natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Subsidy paid by the Region for certain services associated with the airport activities
Detta skulle göra det möjligt för flygplatsen i fråga att erbjuda flygbolagen mycket lägre prisvillkor och således medföra en snedvridning av konkurrensen, i synnerhet gentemot privata flygplatser.
As indicated in Section 5.1.1.1(c)(i), Belgium considers that the tasks for which the Region pays a subsidy fall within the public policy remit and do not therefore constitute an economic activity.
Följande tabell anger vilka kostnader för investeringar av ekonomisk natur som beaktats av kommissionen för beräkningen av nettonuvärdet för åtgärden från 2002.
In order to determine whether the subsidy relates to non-economic activities and cannot therefore be qualified as State aid, the same examination as described in Section 6.1.1.1(b) must be made.
För att fastställa vilka investeringar som återstod att utföra den 15 april 2002 överförde kommissionen till år 2002 de investeringar som planerades för 2001 och 2002 [158], och drog från denna summa av de investeringar som redan hade utförts den 15 april 2002 [159].
Fire protection and security
Tabell 13
As indicated in recital 365, the Commission takes the view that, in the present case, the activities associated with aircraft fire protection and security [137] do not constitute economic activities.
Kostnaden för de investeringar som återstår att utföra den 15 april 2002
Application of point 36 of the aviation guidelines
(i miljoner euro)
As highlighted by point 36 of the aviation guidelines, even where an activity is regarded as non-economic, the Commission must check that the funding of non-economic activities is strictly limited to compensating the costs to which they give rise and may not be used for economic activities [138].
Expropriation (saldo första etappen)
Fire protection
Köp av ny mark
As regards fire protection, the Commission indicates that, under Article 25 of the schedule of conditions annexed to the 1991 Region/BSCA agreement, in order for the Region to fund the fire and maintenance services, BSCA must keep a separate operating account that may at any time be analysed and checked by the concession authority.
Saldo ny mark
Moreover, under Article 3.2.3 of the Region/BSCA agreement, as amended by Amendment No 3 of 29 March 2002, the costs inherent in the fire and maintenance services are reimbursed in 12 instalments.
Renovering (SABCA)
The twelfth instalment is paid after the Minister receives and approves a report, based on BSCA's annual accounts, providing justification for the costs incurred and presented in the same format as required for the provisional budget, i.e. based on the headings defined by Article 25 of the schedule of conditions.
Avdrag, regleringar och diverse
Lastly, for the period after 10 March 2006, Article 25.7 of the schedule of conditions, introduced by Amendment No 5 of 10 March 2006, provides that the amount of the compensation for the fire protection and ground traffic and airport site safety services may not exceed the actual costs incurred by BSCA and that any overcompensation of the costs will result in budgetary compensation through the budget entry for the following year.
Delsumma
The Commission takes the view that these provisions are sufficient to conclude that, since Amendment No 3 of 2002 to the Region/BSCA agreement, the compensation paid by the Region for the fire protection costs has been proportionate and has not been used to subsidise economic activities.
Renovering av tekniska och administrativa lokaler
Security was added to the activities for which BSCA receives compensation through Amendment No 6 of 15 January 2008.
Inhägnad av flygplatsområdet
The security tasks are defined as ‘the combination of measures and human and natural resources intended to safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference’ [139].
Trafikledningsutrustning för ankomst och taxi
The security services include ‘screening, remote surveillance, security rounds and patrols, access control and issue of visitor badges’ [140].
Ombyggnad av avloppsrännor
Article 25.7 of the schedule of conditions, as amended by Amendment No 6 of 15 January 2008, provides that ‘the amount of the compensation intended to cover the costs incurred in providing the services may not exceed the actual costs incurred by the concession-holder in this context, after deducting any fees collected from users to cover these services.
Utbyggnad av flygfotogenstationen
Any overcompensation of these costs will result in budgetary compensation through the budget entry for the following year’.
Bortskaffande av avfall
The Commission takes the view that these provisions are sufficient to conclude that the compensation paid for the security costs has been proportionate and has not been used to subsidise economic activities.
Branddetektering i den underjordiska parkeringen för passagerarnas bilar
Application of point 37 of the aviation guidelines
Dränering/rening
As highlighted by point 37 of the aviation guidelines, the Commission must check that the funding of non-economic activities does not lead to undue discrimination between airports.
