetna povezava).
Furthermore, the Icelandic authorities are of the view that these payments can be characterised as the funding of a public service; that the four cumulative criteria of the ‘Altmark test’ are fulfilled, and that the measure for that reason does not constitute State aid.
Islandski organi trdijo, da je bil operater Síminn s podpisom Pogodbe v tem primeru formalno pooblaščen za zagotavljanje in izvajanje te obveznosti.
The Icelandic authorities submit that the award of the Agreement in question did not confer any economic advantage on Síminn that went beyond market conditions.
Islandski organi navajajo, da so bila v prej navedeni Pogodbi na podlagi razpisne dokumentacije določena merila za nadomestilo.
According to the Icelandic authorities, the use of a public tender procedure, in accordance with the framework on public procurement, has been considered sufficient to presume that no State aid is provided to the economic operator selected in the procedure, as market price is guaranteed [42].
Pogodba jasno določa nadomestilo, ki ga operater Síminn prejme za pregledno izvajanje storitev.
Therefore, according to the Icelandic authorities, a fair market price creates a presumption that no State aid has been granted to Síminn [43].
Nadomestilo, določeno v Pogodbi, ni bilo spremenjeno, poleg tega pa Pogodba niti ne omogoča kakršnih koli sprememb v korist operaterja Síminn.
With regard to the changes in the Agreement with Síminn due to the expansion of the roll-out area, the Icelandic authorities submit that according to the European Commission there is no State aid involved in changes to such a contract, if the overall terms are no more favourable to the provider than the terms of the original contract.
Islandski organi poudarjajo tudi, da je dejanski prispevek bistveno nižji od stroškov, ki so jih ocenili Sklad in njegovi svetovalci, plačilo pa ne bo večje od tega, kar je potrebno za zaključek projekta.
Moreover, even if the terms are to be considered more favourable because of the change, State aid will not exist when the procuring entity acts as a private contractor would have acted in pursuit of its commercial interests.
Dejstvo, da so dejanski stroški projekta bistveno nižji od ocenjenih stroškov za podobno omrežno rešitev, je dokaz, da so islandski organi sprejeli ukrepe za preprečitev prekomernega plačila nadomestil.
According to the Icelandic authorities, anyone interested in partaking in the procurement procedure was free to submit a tender, since tenders from all interested parties were permitted as well as being advertised as such.
Po navedbah islandskih organov so pogajanja po izboru operaterja Síminn temeljila neposredno na postopku oddaje javnega naročila in so bila kot taka razširitev postopka.
The fact that in the end, Síminn, which had the lowest and most economically advantageous offer, was chosen to perform the project, therefore cannot automatically entail the favouring of a certain undertaking.
Plačila operaterju Síminn so bila izvedena v skladu z vnaprej določenim časovnim razporedom plačil, povezanim z napredkom projekta, s čimer se prepreči možnost prekomernega plačila nadomestil.
Furthermore, the Icelandic authorities emphasise that a broadband service is in general a service of general economic interest (‘SGEI’) [44].
V skladu s členom 19 Pogodbe je operater Síminn predložil bančno jamstvo banke New Kaupþing Bank z dne 17. februarja 2009, ki je mehanizem za vračanje sredstev, da se prepreči prekomerno plačilo nadomestil [45].
The Icelandic authorities note that they contacted private operators and published an advertisement in order to establish whether any market investor was willing to invest in the infrastructure.
Poleg tega Pogodba določa strogo ureditev plačil v skladu z napredkom projekta, kar pomeni, da so plačila do določene mere odvisna od dejanskega napredka pri izgradnji sistema in pridobivanju strank, kot je določeno v členu 16 Pogodbe.
Since no-one declared any interest in providing the service, the Icelandic authorities concluded that these areas did indeed suffer from a market failure and would not get high-speed internet connections without the assistance from the Fund.
Člen 11 Pogodbe vsebuje tudi kazensko klavzulo, v skladu s katero mora operater Síminn plačati nadomestilo v primeru zamud, in klavzulo o neskladnosti s členom 13 Pogodbe.
