natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
The resource (i.e. the three fibres) is not owned by the Icelandic State or any of its entities.
Da nekaj predstavlja državno sredstvo, je dovolj, kot je pravilno izpostavila družba Míla, da je bilo zadevno sredstvo, tj. pravica do zakupa, pod javnim nadzorom in na razpolago nacionalnim organom [31], čeprav ni bilo v lasti državnega organa [32].
The resource was financed, constructed and is permanently owned by NATO.
Kar zadeva državna sredstva, cilj postopka oddaje javnega naročila in dajanja vlakna v zakup, kar je opisano v oddelku I.2, ni bil zagotoviti subvencije zainteresiranim zakupnikom, ampak, prav nasprotno, zmanjšati stroške Islandije, ki jih je bila zavezana plačevati za upravljanje in vzdrževanje vlaken zveze NATO, ki jih je imela na razpolago.
The arrangements between NATO and the Icelandic authorities are based on the no-cost no-gain principle, as confirmed in the Icelandic Defence Act No 34/2008, see Articles 5, 15 and 16 thereof.
Kot je navedeno v uvodni izjavi 36, so islandski organi pojasnili, da njihovi dogovori z zvezo NATO temeljijo na načelu „ni stroškov, ni koristi“.
The Government of Iceland nevertheless has a wide-ranging right of use and other exploitation rights, including the right to lease out the fibres and use the proceeds for their maintenance and other running costs [29].
Če prihodki presegajo navedene stroške, se ves presežek vrne lastniku vlakna, in sicer zvezi NATO.
This right of use, however, is subject to rules of security and priority rights of NATO.
Stroške popravil kabla si namreč delita lastnika vlaken glede na število vlaken, ki jih imata v lasti.
Moreover, NATO receives any revenues exceeding operational costs of the fibres.
Ob upoštevanju teh dogovorov je bila v razpisu določena najmanjša pridržana cena, ki je ustrezala plačilni obveznosti Islandije za upravljanje in vzdrževanje.
NATO will also pay for any major repairs or replacements due to force majeure incidents [30].
Razpis je bil torej oblikovan tako, da je preprečil kakršno koli zmanjšanje državnih sredstev zaradi pravice do zakupa v razpisu.
With reference to the submission of the Icelandic authorities, the Authority considers that the fibre in question is not the property of the Icelandic State.
Po mnenju Nadzornega organa je ustrezno obravnavati to, ali se lahko te vrste dogovor, katerega cilj je preprečiti zmanjšanje državnih sredstev v okoliščinah, v katerih bi bilo treba v skladu z mednarodno obveznostjo vse nadaljnje prihodke prenesti na tretjo stran, v posebnih okoliščinah zadevnega primera, šteje za takšnega, ki izpolnjuje zahtevo iz člena 61(1) Sporazuma EGP, in sicer da je ukrep dodelila država ali je bil dodeljen iz državnih sredstev.
However, the question of the ownership of the fibre is not decisive for the Authority's assessment.
Glede na ugotovitev, da ukrep ni pomenil gospodarske prednosti (glej oddelek 1.3 v nadaljevanju), pa Nadzornemu organu ni treba nadalje ocenjevati te točke.
It is uncontested that the Icelandic State enjoys rights of control that enable it to exploit a lease right.
PREDNOST
In order to constitute state resources, it is sufficient, as correctly pointed out by Míla, that the resource in question, i.e. the lease right, was under public control and at the disposal of the national authorities [31], even though it was not the property of the public authority [32].
Splošno
As regards state resources, the objective of the tender procedure and the leasing out of the fibre outlined in section I.2 was not to provide subsidies to interested lessees but on the contrary to alleviate the Icelandic State of costs that it was committed to pay for the operation and maintenance of the NATO fibres at its disposal.
Da bi ukrep pomenil državno pomoč v smislu člena 61(1) Sporazuma EGP, mora dati prednost podjetju.