Branddetektering i den underjordiska parkeringen för passagerarnas bilar
As clarified by Belgium, the non-economic activities of the two main Walloon airports (Liège and Charleroi) are funded in a non-discriminatory manner by the Region.
Dränering/rening
Given this legal framework, the Commission takes the view that the relevant level for assessing the existence of discrimination in terms of the financing of certain non-economic services associated with the airport activities is the region, and not the Federal State.
Energi- och telekomutrustning
As the non-economic activities of the two main Walloon airports (Liège and Charleroi) are funded in a non-discriminatory manner by the Region, the Commission concludes that there is no undue discrimination between the airports.
Tekniktunnel
The compensation paid for BSCA's activities associated with fire protection and security cannot therefore be qualified as State aid and is consequently excluded from the subsequent analysis.
Arbetsväg
Maintenance/ground traffic safety
Vägbankar i området
In this section, the Commission examines whether the following services may escape the applicable State aid rules due to their non-economic nature:
Förlängning av start- och landningsbanan
the ‘maintenance services’, as defined by Articles 12 and 19 of the schedule of conditions annexed to the Region/BSCA agreement;
Norra taxibanan och avfart från start- och landningsbanan
the ‘ground traffic safety services’, as defined by Article 25 of the schedule of conditions amended by Amendment No 5 of 10 March 2006.
Uppställningsplats för flygplanen och reparation av stenbeläggning
As indicated in recital 71, the maintenance service is defined by Articles 12 and 19 of the schedule of conditions as ‘technical maintenance services for buildings, runways, surrounding areas, vehicle fleet, etc.’ [141], and as ‘maintenance of land, buildings and building facilities, and equipment forming part of the concession or placed at the disposal of the concession, such that they are always fit for their intended purpose’ [142].
Navigeringssystem
As indicated in recitals 73 and 74, Amendment No 5 of 10 March 2006 amended Article 3.2.2 of the Region/BSCA agreement and Article 25 of the schedule of conditions.
Stöd till bränslehangar
As a result of these amendments, the Region pays compensation to BSCA for the costs of the fire protection and ground traffic and airport site safety services.
Kontrolltorn
Article 25 of the schedule of conditions, as amended, provides that ‘the ground traffic and airport site safety services include routine maintenance of the airport site, technical maintenance services for buildings, runways, surrounding areas and vehicle fleet, minor surfacing work, routine maintenance and repair of the runway and accesses, operational maintenance and servicing of the general lighting and runway lighting, mowing services, rubber removal from the runway and its markings, snow clearance and any other services ensuring the safety of ground traffic, airport site and infrastructures, except for commercial areas of the airport zone’.
Kontors- och fraktbyggnader
The Commission points out that the definition of ‘ground traffic and airport site safety services’, for which BSCA receives compensation from 10 March 2006, substantially overlaps with the definition of ‘maintenance services’, for which BSCA received compensation before 10 March 2006.
Ny terminal
In order to determine whether these services constitute economic services, it will examine these together.
TOTALT
The Commission takes the view that these services, whether they involve routine maintenance of the airport site, maintenance of buildings, runways, surrounding areas and vehicle fleet, minor surfacing work, routine maintenance and repair of the runway and accesses, operational maintenance and servicing of the general lighting and runway lighting, mowing services, rubber removal from the runway and its markings, snow clearance or any other services ensuring the safety of ground traffic, airport site and infrastructures, do not fall within the public policy remit.
Sedan har kommissionen endast behållit den del av dessa investeringar som den anser hör ihop med de ekonomiska verksamheterna.
These services differ in particular from the security services.
Man har alltså inte tagit med följande:
They are inherent in the commercial operation of the airport, which involves ensuring that the airport site, including its runways, is sufficiently well-maintained to enable the landing and take-off of aircraft under satisfactory safety conditions.
Inhägnaden av den del av flygplatsområdet som man når efter poliskontroller och där framför allt flygplanen finns (jfr förklaringarna i skäl 365).
No public policy remit is associated with this type of service.
Kontrolltornet (jfr förklaringarna i skäl 365).
