10 ani n slujba consumatorului pentru protecia concurenei din Romnia 10 in the service of consumers for the protection of competition in Romania

10 ani de la aplicarea legii concurenei n Romnia - rezultate, provocri i perspective 10 years of competition law enforcement in Romania results, challenges and perspectivesAlexe GAVRIL

Politica de protecia mediului i ajutorul de stat n RomniaEnvironmental protection policy and State aid in RomaniaJzsef Nndor NEMENYILucian STROE

Controlul ajutoarelor de stat n Romnia (III)State aid control in Romania (III)Reimer von BORRIES

Importana analizei economice temeinice pentru politica n domeniul concureneiThe importance of sound economic analysis for competition policyDeborah PLATT MAJORAS

Evoluii recente n aplicarea regulilor de concuren: o perspectiv comparativRecent evolutions in antitrust enforcement: a comparative perspectiveAlberto HEIMLER

Raportul ajutoarelor de stat acordate n Romnia n perioada 2003-2005 evoluii i concluziiRepport of State aid granted in Romania in the period 2003-2005 evolutions and conclusionsDaniel DIACONESCU, Constana DUMITRESCU, Anca CRISTEA

Abuzul de poziie dominant - reglementare i jurispruden europeanAbuse of dominant position European regulations and case lawAnca ATOMI

Discounturile de fidelitate i poziia dominant pe pia - un studiu de caz Fidelity rebates and dominant position a case studyCarmen BUCUR

Combaterea concurenei neloiale o tem mereu actualCombating the unfair competition a theme of present interest Petre CEPOI

Nouti n domeniul concurenei i ajutorului de statNews from the field of antitrust and State aidCarmen BUCUR

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Anul acesta, Consiliul Concurenei a srbtorit 10 ani de la intrarea n vigoare a legii concurenei. Cu aceast ocazie, autoritatea de concuren din Romnia a organizat, pe data de 26 aprilie 2007, o manifestare aniversar, dedicat acestui eveniment.

Organizat la sala Rond a Hotelului Intercontinental i cu sprijinul partenerilor din cadrul Proiectului de Twinning, manifestarea a reunit oficialiti din Romnia dar i din strintate, membrii ai plenului, precum i inspectori de concuren de la nivel central i teritorial.

n acest cadru festiv, au fost transmise mesaje aniversare din partea domnului preedinte interimar al Consiliului Concurenei, d-l Alexe Gavril, din partea ministrului economiei i finanelor, d-l Varujan Vosganian i din partea

Manifestarea aniversar a constituit un bun prilej pentru a cunoate prioritile Comisiei Europene n domeniul concurenei, prezentate de d-l Director General Adjunct a.i., Emil Paulis, din cadrul Direciei Generale de Concuren.

De asemenea, n cadrul acestui eveniment au fost susinute prelegeri de ctre invitaii din strintate, respectiv:

d-lui Iuliu Winkler, secretar de stat n Ministerul pentru IMM, Comer, Turism i Profesii Liberale.

1. Bruno Lassere, Preedintele Consiliului Concurenei din Frana;2. Abel Mateus, Preedintele Autoritii de Concuren din Portugalia;3. Zoltan Nagy, Preedintele Autoritii de Concuren din Ungaria;4. Frederic Jenny, Preedintele Comitetului de Concuren, OCDE;5. Alberto Heimler, Director Autoritatea de Concuren din Italia;6. Monica Widegren, eful Direciei de Strategie i Afaceri Internaionale Autoritatea de Concuren din Suedia;7. Graham Branton, Director Departamentul pentru Comer i Industrie din Marea Britanie;8. Russell Pittman Director, Departamentul de Justiie al SUA.

Pe parcursul evenimentului au fost acordate distincii membrilor care au fcut sau fac parte din Plenul Consiliului Concurenei, pentru activitatea desfurat n cadrul autoritii, precum i delegailor strini, invitai la aceast manifestare aniversar.