As set out in recital 36 above, the Icelandic authorities have explained that their arrangements with NATO are based on the no-cost no-gain principle.
Podjetja so subjekti, ki opravljajo gospodarsko dejavnost, ne glede na svoj pravni status in način njihovega financiranja.
If revenue exceeds those costs, any remainder is to be returned to the owner of the fibre, NATO.
Gospodarske dejavnosti so dejavnosti, ki na trgu ponujajo blago ali storitve.
Rather, the cost of repairs to the cable is shared between the fibres' owners according to their respective number of fibres.
Domnevni upravičenec ukrepa je družba Vodafone Iceland.
Reflecting these arrangements, the tender set a minimum reserve price corresponding to Iceland's payment obligation for operation and maintenance.
Družba je dejavna na trgu za elektronske komunikacije in zagotavlja storitve fiksne telefonije, mobilne storitve ter storitve prenosa podatkov na Islandiji.
Thus, the tender was designed to prevent any drain on state resources resulting from the lease right that was tendered out.
V skladu s tem bi kakršna koli pomoč države, povezana z zakupom optičnega vlakna zveze NATO, bila dodeljena podjetju.
In the Authority's view, it is a relevant consideration whether under the specific circumstances of the case at hand, an arrangement of this kind, which aims at preventing a drain on state resources in a situation where any further income would need to be passed on to a third party under an international obligation, can be considered to meet the requirement under Article 61(1) of the EEA Agreement that the measure is granted by the state or through state resources.
Prednost v smislu člena 61(1) Sporazuma EGP je kakršna koli gospodarska korist, ki je podjetje ne bi imelo pod običajnimi tržnimi pogoji, kar ga postavlja v ugodnejši položaj kot njegove konkurente.
However, given the conclusion that the measure did not result in an economic advantage (see section 1.3 below), the Authority does not need to assess this point any further.
Da bi ukrep pomenil pomoč, bi moral dati družbi Vodafone prednosti, ki bi jo razbremenile stroškov, ki so sicer običajno kriti iz njenega proračuna.
ADVANTAGE
Če bi bila transakcija izvedena pod ugodnimi pogoji, v tem smislu, da bi družba Vodafone plačevala zakupnino, ki bi bila nižja od tržne cene, bi družba imela prednost v smislu pravil o državni pomoči.
General
Nadzorni organ je za proučitev tega vprašanja uporabil „preskus zasebnega prodajalca“ [33], pri čemer se ravnanje držav ali javnih organov pri prodaji ali zakupu sredstev primerja s takim ravnanjem zasebnih gospodarskih subjektov.
In order to constitute state aid within the meaning of Article 61(1) of the EEA Agreement, the measure must confer an advantage upon an undertaking.
Nadzorni organi meni, da se v nasprotju s stališčem islandskih organov ta preskus lahko uporabi v obravnavanem primeru, čeprav Islandija nima v lasti zadevnega vlakna, saj pogodba z družbo Vodafone zadeva pravico do zakupa, ki jo ima Islandija pravico izkoriščati.
Undertakings are entities engaged in an economic activity, regardless of their legal status and the way in which they are financed.
V oceni pa je treba upoštevati posebne pogoje, ki veljajo za to pravico do zakupa, zlasti dejstvo, da so islandski organi lahko v zakup ponudili samo vlakno v stanju, kot je bil uporabljen za obrambne namene, in sicer s samo nekaj razpoložljivimi priključnimi točkami za komercialne namene, in posebne pravice zveze NATO do prekinitve sporazuma v primeru vojne.
Economic activities are activities consisting of offering goods or services on a market.
Nadzorni organ tudi opozarja, da za pravico do zakupa, ki jo lahko izkorišča Islandija, veljajo pogodbene obveznosti, v skladu s katerimi je treba vse prihodke o zakupnine, ki presegajo stroške vzdrževanja in upravljanja vlakna, prenesti na zvezo NATO.