According to Belgium (see recital 237), when the Commission made its decision on 23 July 2008 on Leipzig/Halle airport, it recognised that operational safety services were non-economic activities [143].
7 % av investeringskostnaderna med anknytning till den nya terminalbyggnaden (jfr förklaringarna i skäl 366).
It is clear from the list of operational safety infrastructures provided by the German authorities that these infrastructures are essential for ground traffic safety, i.e.: uninterruptible power supply for aprons, transformer stations, runway lighting, apron lighting, etc.
Kommissionen har kommit fram till följande investeringsplan:
The Commission disputes that it can be concluded from recitals 182 and 183 of the decision on Leipzig/Halle airport that the Commission has in the past taken the view that tasks comparable to maintenance and traffic safety, as defined in the Region/BSCA agreement, fall within the public policy remit, for the following reasons.
Kostnaden för investeringar i verksamheter av ekonomisk natur som kommissionen tagit hänsyn till för beräkningen av nettonuvärdet för åtgärden från 2002
Firstly, the maintenance and traffic safety costs defined in the Region/BSCA agreement are much broader than the operational safety investment costs referred to in the decision on Leipzig/Halle airport.
Ekonomisk del (%)
The latter consist of the uninterruptible power supply for the aprons, transformer station, high voltage cables and runway lighting.
Enligt kommissionens beräkningar stod investeringarna i de verksamheter av ekonomisk natur som inledningsvis planerades för 89690000 euro, det vill säga 97 % av de investeringar som planerades från början.
The maintenance and traffic safety costs defined in the Region/BSCA agreement ‘include routine maintenance of the airport site, technical maintenance services for buildings, runways, surrounding areas and vehicle fleet, minor surfacing work, routine maintenance and repair of the runway and accesses, operational maintenance and servicing of the general lighting and runway lighting, mowing services, rubber removal from the runway and its markings, snow clearance and any other services ensuring the safety of ground traffic, airport site and infrastructures, except for commercial areas of the airport zone’.
Till dessa investeringar bör man lägga till Sowaers underhållskostnader och driftsutgifter som kan tillskrivas de ekonomiska verksamheterna vid flygplatsen i Charleroi, enligt vad som planerades av regionen/Sowaer [160].
Secondly, the Commission points out that, contrary to Belgium's argument, the Commission did not conclude that the operational safety tasks referred to in the Leipzig/Halle decision constitute tasks falling within the public policy remit.
Tabell 15
Recital 182 of that decision states that ‘the Commission can conclude that in the present case certain costs fall within the public policy remit’ (emphasis added).
Totala underhållskostnader (A) och driftsutgifter (B) för Sowaer som kan tillskrivas de ekonomiska verksamheterna vid flygplatsen i Charleroi
In recital 183 of the same decision, the Commission considers that ‘to the extent that they fall within the public policy remit’, the measures may not amount to State aid (emphasis added).
A + B
It indicates that ‘in the present case independently [of] whether the Commission was to accept the approach advanced by the German authorities that none of the costs should be considered as State aid, the final assessment of the measure would not change’ (emphasis added).
Tabell 16
As a result, in those recitals the Commission neither confirmed nor contradicted Germany's position that certain tasks, including operational safety tasks, fell within the public policy remit, but instead indicated that it did not need to take a position, given that, assuming that the measure did constitute aid, this would be authorised.
Del av bidraget för ”brandförsvar/underhåll” som ersätter de ekonomiska verksamheterna
Thirdly, the Commission points out that, in the General Court's judgment on the Commission decision on Leipzig/Halle airport, contrary to Belgium's argument, the Court did not confirm this alleged Commission position in paragraph 225 of its judgment.
För att fastställa de utgående kassaflöden som ska beaktas för beräkningen av nettonuvärdet för åtgärden från 2002 har kommissionen summerat de sista raderna i tabell 14, tabell 15 och tabell 16.
The Court in fact reproduced recitals 182 and 183 of the Commission decision in order to recall the latter's position and concluded that the Commission had considered that it did not have to reach a definitive conclusion on this question (namely if it were to accept the German authorities' argument that none of the costs should be considered as State aid).
Tabell 17
Their funding does not therefore escape the applicable State aid rules.
För att beräkna projektets nettonuvärde bör man fastställa vilka intäkter som förväntades.
