natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
However, the Commission fails to see how the payment of the compensation awarded to the claimants is justified in terms of its contribution to the regional development of the areas concerned.
Det bilaterala investeringsavtalet trädde i kraft den 1 april 2003.
The operating aid resulting from that payment is not aimed at contributing to the common equity objective as required under Article 107(3)(a) of the Treaty, but merely at compensating the beneficiary for the losses incurred from the revocation of EGO 24 before its envisaged expiry date.
Se fotnot 4.
This results in free money for the claimants without any positive impact on the development of the region.
Växelkurs för Rumäniens centralbank den 15 januari 2014: 1 EUR=4,52 RON.
It is not sufficient that the economic activity is located in ‘an area’ to assume that the measure is proportional to the handicaps it seeks to alleviate, since it must first be demonstrated what these handicaps are and, second, how they create an obstacle to the development of the region concerned.
Rådets förordning (EG) nr 659/1999 av den 22 mars 1999 om tillämpningsföreskrifter för artikel 108 i fördraget om upprättandet av Europeiska unionen (EGT L 83, 27.3.1999, s.
In the absence of any proof, the Commission could not identify the specific handicaps the aid measures would seek to alleviate.
1).
The payment of the compensation awarded to the claimants by the Tribunal is temporary in nature, as it has no effects after the implementation or execution of the Award is completed.
Se skäl 3.
In view of the above, the Commission considers that the payment of the compensation awarded to the claimants by the Tribunal does not comply with the RAG 2007 and can therefore not be declared compatible with the internal market.
Ytterligare 6028608 RON har överförts till det spärrade kontot som ersättning för kostnader för verkställandet.
As no other basis of compatibility is otherwise applicable, the Commission considers that the compatibility of the aid measure has not been established.
EGT L 357, 31.12.1994, s.
Conclusion on the assessment of the aid measure
2.
European Food SA, to the Romanian state against part of that compensation, as well as by the action taken by the court-appointed executor.
Monitorul Oficial, del ett, nr 73 av den 12 april 1993.
RECOVERY
Konkurrensnämnden var och är en autonom förvaltningsmyndighet på området för konkurrensrätt och lagstiftning om statligt stöd med befogenheter att reglera och granska som liknar Europeiska kommissionens på området för konkurrensrätt och lagstiftning om statligt stöd.
In accordance with the Treaty and the CJEU’s established case-law, the Commission is competent to decide that the Member State concerned must abolish or alter aid when it has found that it is incompatible with the internal market [91].
Konkurrensmyndigheten var en specialiserad myndighet som var underställd regeringen.
The Court has also consistently held that the obligation on a Member State to abolish aid regarded by the Commission as being incompatible with the internal market is designed to re-establish the previously existing situation [92].
Myndighetens huvudansvar var att i) göra utredningar och granska det faktiska genomförandet av konkurrensnämndens bestämmelser och beslut, ii) övervaka offentliga organs och allmännyttiga företags prissättning, iii) säkerställa insyn i statligt stöd samt övervaka och rapportera utgifter för statligt stöd.
In this context, the Court has stated that that objective is attained once the recipient has repaid the amounts granted by way of unlawful aid, thus forfeiting the advantage which it had enjoyed over its competitors on the market, and the situation prior to the payment of the aid is restored [93].
Genom artikel 1 i tillämpningsföreskrifterna för beslut nr 4/2000 utsåg associeringsrådet EG-Rumänien konkurrensnämnden och konkurrensmyndigheten till Rumäniens ansvariga myndigheter för granskning och bedömning av det statliga stödets förenlighet med 1995-års Europaavtal.
Following that case-law, Article 14(1) of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 provides that ‘where negative decisions are taken in respect of unlawful aid, the Commission shall decide that the Member State concerned shall take all necessary measures to recover the aid from the beneficiary […].’
Civilrättsligt beslut nr 26.
The claimants contend that they had a legitimate expectation that the incentives granted under EGO 24 were lawful and that they could benefit from those incentives until their scheduled expiry on 1 April 2009.
Se skiljedomen, punkt 219.
The Commission observes, in that regard, that Article 14(1) of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 further specifies that ‘[t]he Commission shall not require recovery of the aid if this would be contrary to a general principle of [Union] law.’
Se skiljedomen, punkt 224.
The principle of the protection of legitimate expectations has been recognised by the CJEU to constitute such a general principle of Union law.
Europeiska unionens gemensamma ståndpunkt av den 21 november 2001, CONF-RO 43/01, s.
The Commission does not consider, however, that the claimants can claim such a legitimate expectation.