According to the Icelandic authorities, the provision of adequate broadband coverage to these rural areas of Iceland, where no other operators are performing or were interested in investing, should be characterised as an SGEI since the deployment of broadband to the buildings concerned was of great importance to both the areas concerned and the society as a whole.
Poleg tega islandski organi navajajo, da tudi če bi Nadzorni organ sklenil, da razširitev obsega in nadomestilo projekta nista bila v celoti skladna z okvirom o postopku oddaje javnega naročila, bi se morala odprti razpisni postopek in vrednotenje, ki so ga opravili neodvisni svetovalci, šteti za ustrezno referenčno vrednost za nadomestilo.
According to the Icelandic authorities, the nature and scope of the service were clearly defined in the tender process and the subsequent Agreement with Síminn (i.e. to install an infrastructure to enable certain buildings to gain a high-speed internet connection).
Skupaj bi se morala obravnavati vsaj kot pomemben kazalnik stroškov, ki bi nastali pri povprečnem, dobro vodenem podjetju na upoštevnem trgu.
The Icelandic authorities state that Síminn, in this particular instance, was by signing the Agreement formally entrusted with the provision and discharge of this obligation.
Ker je bilo nadomestilo operaterju Síminn nižje od navedene referenčne vrednosti, bi se moralo zadnje merilo preskusa Altmark šteti za izpolnjeno.
The Icelandic authorities note that the aforementioned Agreement established the parameters of the compensation on the basis of the tender documents.
Islandski organi ponovno navajajo, da je bila ponudba operaterja Síminn kljub spremembam nedvomno ekonomsko najugodnejša ponudba.
The Agreement clearly establishes the compensation to be received by Síminn for the discharge of the service in a transparent manner.
Postopek oddaje javnega naročila
The compensation established by the Agreement has not been amended nor does it allow any amendments to be made in favour of Síminn.
Po navedbah islandskih organov je bil postopek oddaje javnega naročila skladen s pravili o državni pomoči EGP in je v celoti zagotavljal enako obravnavanje vseh gospodarskih subjektov na trgu.
Furthermore, the Icelandic authorities emphasise that the actual contribution is substantially lower than the cost estimated by the Fund and its advisors and no more is paid than what is necessary to complete the project.
Islandski organi navajajo tudi, da prilagoditve projekta med pogajanji z operaterjem Síminn niso kršile temeljnih pravil o enakosti in preglednosti, zlasti ob upoštevanju prožnosti pri obsegu projekta.
The fact that the actual cost of the project is substantially lower than the estimated cost for a similar network solution, is evidence that the Icelandic authorities did take measures to prevent overcompensation.
Po umiku načrtovanega območja pokritosti operaterja WBS s skupne karte pokritosti se je pojavilo 670 dodatnih „belih“ objektov.
According to the Icelandic authorities, the negotiations after Síminn had been chosen were directly based on the tender procedure and were as such an extension of the procedure.
Ko je Sklad od Državnega trgovinskega centra zahteval, naj ponovno pozove k predložitvi načrtov za zagotovitev storitev tem 670 objektom, je Državni trgovinski center to storil z oglasom in ni vzpostavil neposrednega stika izključno s tistimi ponudniki storitev, ki so predhodno predložili svoje ponudbe.
The payments to Síminn are made in accordance with a predetermined payment schedule linked to the progress of the project, which avoids the possibility of overcompensation.
Ta metoda se je uporabila tudi pri prvotnem razpisu za zbiranje informacij o območjih pokritosti.
Pursuant to Article 19 of the Agreement, Síminn presented a bank guarantee from New Kaupþing bank, dated 17 February 2009, which represents a claw-back mechanism, in order to avoid over-compensation [45].
Islandski organi poudarjajo, da bi bila dvostranska komunikacija s strankami, ki so predložile predhodne ponudbe, po njihovem mnenju neustrezna.
Moreover, the Agreement stipulates a strict arrangement of payments in accordance with the progress of the project, which entails that payments are up to a point subject to actual progress of system build-up and costumer take-up, as laid out in Article 16 of the Agreement.
