Sambre et Dyle, Belgium,

Sambre et Dyle, Belgija,

(16) On 27 December 2001, while awaiting a favourable decision by the Commission, Cockerill Sambre made a contribution in kind, whose net value was set at EUR 35 million, and Duferco made a cash contribution amounting to EUR 25 million. Carsid’s initial capital was consequently set at EUR 60 million.

(16) V pričakovanju ugodne odločitve Komisije je Cockerill Sambre dne 27. decembra 2001 prispeval vložek v naravi v neto vrednosti, določeni na 35 milijonov eurov, Duferco pa je prispeval vložek v gotovini v višini 25 milijonov eurov. Začetni kapital družbe Carsid je bil zato določen v višini 60 milijonov eurov.

(66) As regards the expected return on the capital invested by Sogepa, in its decision to initiate the procedure, the Commission expressed doubts on whether that contribution was in line with the principle of a market economy investor, notably because of the situation on the steel market and the situation of the companies in the Duferco group and even Cockerill Sambre.

(66) V zvezi s pričakovanim povračilom od kapitala, ki ga je investirala družba Sogepa, je Komisija v svojem sklepu o začetku postopka izrazila dvome o skladnosti tega vložka z načelom zasebnega investitorja v tržnem gospodarstvu, zlasti zaradi stanja na jeklarskem trgu kot tudi zaradi situacije podjetij združenja Duferco in Cockerill Sambre.

(20) Carsid will have two slab production plants: an integrated casting plant with an annual capacity of 1,8 million tonnes which will serve Duferco, and an electric plant whose output will be shared between Cockerill ([…]) and the Walloon companies belonging to Duferco ([…]). However, during a transitional period […], most of Carsid’s output will serve Cockerill Sambre.

(20) Družba Carsid bo razpolagala z dvema postrojenjema za vlečenje žice v proizvodnji bram, in to eno postrojenje za žico iz integralne litine, s proizvodnjo kapaciteto 1,8 milijonov ton na leto, ki bo namenjena družbi Duferco, ter električnim postrojenjem za vlečenje žice, katere proizvodnja bo razdeljena med družbo ([…]) in valonska podjetja združenja Duferco ([…]). Vendar pa bo v prehodnem času […], večina proizvodnje družbe Carsid namenjena družbi Cockerill Sambre.

(7) Usinor Belgium SA is a holding company of the Usinor group in Belgium. The French Usinor group was, until the end of 2001, one of the main European steel groups. Its turnover in 2001 amounted to EUR 14523 million worldwide. At the time of the notification, Usinor held 75% of Cockerill Sambre. At the beginning of 2002, the Usinor group merged with the Luxembourg group Arbed and the Spanish group Aceralia, creating the group Arcelor, the world’s largest steel producer.

(7) Usinor Belgium SA je holding združenja Usinor v Belgiji. Francosko združenje Usinor je bilo do konca 2001 eno glavnih evropskih jeklarskih združenj. Njegov promet se je leta 2001 s 14523 milijoni eurov povzpel na svetovno raven. Na dan obvestila je Usinor imel 75% v Cockerill Sambre. Na začetku leta 2002 se je združenje Usinor združilo z luksemburškim združenjem Arbed in španskim združenjem Aceralia, ter na ta način ustanovilo združenje Arcelor, ki je prvi svetovni proizvajalec jekla.

(14) Following the announcement by the Chairman of the Usinor Sacilor group in February 2001 that he intended to close down Cockerill Sambre’s hot-rolling line in Charleroi, talks were entered into between Usinor-Cockerill Sambre, the Duferco group and Sogepa primarily with a view to setting up a joint venture to produce slabs based on Cockerill Sambre’s existing mill in Charleroi together with the plant owned by Duferco Clabecq (continuous casting) [8]. The talks culminated in a memorandum of understanding on the formation of Carsid, signed on 12 October 2001.

(14) Po objavi predsednika združenja Usinor Sacilor v mesecu februarju 2001 o svoji nameri, da ukine aktivnosti linije vročega valjanja družbe Cockerill Sambre v kraju Charleroi, so Usinor-Cockerill Sambre, združenje Duferco in Sogepa začeli z razpravami, katerih glavni predmet je bila ustanovitev skupne družbe za proizvodnjo bram, za katero bi kot industrijsko orodje uporabili obstoječa postrojenja v družbi Cockerill Sambre v kraju Charleroi, dopolnjena z opremo iz družbe Duferco Clabecq (kontinuirano vlivanje) [8]. Te razprave so pripeljale do Sporazuma o ustanovitvi družbe Carsid, podpisanega dne 12. oktobra 2001.

(22) Carsid will produce exclusively for the companies in the Duferco group and Arcelor and will not operate on the open market. Accordingly, Cockerill Sambre and the Duferco group have signed long-term supply contracts with Carsid covering the period up to the end of […] (Cockerill Sambre) and […] (Duferco). However, Cockerill Sambre has an initial opportunity to terminate the contract at the end of […]. Furthermore, if Cockerill Sambre exercises its right to withdraw from the Carsid shareholders, both Cockerill Sambre and Duferco can terminate the contracts on […].

(22) Družba Carsid bo proizvajala izključno za podjetja združenj Duferco in Arcelor in ne bo delovala na odprtem trgu. V ta namen sta družba Cockerill Sambre in združenje Duferco z družbo Carsid podpisala dolgoročne pogodbe o dobavah, veljavne do konca […] (Cockerill Sambre) ali […] (Duferco). Vendar pa bi jih Cockerill Sambre lahko prvič zaključil konec […]. Tudi če družba Cockerill Sambre uporabi pravico izstopa iz delničarstva družbe Carsid, bosta lahko tako Cockerill Sambre kot Duferco zaključila pogodbi […].