The alleged beneficiary of the measure is Vodafone Iceland.
Namen preskusa zasebnega prodajalca je oceniti, ali prodaja ali zakup sredstev, ki jo izvaja javni organ, vključuje državno pomoč, tako da se prouči, ali bi zasebni prodajalec pod običajnimi tržnimi pogoji ravnal enako.
The company is active on the electronic communications market, providing fixed telephony, mobile and data transmission services in Iceland.
Javni organ ne sme upoštevati ciljev javne politike, ampak se usmeriti v en sam cilj, in sicer pridobitev tržne stopnje donosnosti ali dobička za svoje naložbe in tržne cene za prodajo ali zakup sredstev [34].
Accordingly, any aid involved in the leasing by the state of the NATO optical fibre would be conferred upon an undertaking.
Nadzorni organ pa opozarja, da mora taka ocena običajno upoštevati vse posebne pravice ali obveznosti, ki veljajo za zadevno sredstvo, zlasti tiste, ki bi lahko vplivale na tržno ceno.
An advantage, within the meaning of Article 61(1) of the EEA Agreement, is any economic benefit which an undertaking would not have obtained under normal market conditions, thus placing it in a more favourable position than its competitors.
Skladnost s tržnimi pogoji in tem, ali cena, dogovorjena v transakciji, ustrezna tržni ceni, je mogoče določiti na podlagi določenih meril.
For it to constitute aid, the measure must confer on Vodafone advantages that relieve it of charges that would normally be borne from its budget.
Organizacija odprtega, preglednega in nepogojnega postopka javnega razpisa je na splošno ustrezno orodje za zagotovitev, da nacionalni organi prodajo sredstva ali jih dajo v zakup v skladu s preskusom zasebnega prodajalca ter da je bila za zadevno blago in storitve plačana poštena tržna vrednost.
If the transaction was carried out under favourable terms, in the sense that Vodafone was paying a rental charge below market price, the company would be receiving an advantage within the meaning of the state aid rules.
To pa ne pomeni samodejno, da je zaradi nepravilnega postopka za oddajo javnega naročila ali morebitne napake v takem postopku mogoče upravičiti domnevo o državni pomoči.
To examine this question, the Authority applies the ‘private vendor test’ [33] whereby the conduct of states or public authorities when selling or leasing assets is compared to that of private economic operators.
Zakonodaja o javnih naročilih in zakonodaja o državni pomoči obstajata vzporedno ter ni razloga, da bi na primer kršitev pravila o javnih naročilih samodejno pomenila kršitev pravil o državni pomoči [35].
The Authority considers that contrary to the view of the Icelandic authorities, this test can be applied in the present case even though Iceland does not own the fibre is question, given that the contract with Vodafone concerns a lease right which Iceland has the right to exploit.
Po drugi strani pa je, kot je navedeno v zadevi Land Burgenland, ki je citirana v odstavku 97 zadeve E-1/13 sodbe Sodišča Efte, „če javni organ namerava prodati podjetje v svoji lasti v okviru odprtega, preglednega in nepogojnega postopka javnega razpisa, mogoče domnevati, da je tržna cena enaka najvišji ponudbi, pri čemer je treba ugotoviti, prvič, ali je ta ponudba zavezujoča in kredibilna, in drugič, ali ni poleg cene upravičeno upoštevati tudi druge ekonomske dejavnike.“ [36] Enako načelo je treba uporabiti za zakup sredstev.
However, the specific conditions applicable to this lease right will have to be taken into account in the assessment, in particular the fact that the Icelandic authorities could only offer for lease the fibre in the condition as it was used for defence purposes with only few connection points available for commercial purposes as well as the special NATO termination rights in case of war.
Zasebni subjekt, ki daje v zakup svoja sredstva, bi običajno poskušal pridobiti najboljšo ponudbo, pri čemer bi poudarek bil na ceni, in na primer ne bi upošteval elementov, ki bi bili povezani z nameravano uporabo takih sredstev, razen če bi ti vplivali na vrednost sredstev ob koncu zakupnega obdobja.