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10 ANI N SLUJBA CONSUMATORULUI PENTRU PROTECIA CONCURENEI DIN ROMNIA

1. Bruno Lassere, President of the French Competition Council;2. Abel Mateus, President of the Competition Authority from Portugal;3. Zoltan Nagy, President of Competition Authority from Hungary;4. Frederic Jenny, President of Competition Committee, OECD;5. Alberto Heimler, Director Competition Authority from Italy;6. Monica Widegren, Chief of Directorate for Strategy and International Affairs, Competition Authority from Sweden;7. Graham Branton, Director Department for Trade and Industry of the United Kingdom;8. Russell Pittman, Director - Department of Justice, USA.

Special awards were granted to present and former members of the Competition Council's plenum for their activity and also to the foreign delegates, invited to this anniversary event.

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This year, Competition Council celebrated 10 years from the entering into force of competition law. With this occasion, the Romanian competition authority

thorganised, on 26 of April 2007, an anniversary dedicated to this event.

Organised with the support of Competition Council's partners from the Twinning Project, the event has gathered officials from Romania and from abroad, members of the Plenum and competition inspectors.

In this festive atmosphere, anniversary speeches were delivered by Competition Council's acting president, Mr. Alexe Gavril, by minister of economy and finance, Mr. Varujan Vosganian and by minister for SMEs, commerce, tourism and liberal professions, Mr. Ovidiu Silaghi.

The anniversary event proved to be a good occasion to know better the European Commission's priorities in the field of competition, as presented by Mr. Emil Paulis, acting Deputy Director General within the Competition Directorate General.

Speeches were also delivered by other guests from abroad:

10 IN THE SERVICE OR CONSUMERS 1FOR THE PROTECTION OF COMPETITION IN ROMANIA

1 Translated into English by Georgeta Gavriloiu.

Importana politicii de concuren

Ne punem acum ntrebarea: de ce a fost necesar ca Romnia s creeze un cadru legislativ i instituional complex, care s asigure desfurarea n condiii normale a relaiilor concureniale dintre agenii economici? Pentru a gsi un rspuns la aceast ntrebare, este necesar nainte de toate s nelegem rolul pe care politica de concuren l joac ntr-o economie de pia funcional.

Concurena n sine reprezint un stimulent pentru companii, ncurajndu-le s acioneze la potenial maxim pentru a produce bunuri i furniza servicii de cea mai nalt calitate i la cel mai mic pre. Concurena impulsioneaz spiritul antreprenorial i intrrile de noi firme pe pia, recompensnd companiile eficiente i sancionndu-le pe cele ineficiente.

n condiii ideale de pia companiile reacioneaz rapid i flexibil fa de noii intrai i la modificrile ce apar n structura cererii. Intrarea unor noi competitori pe pia determin adaptri n strategia firmelor existente. Capacitatea companiilor existente de a-i ajusta poziia fa de noii intrai n pia i viteza cu care se realizeaz aceste modificri strategice sunt indicatori

ai eficienei i competitivitii unei firme. Ideal ar fi ca economiile naionale s funcioneze fr intervenia autoritilor publice, doar pe baza raportului dintre cerere i ofert, ntr-un sistem care s recompenseze companiile eficiente ce se adapteaz cel mai bine la cerinele pieei. Dar cum acest lucru este greu de realizat n practic, Romnia a neles c este foarte important s stabileasc reguli clare menite s asigure corectitudinea i echilibrul raporturilor din pia i s nfiineze o instituie solid n acest domeniu, capabil s aplice de o manier strict aceste norme. Astfel a intrat n vigoare la 1 februarie 1997 Legea concurenei, n condiiile n care la 6 septembrie 1996 se constituise autoritatea ce astzi reprezint unul dintre pilonii de baz ai economiei de pia din ara noastr, Consiliul Concurenei.

n prezent, mediul de afaceri din Romnia este beneficiarul unui climat concurenial normal. Legislaia naional n domeniu este integral armonizat cu acquis-ul comunitar, iar Consiliul Concurenei, o instituie solid i independent, este un arbitru echidistant ce aplic n mod unitar regulile relevante.