4.
According to the case-law of the CJEU, save in exceptional circumstances, undertakings to which an aid has been granted may not, in principle, entertain a legitimate expectation that the aid is lawful unless it has been granted in compliance with the procedure laid down in Article 108(3) of the Treaty.
Under ett kandidatlands anslutningsprocess föreslår kommissionen regelbundet och rådet antar så kallade gemensamma ståndpunkter, som utvärderar kandidatlandets framsteg mot att uppfylla anslutningskriterierna.
The CJEU, in its more recent case-law, has declared that in the absence of sufficiently precise assurances arising from a positive action taken by the Commission, which has the exclusive competence to authorise the grant of State aid by the Member States of the Union, that lead the beneficiary to believe that the measure does not constitute State aid, no exceptional circumstances can warrant the application of the principle of the protection of legitimate expectations to prevent recovery if that aid measure was not notified to the Commission [94].
Styrkande rapport som bifogas EGO 94/2004, av den 26 augusti 2004, s.
Indeed, it is long-standing case-law that the principle of the protection of legitimate expectations cannot be relied upon against a precise provision of Union law and that the conduct of a national authority responsible for applying Union law, which acts in breach of that law, cannot give rise to legitimate expectations on the part of an economic operator that he will benefit from treatment which is contrary to that law [95].
12.
A diligent economic operator must be assumed to be able to determine whether that procedure has been followed [96].
Artikel 9.1 i det bilaterala investeringsavtalet.
The Commission notes that, as regards the compensation awarded by the Tribunal to the claimants, it should have been clear without any doubt to the claimants even before that aid was granted to them through the adoption of the Award, in conjunction with Romanian domestic law giving legal effect in Romania’s domestic legal order to the Award, that the Commission considered payment of that compensation to give rise to unlawful and incompatible State aid.
Se skiljedomen, punkt 725.
That position was expressly communicated to the Tribunal on 20 July 2009 and communicated to the claimants.
Se skiljedomen, punkt 827.
As regards the claimants’ claim that they had a legitimate expectation that the EGO 24 were lawful and would remain in place until 1 April 2009, the Commission recalls, as a preliminary matter, that it is the payment of compensation awarded to the claimants by the Tribunal and not EGO 24 that form the basis for this Decision.
Se fotnot 24.
Nevertheless, the Commission adds, for the sake of completeness, that the claimants cannot justifiably claim a legitimate expectation as to the validity and continued existence of that scheme until 1 April 2009.
Se skiljedomen, punkt 872.
As regards that scheme, it was not the Commission, but the Romanian Competition Council, which, by virtue of Decision No 4/2000 of the EU-Romania Association Council and Romanian Law No 143/1999 on State aid, was responsible for the monitoring and authorisation of the grant of State aid prior to Romania’s accession to the Union.
Se skiljedomen, punkterna 875 och följande.
The Commission notes in that regard that EGO 24 was notified to the Romanian Competition Council in light of the modifications envisaged by EGO 75 and that the Romanian Competition Council, by its Decision No 244/2000 of 15 May 2000, found those incentives to constitute incompatible State aid.
Detta belopp är beräknat för import mellan den 22 februari 2005 och den 31 mars 2009.
It was after the adoption of that decision, on 1 June 2000, that S.C.
Se fotnot 28.
European Food SA obtained its PIC, which made it eligible to obtain State aid under the scheme set up by EGO 24 as explained in recital 133.
De sökande begärde ersättning för ökade PET-kostnader.
However, that does not mean the aid was granted on that date, as explained in recital 134.
Skiljedomstolen avvisade emellertid det kravet eftersom de sökande faktiskt aldrig dragit fördel av råvarufaciliteten för PET-import.
It follows from that at the time S.C.
Detta belopp är beräknat på basis av debiterade tullavgifter på importerat socker som skulle kunna ha undvikits om de sökande hade haft möjligheten att lägga upp sockerlager innan EGO skulle löpa ut (dvs. den 1 april 2009).
European Food SA was granted the unlawful State aid provided by EGO 24, which is in any event after 1 June 2000, it must have been fully aware of the Romanian Competition Council’s decision of 15 May 2000 declaring the EGO 24 incentives to be incompatible State aid.
Riktmärket baseras på lager under 2004/2005.
Moreover, it must also have been aware of the Europe Agreement, which entered into force on 1 January 1995, and Romanian Law No 143/1999 on State aid, which entered into force on 1 January 2000, both of which prohibited Romania from granting State aid and conferred the power on the Romanian Competition Council to authorise the grant of new State aid.