The Authority also notes that the lease right which Iceland is entitled to dispose of is subject to a contractual obligation pursuant to which any rental income above the operation and maintenance costs of the fibre has to be transferred to NATO.
Če so torej navedeni predpogoji izpolnjeni, je mogoče domnevati, da je tržna cena najvišja cena, ki jo je za uporabo zadevnih sredstev pripravljen plačati zasebni subjekt, ki deluje pod običajnimi tržnimi pogoji [37].
The purpose of the private vendor test is to assess whether a sale or leasing of assets carried out by a public body involves state aid, by examining whether a private vendor, under normal market conditions, would have acted in the same manner.
Iz navedenega sledi, da lahko prodaja ali zakup sredstev vključuje državno pomoč, tudi če se izvede v okviru konkurenčnega postopka javnega razpisa.
The public authority must disregard public policy objectives and instead focus on the single objective of obtaining a market rate of return or profit on its investments and a market price for the sale or lease of assets.
Do tega predvsem pride, če je zaradi obveznosti, ki se uvedejo za kupca, cena nižja.
The Authority notes, however, that this assessment normally has to take into account any special rights or obligations attached to the asset concerned, in particular those that could affect the market price.
Vrste obveznosti, ki imajo takšen učinek, so te, ki se uvedejo za doseganje ciljev javne politike in zmanjšanje pričakovanega dobička kupca.
Compliance with market conditions, and whether the agreed price in a transaction corresponds to market price, can be established through certain proxies.
Zasebni subjekt običajno ne bi uvedel takšnih obveznosti, saj zmanjšujejo največji znesek prihodkov, ki ga je mogoče pridobiti s prodajo ali zakupom sredstva.
Organising an open, transparent and unconditional bidding procedure is generally an appropriate means to ensure that the sale or lease by national authorities of assets is consistent with the private vendor test and that a fair market value has been paid for the goods and services in question.
Postopek oddaje javnega naročila in merila za dodelitev
However, this does not automatically mean that the absence of an orderly bidding procedure or a possible flaw in such a procedure justifies a presumption of state aid.
Nadzorni organ mora glede na navedene ugotovitve proučiti, ali so bili postopek oddaje javnega naročila in merila za dodelitev ustrezni in primerni za določitev tržne cene.
Public procurement law and state aid law exist in parallel and there is no reason that the violation of, for example, a public procurement rule should automatically mean that state aid rules have been infringed [35].
Nadzorni organ mora za preverjanje tega obravnavati, ali je država pri pripravi razpisa in določitvi meril za dodelitev ravnala kot zasebni subjekt ali so bolj prevladovali javna politika in zakonodajni pomisleki.
On the other hand, as stated in the Land Burgenland case, cited in paragraph 97 of the EFTA Court judgment in Case E-1/13, ‘where a public authority proceeds to sell an undertaking belonging to it by way of an open, transparent and unconditional tender procedure, it can be presumed that the market price corresponds to the highest offer, provided that it is established, first, that the offer is binding and credible and, secondly, that the consideration of economic factors other than the price is not justified.’ [36] The same principle must apply in the case of lease of assets.
Postopek oddaje javnega naročila in utemeljitve v zvezi z uporabo izbranih meril za dodelitev so podrobno opisani v navedenem oddelku I.2.1 in Odločbi št. 299/14/COL.
A private operator leasing his assets would normally try to obtain the best offer with an emphasis on price, and, for example, not consider elements that would relate to the intended use of such assets, unless they might affect the value of the assets after the lease period.
Kot je navedeno v preglednici 1, je več meril za dodelitev zajelo šest ločenih elementov, ki jih je bilo treba oceniti, vsak od teh pa je predstavljal 10 % ali 15 % meril, razen merila za spodbujanje konkurence, ki je predstavljal 40 % meril.