Stadiul actual de dezvoltare legislativ

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10 ANI DE LA APLICAREA LEGII CONCURENEI N ROMNIA- rezultate, provocri i perspective-

Alexe GAVRIL Preedintele interimar al Consiliului Concurenei

Rezumat

Celebrarea a 10 ani de implementare a legislaiei de concuren n Romnia reprezint un foarte bun prilej de reflecie asupra eforturilor care ne permit n prezent s vorbim despre succesele obinute de-a lungul timpului n acest domeniu, dar n acelai timp i o excelent oportunitate de a examina provocrile ce ne ateapt n perioada urmtoare.

Consiliul Concurenei aniverseaz 10 ani de existen chiar n anul n care instituia a obinut statutul de membru cu drepturi depline al Reelei Europene de Concuren. Aadar, putem afirma c autoritatea romn de concuren a reuit n aceti 10 ani s ating cu succes pragul de maturitate cerut de standardele europene n domeniu. Acest moment festiv ar fi fost lipsit de substan dac instituia noastr nu contribuia n ultimii ani la obinerea unor performane notabile, ce i-au permis s-i gseasc un loc bine meritat n rndul autoritilor europene de concuren. n acest sens, se impune s amintim o serie de rezultate pozitive ce au marcat istoria recent a Consiliului Concurenei: obinerea de ctre Romnia n 2004 a statutului de economie de pia funcional i finalizarea n acelai an a negocierilor de aderare la capitolul de concuren; obinerea statutului de observator la Comitetul de concuren din cadrul OCDE; evaluarea favorabil a domeniului concurenei n Rapoartele de ar din 2005 i 2006, evaluare ce a nlturat riscul aplicrii clauzei specifice de salvgardare ce ar fi putut determina amnarea cu un an a aderrii rii noastre la Uniunea European.

Cuvinte cheie: reguli de concuren, legislaie, ajutor de stat.

Importance of competition policy

We ask ourselves today: why was it necessary that Romania create a complex legal and institutional framework, which to ensure the normal operation of competitive relations between economic operators? To find an answer to this question it is necessary, first of all, to understand the role played by the competition policy in a functional market economy.

Competition in itself represents an incentive for companies, encouraging them to act to their full potential for producing goods and providing services of highest quality and at the lowest price. Competition promotes the entrepreneurial spirit and the entrance on the market of new firms and, this way, it rewards the efficient companies and sanctions the inefficient ones.

In ideal market conditions, companies react rapidly and flexibly to new entrants and to changes occurring in the structure of demand. The entrance on the market of new competitors generates adjustments in the strategy of the existing firms. The capacity of the existing companies to adjust their position toward the new entrants on the market and the speed of these strategic changes are indicators of a firm's efficiency and

competitiveness. It would be ideal if national economies would function without the public authorities' intervention, based solely on the rapport between demand and offer, in a system which rewards the efficient companies which adapt best to the market demands. Nevertheless, as this is difficult to achieve in practice, Romania has understood that it is very important to set up clear rules aimed to ensure the correctness and the equilibrium of market rapports and to set up a solid institution in this field, able to apply strictly these rules.

stThus, on 1 of February 1997, the Competition law thentered into force, after the set up, on 6 of September

1996, of Competition Council, authority that represents today one of the main pillars of our country's market economy.

At present, the business community from Romania is the beneficiary of a normal competition environment. National legislation in the field is fully harmonized with the acquis communautaire and the Competition Council, a solid and independent institution, is an equidistant arbiter applying consistently the relevant rules.