Flight tracking and recording, provisional flight planning and marshalling
Dessa förväntade intäkter utgörs av den rörliga delen av koncessionsavgiften från BSCA såsom den fastställs i artikel 11.1 i avtalet mellan Sowaer och BSCA från 2002, det vill säga 35 % av BSCA:s luftfartsintäkter med ett tak som utvecklas med tiden.
In this section, the Commission examines whether the following services, the provision of which was entrusted to BSCA and for which BSCA receives compensation under Amendment No 6 of 15 January 2008, may escape the applicable State aid rules due to their non-economic nature:
Det föreskrevs i avtalet mellan Sowaer och BSCA från 2002 att dessa belopp skulle ses över från och med 2015.
flight tracking and recording [145] and flight planning [146],
Kommissionen har utgått från att detta tak skulle slopas från och med 2015 (om kommissionen utgick från att taket skulle behållas efter 2015 skulle den ha konstaterat ett nettonuvärde för åtgärden som understiger det föregående).
(402) According to Belgium (see recital 240), flight tracking and recording, provisional flight planning and marshalling services are essential parts of civil aviation safety and therefore fall within the public policy remit, given that they are fundamental components in the safety of an airport.
Ingående kassaflöden fram till 2015 som beaktats av kommissionen för beräkningen av nettonuvärdet för åtgärden från 2002
The Commission takes the view that the services covered by this compensation are activities inseparable from the economic activity of the airport operator BSCA.
Kommissionen har beräknat de nettokassaflöden (ingående minus utgående) som man tagit hänsyn till för beräkningen av nettonuvärdet för åtgärden från 2002 genom skillnaden mellan den sista raden i tabell 18 och tabell 17.
These services cannot be included within the security services intended to combat acts of unlawful interference or within any activity falling within the public policy remit.
Tabell 19
The Commission therefore concludes that flight tracking and recording, flight planning and marshalling constitute economic services.
Nettokassaflöden (ingående minus utgående) fram till 2015 som beaktats av kommissionen för beräkningen av nettonuvärdet för åtgärden från 2002
As the capital increase, which was covered by the formal investigation procedure, was subscribed by SOWAER to the benefit of BSCA in 2002, i.e. after the ADP judgment [148], it falls under the Commission's control of State aid (see recital 346).
Diskonteringsränta som beaktats för beräkningen av nettonuvärdet för åtgärden från 2002
In order to determine whether a State measure constitutes aid, it is necessary to establish whether the recipient undertaking receives an economic advantage that it would not have obtained under normal market conditions.
Såsom förklaras i skäl 424 har kommissionen för att fastställa diskonteringsräntan uppskattat den vägda genomsnittliga kapitalkostnaden för Sowaer vid den tidpunkt då åtgärden beviljades.
The presence of an economic advantage can be ruled out where the measures in question constitute economic operations carried out by public bodies or undertakings under normal market conditions [149].
Uppskattningen bygger på följande uppgifter och antaganden:
In this case it must be determined whether, in similar circumstances, a private operator, having regard to the foreseeability of obtaining a return and leaving aside all social, regional policy and sectoral considerations, would have taken part in the same operations as the entity granting the measure (hereinafter ‘the market economy operator test’).
En skuldsättningsgrad på 30 % för Sowaer [162] och alltså en andel av finansieringsskulden (rD) på 23 %.
The presence of an economic advantage can also be ruled out where the measures in question constitute financial compensation granted to the undertakings concerned in order to enable them to operate a service of general economic interest, provided that such compensation satisfies all the conditions set out in the Altmark judgment [150].
En skuldkostnad före skatt (kD) som motsvarar Sowaers vägda genomsnittliga skuldkostnad före skatt 2002, det vill säga mellan 4,9 och 5,5 %.
The Commission will now proceed to analyse the measures concerned in turn, in the light of the conditions of the Altmark judgment and the market economy operator test.
En riskpremie (Δk) på 5,51 % [163].En beta [164] på mellan 0,91 och 1,23 [165].
Application of the Altmark judgment conditions
När det gäller kostnaden för egna medel, en kostnad före skatt för det riskfria kapitalet (rf) på mellan 5,16 och 5,37 % [166].