Therefore, provided that the said pre-conditions are met, it can be presumed that the market price is the highest price which a private operator acting under normal competitive conditions is ready to pay for the use of the assets in question [37].
Islandski organi so zdaj pojasnili, da je treba poleg zakupne cene (ki predstavlja 15 % meril za dodelitev) kot cenovni element obravnavati tudi razpisno merilo v zvezi s številom omrežnih priključnih točk (nadaljnjih 15 % meril za dodelitev), saj so priključne točke nepogrešljive za storitev, število priključnih točk pa pozitivno prispeva k vrednosti storitve.
It follows from the above that a sale or lease of assets may involve state aid even when it is effected through a competitive procedure.
Vsaka priključna točka zahteva precejšnjo naložbo v opremo (glej oceno iz študije podjetja Mannvit iz navedenega oddelka I.7), ki bo ob koncu zakupa pripadla zakupodajalcu in s tem vplivala na vrednost zadevne pravice do zakupa ob koncu zakupnega obdobja [38].
This may occur in particular when obligations imposed on the buyer result in a lower price.
Nadzorni organ torej meni, da so razpisna merila v zvezi s ceno skupno predstavljala 30 % meril za dodelitev.
The kind of obligations which have such an effect are those that are imposed for the pursuit of public policy objectives and reduce the expected profit of the buyer.
Še vedno pa pomisleki, ki niso povezani s ceno, ampak s spodbujanjem konkurence (40 %), enotno tarifo za vso državo (10 %) ter z opravljanjem storitev (10 %) in začetkom opravljanja storitev (10 %), še vedno predstavljajo večji delež meril kot cenovni element.
Such obligations would normally not be imposed by a private operator because they reduce the maximum amount of revenue that can be obtained from the sale or lease of the asset.
V času razpisa je družba Míla imela v lasti in upravljala večino telekomunikacijskih prostorov na različnih območjih Islandije.
The tender process and the award criteria
Da bi se vlakna zveze NATO lahko začela upravljati, bi morali upravitelji teh vlaken izvesti naložbo v priključne točke.
In light of the above considerations, the Authority must examine whether the tender procedure and the award criteria were adequate and well-suited to establish a market price.
Po mnenju Nadzornega organa se zdi, da merilo o začetku opravljanja storitev (10 %) in opravljanju storitev (10 %) torej daje prednost družbi Míla.
In order to verify this, the Authority must consider whether the State, when preparing the tender and establishing the award criteria, acted as a private operator, or whether public policy and regulatory considerations were more prevalent.
To pomeni, da so merila za dodelitev zajela dva cenovna elementa in štiri elemente, ki niso bili povezani s ceno.
The tender process and the arguments made regarding the use of the chosen award criteria are described in detail in section I.2.1 above as well as in Decision No 299/14/COL.
Med elementi, ki niso povezani s ceno, bi en element, ki predstavlja največji odstotek meril, najverjetneje bil v škodo prvotnemu ponudniku omrežja, in sicer družbi Míla, dva elementa pa bi najverjetneje dala prednosti družbi Míla in škodovala morebitnim novim udeležencem na trgu.
As set out in Table 1, the multiple award criteria consisted of six separate items to be evaluated, each with the weight of 10 % or 15 %, except for the criterion of stimulation of competition, which had the weight of 40 %.
Preskus zasebnega prodajalca določa načelo, da je tržna cena praviloma najvišja cena, ki jo je pripravljen plačati zasebni subjekt, ki deluje pod običajnimi tržnimi pogoji.
The Icelandic authorities have now clarified that in addition to the rental price (representing 15 % of the award criteria), the tender criterion relating to the number of network termination points (a further 15 % of the award criteria) should also be considered a price component as termination points are indispensable for the service and the value of the service is positively linked to the number of termination points.
To pa ne pomeni, da za to načelo ne veljajo izjeme.