(45) As regards the value of the equipment contributed, the Belgian authorities consider that they were valued by independent expert assessments. As regards more particularly the contribution of Cockerill Sambre, Article 444 of the Belgian Commercial Code requires the appointment of an auditor. As far as the value of the equipment purchased from Duferco Clabecq is concerned, apart from the fact that the value established in the expert assessment was accepted by Arcelor, a new continuous casting plant similar to that of Duferco Clabecq would currently cost EUR 60 million and its construction would take 18 to 24 months, whereas that of Duferco Clabecq can be transferred and set up in 12 months.

(45) V zvezi z vrednostjo vložene opreme, belgijski organi smatrajo, da je bila oprema predmet neodvisnih strokovnih mnenj. Še zlasti v primeru vložka družbe Cockerill Sambre člen 444 Zakona o belgijskih družbah zahteva imenovanje komisarja-revizorja. Kar zadeva vrednost opreme, kupljene v družbi Duferco Clabecq, poleg dejstva, da je Arcelor sprejel v strokovnem mnenju opredeljeno vrednost, bi novo postrojenje kontinuiranega vlivanja, podobno tistemu v družbi Duferco Clabecq, trenutno stalo 60 milijonov eurov, montaža pa bi trajala od 18 do 24 mesecev, medtem ko bi bila oprema v družbi Duferco Clabecq lahko dobavljena in montirana v 12 mesecih.

(5) The Société wallonne de gestion et de participations (Sogepa) is a Walloon Region holding company which, amongst other things, took over the activities of the Société wallonne pour la sidérurgie (SWS). In the steel industry, its object, as part of Wallonia’s general economic policy, is to promote the creation or expansion of companies and to promote public industrial initiatives. At the time of notification, Sogepa had a 25% stake in the capital of the Belgian steel producer Cockerill Sambre. It also held 25% of the capital of Duferco Clabecq (see recital 9 of this Decision), Duferco La Louvière (see recital 11) and Duferco Belgium (see recital 12).

(5) Valonska družba za upravljanje in finančno udeležbo (Sogepa) je holding Valonske regije, ki je, med drugim, prevzela dejavnosti Valonske družbe za jeklarstvo (SWS). V jeklarskem sektorju ima ta družba v okviru splošne gospodarske valonske politike nalogo, da pospešuje ustanavljanje ali širitev podjetij, ter spodbuja nacionalno industrijo. Na dan obvestila je bila družba Sogepa udeležena v kapitalu belgijskega jeklarskega proizvajalca Cockerill Sambre v višini 25%. V svoji lasti je imela tudi 25% kapitala družbe Duferco Clabecq (glej uvodno izjavo (9) te odločbe), Duferco La Louvière (glej uvodno izjavo (11)) in Duferco Belgium (glej uvodno izjavo (12)).

(6) Sogepa’s holding in Cockerill Sambre was exchanged on 17 December 2001 for an 8% holding in the capital of Usinor, which, in turn, became, at the beginning of 2002, a 4,25% stakeholder in the capital of Arcelor (see recital 7). Sogepa’s holding in Duferco Clabecq was reduced to 5,91% following the operation to reduce capital through absorption of losses carried out on 8 August 2002 and the ensuing capital increase carried out by Duferco Investment. Similarly, Sogepa’s direct holding in Duferco La Louvière virtually disappeared following the capital reduction through loss absorption carried out on 8 November 2001 and the ensuing capital increase carried out by Duferco Belgium.

(6) Udeležba družbe Sogepa v družbi Cockerill Sambre je bila spremenjena 17. decembra 2001 v zameno za 8% udeležbo v kapitalu družbe Usinor, ki pa se je v začetku leta 2002 spremenila v 4,25% udeležbo v kapitalu družbe Arcelor (glej uvodno izjavo (7)). Udeležba družbe Sogepa v družbi Duferco Clabecq se je po zmanjšanju kapitala z absorpcijo izgub 8. avgusta 2002 zmanjšala na 5,91%, temu pa je sledilo povečanje kapitala, ki ga je izvršila družba Duferco Investment. Prav tako je neposredna udeležba družbe Sogepa v Duferco La Louvière po zmanjšanju kapitala z absorpcijo izgub, ki so nastale 8. novembra 2001, praktično izginila,, sledilo pa ji je povečanje kapitala, ki ga je izvedla družba Duferco Belgium.

(26) The fixed costs of the casting plant will be borne by Duferco, and the fixed costs of the electric plant will be borne by Cockerill Sambre up to a capacity of […] tonnes. When the capacity of the electric plant reaches 1 million tonnes, only […] will be borne by Cockerill, the rest being borne by Duferco. However, if one partner uses some or all of the capacity intended for the other party, it will bear the fixed costs in proportion to its use. Variable costs will be borne by each party in relation to the output which is allotted to it. It is established in the contract that the workforce of the electric plant will essentially vary through use of layoffs and, where possible, through use of staff in the casting plant.

(26) Fiksne stroške proizvodnje žic iz litine bo nosil Duferco, in fiksne stroške električne proizvodnje žic bo nosil Cockerill Sambre do višine […] ton. Ko bo kapaciteta električne proizvodnje žic znašala 1 milijon ton, bo samo […] v breme družbe Cockerill, ostalo pa bo v breme združenja Duferco. Vendar pa partner, ki uporablja celotno kapaciteto ali del kapacitete, dodeljene drugi stranki, nosi fiksne stroške v sorazmerju s svojo uporabo. Variabilne stroške bosta nosili obe stranki v razmerju s proizvodnjo, ki jima je dodeljena. Pogodba določa, da je delovna sila električne proizvodnje žic v glavnem variabilna z ukrepi tehnoloških viškov, v proizvodnji žice iz litine pa z uporabo administrativnega kadra, v mejah možnosti.