It is firstly necessary to examine Belgium's argument, set out in Section 5.1.1.1(c)(ii), according to which the subsidy for certain services associated with the airport activities — assuming that some of these services are economic in nature — allegedly does not constitute an advantage for BSCA under the Altmark judgment [151].
En skattesats (t) på 40,2 %.
As established in Section 6.1.1, the Commission considers that some of the services for which the subsidy is paid are not economic in nature (for example, firefighting and security services) and will exclude from its analysis the part of the subsidy compensating for the costs of those services.
På grundval av dessa uppgifter och antaganden kan kommissionen beräkna den vägda genomsnittliga kapitalkostnaden (C), enligt följande klassiska formel:
However, the Commission considers that other services for which the subsidy is paid are economic in nature, such as maintenance and repair of infrastructures operated commercially, and even marshalling.
C = (1 – rD) × kE + rD × kD
The Commission takes the view that Belgium is committing a manifest error of assessment in qualifying these services as services of general economic interest.
Där kapitalkostnaden (kE) erhålls genom prissättningsmodellen för kapitaltillgångar (CAPM) enligt följande formel:
As recalled by paragraph 47 of the Communication from the Commission on the application of the European Union State aid rules to compensation granted for the provision of services of general economic interest [152], generally speaking, a ‘particular public service task’ implies the supply of services which, if it were considering its own commercial interest, an undertaking would not assume or would not assume to the same extent or under the same conditions.
kE = rf + β × Δk
In paragraph 50 of said Communication, the Commission also considers that the services to be classified as services of general economic interest must be addressed to citizens or be in the interest of society as a whole.
På grundval av denna formel och ovannämnda antaganden anser kommissionen att en diskonteringsränta på 9 % utgör en rimlig ränta.
In the present case, the economic services identified are not supplied in the interest of citizens, but only to enable BSCA to provide an airport service.
Resultatet av beräkningen av nettonuvärdet
They are indissociable from the economic activity of operating the airport.
De nettokassaflöden som anges i tabell 19 diskonterade med en ränta på 9 % motsvarar ett nettonuvärde på – 83,7 miljoner euro.
Furthermore, BSCA was not chosen in a procedure meeting the requirements of the fourth Altmark condition.
Nettonuvärde för åtgärden från 2002 uppgår till – 75,63 miljoner euro.
In addition, Belgium has not provided any evidence that the amount of the subsidy was determined on the basis of an analysis of the costs that a typical undertaking, well run and adequately equipped, would have incurred in order to meet the necessary public service requirements.
Eftersom detta nettonuvärde är negativt slår kommissionen fast att avtalen från 2002 alltså inte överensstämmer med marknadsekonomitestet och ger BSCA en fördel jämfört med dess konkurrenter.
Belgium's arguments are actually insufficient for the following reasons:
Selektivitet
Belgium indicates that the ratios mentioned in the Communication referred to above in recital 410 demonstrate BSCA's efficient management (see recital 253), without, however, indicating the nature and value of those ratios.
I enlighet med avtalen från 2002 beslutade sig regionen/Sowaer för att ställa den mark och de infrastrukturer som tillhör flygplatsen i Charleroi till BSCA:s förfogande, genom att åta sig att utveckla denna infrastruktur i överensstämmelse med det investeringsprogram som bifogades till avtalet mellan Sowaer och BSCA från 2002, och att utföra större underhålls- och reparationsarbeten, liksom att betala BSCA ett bidrag för vissa tjänster med anknytning till flygplatsverksamheten, i utbyte mot en koncessionsavgift som underskrider vad en marknadsekonomisk aktör skulle ha begärt.
Belgium adds that this sound management enabled private investors to be attracted in 2009 during BSCA's partial privatisation.
Kommissionen noterar att åtgärden endast har beviljats BSCA.
However, the Commission stresses that, although investors did decide to participate in BSCA's capital (while obtaining a right of veto over important decisions), this may have been due to the existence of the aid, allowing them to expect that BSCA would attract a significant volume of traffic and therefore generate high profits, rather than due to sound management.
Enligt Belgien [167] förekommer det med säkerhet ingen diskriminering på regionnivå gällande bidraget till vissa tjänster med koppling till flygplatsverksamheten [168].