Each termination point requires substantial investment in equipment (see the estimate of the Mannvit study in section I.7 above), which will accrue to the lessor at the end of the lease, thus affecting the value of the lease right in question after the lease period [38].
Prvič so izjeme povezane s primeri, kadar je mogoče ugotoviti, da zadevna ponudba ni zavezujoča, kredibilna ali primerljiva z nižjo ponudbo.
The Authority thus considers that the tender criteria related to price in total amounted to 30 % of the award criteria.
Drugič pa, kot je navedeno v odstavku 94 zadeve Land Burgenland, kadar za to domnevo velja pridržek, „ali ni poleg cene upravičeno upoštevati tudi druge ekonomske dejavnike“.
However, non-price considerations in relation to the stimulation of competition (40 %), a single tariff throughout the country (10 %) as well as the supply (10 %) and the commencement of services (10 %) still outweigh the price components.
Primer takšne utemeljitve je opisan v zadevi T-244/08, Konsum Nord proti Komisiji [39].
At the time of the tender, Míla owned and operated most telecommunication facilities in the different areas of Iceland.
V tem primeru je občina na Švedskem prodala zemljišče verigi supermarketov po ceni, ki je bila nižja od cene najboljšega ponudnika.
In order for the NATO fibres to become operational, the operators of those fibres would need to invest in assembly points.
Splošno sodišče je menilo, da tržne vrednosti prodaje zadevnega zemljišča ni bilo mogoče določiti samo na podlagi prisotnosti najboljše ponudbe, ne da bi se upoštevale posebne okoliščine, ki so jih navedli švedski organi.
In the Authority's view, the criteria on the commencement of services (10 %) and supply of services (10 %) would thus appear to favour Míla.
Poleg tega je Sodišče v zadevi C-39/14, BVVG, menilo, da določba nacionalne zakonodaje, ki javnemu organu omogoča zavrnitev razpisne ponudbe za kmetijsko zemljišče, ki je nesorazmerno visoka in špekulativna, ne pomeni državne pomoči, če to pomeni sprejetje cene, ki je čim bližje tržni vrednosti zadevnega zemljišča [40].
In other words, the award criteria consisted of two price related items and four non-price related items.
Te sodne prakse ni mogoče neposredno uporabiti za obravnavani primer, saj družba Míla ni predložila ponudbe.
Of the non-price related items, one item, with the highest weight, is likely to have been to the disadvantage of the incumbent network provider, Míla, while two items are likely to have favoured Míla, to the detriment of potential new entrants.
Kljub temu pa islandski organi menijo, da je bila njihova izbira meril za dodelitev v obravnavanem primeru utemeljena.
The private vendor test sets the principle that as a main rule the market price corresponds to the highest price which a private operator acting under normal competitive conditions is ready to pay.
Predvsem trdijo, da je bilo sporno merilo o spodbujanju konkurence oblikovano za obravnavanje domnevnega monopola na zadevnem trgu, na katerem je prevladoval prvotni ponudnik, in sicer družba Míla.
However, this principle is not without exception.
Nadzorni organ tudi opozarja, da je družba Míla sama izjavila, da ni imela nobenega gospodarskega interesa za udeležbo v razpisu, saj je že imela velike prenosne zmogljivosti s svojimi vlakni.
Exceptions relate, firstly, to instances where it can be established that the offer in question is not binding or credible, or not comparable to a lower offer.
V obravnavanem primeru pa posebne okoliščine, ki so jih navedli islandski organi, niso dovolj za dokazovanje tega, da bi zasebni prodajalec v enakih okoliščinah oblikoval razpis na enak način.
Secondly, as stated in Land Burgenland, paragraph 94, the presumption is subject to the reservation that ‘the consideration of economic factors other than the price is not justified’.
Sodišče Efte je v zadevi E-1/13 menilo, da se zdi, da so merila za dodelitev, razen cene, izražala javno politiko ali zakonodajne pomisleke, ki jih zasebni vlagatelj ne bi štel za pomembne.