Den förlorade vinsten beräknades för perioden 2004–2008 och motsvarade förlorade marknadsandelar för läskedrycker och andra produkter som inte innehöll socker.
Absent such an authorisation from the Competition Council and in line with the case-law of the CJEU, which applied by virtue of the Article 64 of the 1995 Europe Agreement, Article 1 of the Implementing Rules to Decision No 4/2000 of the EU-Romanian Association Council and the acquis communautaire, S.C.
Enligt anspråket ökade kostnaderna efter upphävandet av EGO-incitamentet vilket ledde till högre priser och därmed lägre marknadsandelar.
European Food SA could never have entertained a legitimate expectation that the incentives granted under EGO 24 constituted compatible State aid, regardless of the subsequent actions of the Romanian Government after Decision No 244/2000 was adopted.
Mål nr 3456/3/2014, Bukarests domstol.
The same reasoning obviously applies to Multipack and Starmill, which only obtained their PICs on 17 May 2002, two years after Decision No 244/2000 was adopted.
Beslut av Bukarests domstol i mål nr 9261/3/2014, sektion IV civil.
Thus, the claimants cannot even validly claim a legitimate expectation that the EGO 24 scheme constituted lawful State aid, which the Commission considers irrelevant for the purposes of the present Decision.
Mål nr 15755/3/2014, Bukarests domstol, sektion III civil.
According to Article 14(2) of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 the aid to be recovered pursuant to a recovery decision shall include interest at an appropriate rate fixed by the Commission.
Växelkurs för Rumäniens centralbank den 5 januari 2015: 1 EUR=4,49 RON.
Interest shall be payable from the date on which the unlawful aid was at the disposal of the beneficiary until the date of its recovery.
Se fotnot 38.
Article 14(3) of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 provides that recovery shall be effected without delay and in accordance with the procedures under the national law of the Member State concerned, provided that they allow the immediate and effective execution of the Commission’s decision.
Växelkurs för Rumäniens centralbank den 9 mars 2015: 1 EUR=4,44 RON.
To this effect and in the event of a procedure before national courts, the Member States concerned shall take all necessary steps which are available in their respective legal systems, including provisional measures, without prejudice to Union law.
Mål nr 1-14-cv-600, Viorel Micula mot Rumäniens regering vid United States District Court i District of Columbia – Ansökan om att bekräfta Icsids skiljedom och meddela dom.
The Commission observes in this respect that Romania has already offset the amount of RON 337492864 (ca.
Se fotnot 7.
EUR 76 million [97]) against tax debts owed by one of the claimants, S.C. European Food SA.
Se fotnot 40
The Commission further observes that on 5 January 2015 the court-appointed executor seized RON 36484232 (ca.
Se beslutet att inleda förfarandet, skäl 39.
EUR 8,1 million [98]) from Romania’s Ministry of Finance and subsequently transferred RON 34004232 (ca.
Mål nr 61/79, Amministrazione delle finanze dello Stato mot Denkavit italiana, EU:C:1980:100.
EUR 7,56 million) in equal parts to three of the five claimants, and kept the remainder as compensation for execution costs.
Kommissionens beslut 2008/408/EG av den 20 november 2007 om det statliga stöd C 36/A/06 (f.d.
Between 5 February and 25 February 2015, the court-appointed executor seized a further RON 9197482 (ca.
NN 38/06) som Italien har genomfört till förmån för ThyssenKrupp, Cementir och Nuove Terni Industrie Chimiche (EUT L 144, 4.6.2008, s.
EUR 2 million) [99] from the bank accounts of the Ministry of Finance.
37).
In addition, the Commission takes note of the fact that the Romanian authorities have voluntarily transferred RON 472788675 (ca.
Mål T-68/03, Olympiaki Aeroporia Ypiresies, EU:T:2007:253, punkt 42.
EUR 106,5 million [100]) (including the costs of court appointed executor of RON 6028608) into a blocked account in the name of the five claimants.
Mål C-487/06 P, British Aggregates mot kommissionen, EU:C:2008:757, punkterna 85 och 89 och åberopad rättspraxis.
Those sums, as well as any further payments to the claimants in fulfilment of the Award which have taken or will take place, must be recovered by Romania.
Mål C-279/08 P, kommissionen mot Nederländerna (NOx), EU:C:2011:551, punkt 51.
Accordingly, the Commission,
De förenade målen C-180/98 till C-184/98, Pavlov m.fl., EU:C:2000:428, punkt 74.
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Mål C-170/83, Hydrotherm, EU:C:1984:271, punkt 11.