Islandski organi navajajo, da so bile spremembe obsega in nadomestila v Pogodbi potrebne za vključitev 670 dodatnih „belih“ objektov in posledičnega nadomestila.
Lastly, a penalty clause is found in Article 11 of the Agreement, where Síminn is to pay compensation in case of delays, as well as a clause on failure to comply in Article 13 of the Agreement.
Cena za dodatne objekte je bila povprečna cena na enoto iz prvotne ponudbe operaterja Síminn, ki je bil izbran z odprtim postopkom, saj je predložil ekonomsko najugodnejšo ponudbo.
Finally, the Icelandic authorities submit that even if the Authority would conclude that the extension of scope and compensation of the project was not fully in line with the procurement framework, than the open tender procedure, along with the evaluation performed by independent advisors, should be considered as an appropriate benchmark for compensation.
Nadomestilo za dodatne objekte bi se zato moralo šteti za razširitev prvotne ponudbe, ki je bila izvedena pod tržnimi pogoji.
Together they should at least be considered as a strong indication of the costs which a typical, well-run undertaking in the relevant market would have incurred.
Po navedbah islandskih organov je to znak neprekinjenosti postopka in ni dokaz tega, da so o bistvenem pogoju Pogodbe potekala ponovna pogajanja.
As the compensation to Síminn was lower than that benchmark, the last criterion of the Altmark test should be considered fulfilled.
Kot je že bilo navedeno, je projekt prvotno obsegal vsaj 1119 objektov.
The Icelandic authorities would also like to reiterate that even with the changes, the offer from Síminn is still by far the most economically advantageous offer.
Po navedbah islandskih organov je za take projekte značilno, da se seznam med obdobjem projekta stalno spreminja.
The public procurement procedure
Kot je razvidno iz zgornjega grafa, se je seznam v obdobju 2008–2011 stalno spreminjal [46].
According to the Icelandic authorities the procurement procedure was in line with the EEA State aid rules and it fully ensured the equal treatment of all the economic operators on the market.
Projekt se je stabiliziral šele leta 2011, vendar se je seznam spreminjal tudi takrat in se spreminja še danes.
The Icelandic authorities also note that the adaptations which were made regarding the project during the negotiations with Síminn did not violate the fundamental rules of equality and transparency, principally in the light of the built-in flexibility in the project's scope.
Po navedbah islandskih organov je bil ob upoštevanju teh neizogibnih spremenljivk edini način za zagotavljanje preglednosti v zvezi z nadomestilom zaveza k povprečni ceni na enoto.
When the planned coverage area of WBS was withdrawn from the cumulative coverage map, 670 additional ‘white’ buildings appeared.
Sklad je menil tudi, da bi nov postopek oddaje javnega naročila povzročil nepotrebne gospodarske nevšečnosti za islandske organe, saj bi bil rezultat zelo verjetno enak ali celo manj ugoden, poleg tega pa bi se razvoj širokopasovnih storitev odložil za več mesecev ali celo let.
When the Fund requested that the STC call out again for plans to offer services for these 670 buildings, this was done by means of an advertisement and not by direct contact exclusively with those few service providers that had previously handed in their tender offers.
Sklad je poleg tega menil, da bi se nadomestilo za dodatne objekte in projekt kot celoto lahko štelo za zelo ugodno za islandske organe, saj je bilo enako nadomestilu iz prvotne ponudbe.
This was the method used when initially calling for information on service areas.
Sklad je septembra 2008 vprašal svoje svetovalce (Mannvit hf.) za oceno stroškov za objekte, katerim naj bi storitev zagotavljal le operater WBS.
The Icelandic authorities emphasise that bilateral communications with the parties which had submitted previous tenders were held to be inadequate.
V skladu z oceno stroškov z dne 8. oktobra 2008 [47] naj bi nakupna cena za približno 750 „objektov operaterja WBS“ znašala od 410000000 ISK do 820000000 ISK (ocena je bila pozneje prilagojena za 670 opredeljenih „belih“ objektov).