Article 1
Se även mål T-137/02, Pollmeier Malchow mot kommissionen, EU:T:2004:304, punkt 50.
The payment of the compensation awarded by the arbitral tribunal established under the auspices of the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) by award of 11 December 2013 in Case No ARB/05/20 Micula a.o. v Romania [101] to the single economic unit comprising Viorel Micula, Ioan Micula, S.C.
Mål C-480/09 P, Acea Electrabel Produzione SpA mot kommissionen, EU:C:2010:787, punkterna 47–55.
Multipack, European Drinks SA, Rieni Drinks SA, Scandic Distilleries SA, Transilvania General Import-Export S.R.L., and West Leasing S.R.L constitutes State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty which is incompatible with the internal market.Article 2
Mål C-222/04, Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze SpA m.fl., EU:C:2006:8, punkt 112.
Romania shall not pay out any incompatible aid referred to in Article 1 and shall recover any incompatible aid referred to in Article 1 which has already been paid out to any one of the entities constituting the single economic unit benefiting from that aid in partial implementation or execution of the arbitral award of 11 December 2013, as well as any aid paid out to any one of the entities constituting the single economic unit benefiting from that aid in further implementation of the arbitral award of 11 December 2013 that the Commission has not been made aware of or that is paid out after the date of this Decision.
Se skiljedomen, punkterna 935–936 och 943.
Multipack, European Drinks SA, Rieni Drinks SA, Scandic Distilleries SA, Transilvania General Import-Export S.R.L., and West Leasing S.R.L shall be jointly liable to repay the State aid received by any one of them.
Mål C-170/83, Hydrotherm, EU:C:1984:271, punkt 10.
The sums to be recovered are those resulting from the implementation or execution of the award of 11 December 2013 (principal and interest).
Mål C-222/04, Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze SpA m.fl., EU:C:2006:8, punkt 112.
The sums to be recovered shall bear interest from the date on which they were put at the disposal of the beneficiaries until their actual recovery.
Mål C-222/04, Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze SpA m.fl., EU:C:2006:8, punkt 114.
Romania shall provide the exact dates on which the aid provided by the state was put at the disposal of the respective beneficiaries.
Se skäl 87 och 88.
The interest shall be calculated on a compound basis in accordance with Chapter V of Commission Regulation (EC) No 794/2004 [102].
Mål C-39/94, SFEI m.fl., EU:C:1996:285, punkt 60.
Romania shall ensure that no further payments of the aid referred to in Article 1 shall be effected with effect from the date of adoption of this Decision.
Mål C-342/96, Spanien mot kommissionen, EU:C:1999:210, punkt 41.
Article 3
Se skiljedomen, punkt 917.
Recovery of the aid referred to in Article 1 shall be immediate and effective.
Se skiljedomen, punkt 928.
Romania shall ensure that this Decision is implemented within four months following the date of notification of this Decision.
Se skiljedomen, punkt 953.
Article 4
Se skäl 27 för beskrivningen av utestående belopp enligt skiljedomen.
Within two months following notification of this Decision, Romania shall submit the following information:
Domstolen drog slutsatsen att upphävandet av EGO 24-incitamenten bröt mot de sökandes berättigade förväntningar innan den ens beaktade rimligheten eller öppenheten i Rumäniens handlingar (skiljedomen, punkterna 725, 726; rimligheten eller öppenheten beaktas först i punkterna 727 och följande respektive 837 och följande).
the total amount of aid received by each entity mentioned in Article 1 of this Decision;
Det saknas således grund för att hävda, som de sökande gör, att domstolens slutsats att landet bröt mot det bilaterala investeringsavtalet berodde på att investerarnas skyldigheter enligt EGO 24 bibehölls eller på otillräcklig öppenhet om Rumäniens handlingar.
a detailed description of the measures already taken and planned to comply with this Decision;
Se skiljedomen, punkterna 953, 961, 971, 984, 1016, 1020, 1136.
documents demonstrating that the beneficiaries have been ordered to repay the aid.
De förenade målen 106/87–120/87, Asteris, EU:C:1988:457.
Romania shall keep the Commission informed of the progress of the national measures taken to implement this Decision until recovery of the aid referred to in Article 1 has been completed.
De förenade målen 106/87–120/87, Asteris, EU:C:1988:457, punkt 23.
It shall immediately submit, on simple request by the Commission, information on the measures already taken and planned to comply with this Decision.
Se kommissionens beslut av den 16 juni 2004 om Nederländernas stöd till Akzo-Nobel för att minska klortransporter (ärende N 304/2003), sammanfattning i EUT C 81, 2.4.2005, s.
It shall also provide detailed information concerning the amounts of aid and recovery interest already recovered from the beneficiaries.
4.
Article 5
Se även kommissionens beslut av den 20 december 2006 om Nederländernas stöd till omlokaliseringen av demonteringsföretaget Steenbergen (ärende N 575/05), sammanfattning i EUT C 80, 13.4.2007, s.
This Decision is addressed to Romania.
1.
Done at Brussels, 30 March 2015.
Av samma skäl skulle kommissionen även anse att det bilaterala investeringsavtalet var ogiltigt på grundval av skiljedomsförfarandet som finns förtecknat i fotnot 53 i ansökan.
For the Commission
Yttrande av den 28 april 2005 i de förenade målen C-346/03 och C-529/03, Atzori, ECLI:EU:C:2005:256, punkt 198.
Member of the Commission
Mål T-384/08, Elliniki Nafpigokataskevastiki AE Chartofylakeiou mot kommissionen, EU:T:2011:650, och mål T-565/08, Corsica Ferries mot kommissionen, EU:T:2012:415, punkterna 23, 114 och 120–131.
With effect from 1 December 2009, Articles 87, and 88 of the EC Treaty have become Articles 107 and 108, respectively, of the Treaty.
Se även mål C-111/10, kommissionen mot rådet, EU:C:2013:785, punkt 44.
The two sets of Articles are in substance identical.
Mål C-119/05, Lucchini, EU:C:2007:434, punkt 59.
For the purposes of this Decision references to Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty should be understood as references to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty when appropriate.
Mål C-280/00, Altmark Trans, EU:C:2003:415, punkt 84.
The Treaty also introduced certain changes in terminology, such as the replacement of ‘Community’ by ‘Union’ and ‘common market’ by ‘internal market’.
Mål T-351/02, Deutsche Bahn AG mot kommissionen, EU:T:2006:104, punkt 101.
The terminology of the Treaty will be used throughout this Decision.
Mål 730/79, Phillip Morris, EU:C:1980:209, punkt 11.
OJ C 393, 7.11.2014, p.
De förenade målen T-298/97, T-312/97 m.m., Alzetta, EU:T:2000:151, punkt 80.
27.
Mål T-288/97, Friulia Venezia Giulia, EU:T:2001:115, punkt 41.
ICSID Case No ARB/05/20, Ioan Micula, Viorel Micula, SC European Food SA, SC Starmill SRI, SC Multipack SRL v Romania, final award of 11 December 2013.
Europaparlamentets och rådets förordning (EU) nr 1219/2012 av den 12 december 2012 om införande av övergångsordningar för bilaterala investeringsavtal mellan medlemsstater och tredjeland (EUT L 351, 20.12.2012, s.
Reference exchange rate of the European Central Bank on 11 December 2013: 1 EUR = 4,45 RON.
40).
The BIT entered into force on 1 April 2003.
Artikel 3.1 e i fördraget.
See footnote 4.
Mål C-129/12, Magdeburger Mühlenwerke, EU:C:2013:200, punkt 40.
Reference exchange rate of the European Central Bank on 15 January 2014: 1 EUR = 4,52 RON.
En översättning till engelska av den ursprungliga bestämmelsen för råvarufaciliteten (dvs. investeringsincitamentet vars upphävande ledde till att de sökande fick skadestånd enligt skiljedomen) återfinns i punkt 148 i skiljedomen.
Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of 22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (OJ L 83, 27.3.1999, p.
Enligt den översättningen fastställer artikel 6.1 b att ”Privately held companies, Romanian legal entities, as well as small or family business, authorised pursuant to the Decree-Law no.
1).
54/1990 concerning the organisation and operation of free initiative-based economic activities that are headquartered and conduct business within the disadvantaged region, will be granted the following advantages for their new investments in the these regions: […] refunds of customs duties on raw materials, spare parts and/or components necessary of achieving the investor’s own production in that region.
See recital 3.
The refunds will be made based on the approval by the regional development agencies of the companies’ production sales documents.
See footnote 2.
The funds necessary for the refund of the customs duties will be provided to the Agency for Regional Development from the Regional development Fund.
An additional RON 6028608 have been transferred on the blocked account as compensation for the execution costs.
In case of unprivileged regions belonging to two or more administrative-territorial units, the funds necessary for the refund of the customs duties will be provided by the National Agency for Regional Development from the National Development Fund [the “Raw Materials Incentive” or “Raw Materials Facility”]. ”