Current stage of legislative development

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10 YEARS OF COMPETITION LAW ENFORCEMENT IN ROMANIA- results, challenges and perspectives

Alexe GAVRILCompetition Council's acting president

2Abstract

The anniversary of 10 years of competition law enforcement in Romania represents a very good occasion to think at the efforts which allow us to speak about the success obtained over the years in this field and, at the same time, an excellent opportunity to examine the challenges for the future.

Competition Council celebrates ten years of existence in the same year when the institution obtained the status of fully-fledged member of the European Competition Network. Thus, we can say that Romanian competition authority succeeded during these ten years to reach the maturity level required by the European standards. This anniversary moment would have lacked substance if our institution would have not been contributed during the last years to the accomplishment of notable performances, which allowed it to find its own well-deserved place among the European competition authorities. To this end, it is worth to remind a series of positive results which marked the Competition Council's recent history: in 2004, Romania obtained the status of a functional market economy and, in the same year, the accession negotiations for competition chapter were closed, Competition Council obtained observer status at the Competition Committee of OECD; the favorable evaluation of the competition field through the Country Reports from 2005 and 2006, evaluation which eliminated the risk of the safeguard clause's application which would have led to the postponement by one year of our country's accession to the European Union.

Keywords: competition rules, legislation, State aid.

2 Translated into English by Georgeta Gavriloiu.

Legea concurenei are drept scop protecia, meninerea i stimularea concurenei i a unui mediu concurenial normal n scopul protejrii consumatorilor, sens n care interzice nelegerile anticoncureniale dintre agenii economici, abuzul de poziie dominant i concentrrile economice care ar putea conduce la nlturarea, restrngerea sau denaturarea semnificativ a concurenei.

n plus, autoritatea romn de concuren joac un rol important i n domeniul ajutorului de stat. n anul 1999 a fost adoptat Legea nr.143 privind ajutorul de stat ce a intrat n vigoare la 1 ianuarie 2000. n temeiul acestei legi, pn la data aderrii, rolul pe care Comisia European l are n domeniul ajutorului de stat la nivel comunitar a fost conferit n Romnia autoritii naionale de concuren. Astfel, anterior datei de 1 ianuarie 2007, orice ajutor de stat putea fi acordat n ara noastr numai dup autorizarea Consiliului Concurenei. Odat cu obinerea statutului de membru al UE, aceast competen a trecut n mod firesc la nivelul Comisiei Europene, ns autoritatea romn de concuren va avea i n continuare atribuii importante n materia ajutorului de stat.

Fr a minimaliza eforturile remarcabile ale celor ce au fcut posibil apariia unei Legi a concurenei n Romnia, a vrea totui s subliniez faptul c n acest domeniu o mai mare importan o are modul n care autoritatea de concuren nelege s interpreteze i s aplice cadrul legislativ specific. Acest lucru se datoreaz faptului c implementarea regulilor de concuren nu reprezint doar un simplu exerciiu de natur juridic, necesitnd i existena la nivelul autoritii de profil a unei importante abiliti de analiz economic. n aceste condiii, pe lng alinierea legislaiei naionale cu cea comunitar, aderarea Consiliului Concurenei la familia european de concuren a cerut mai ales consolidarea capacitii administrative a acestei instituii pentru a-i permite s implementeze la parametri corespunztori regulile relevante.

Existena unei legislaii armonizate cu acquis-ul comunitar i o capacitate administrativ solid au fost ingredientele ce au permis Consiliului Concurenei s asigure o implementare corespunztoare a legislaiei specifice (antitrust i ajutor de stat).

n domeniul antitrust, autoritatea romn de concuren s-a fcut n special remarcat printr-o prezen activ pe pia, ceea ce a permis aplicarea de amenzi substaniale, deschiderea a numeroase investigaii din proprie iniiativ i realizarea de inspecii inopinate. Trebuie spus faptul c de la momentul nfiinrii i pn n prezent, autoritatea de concuren a

Importana aplicrii adecvate a regulilor de concuren

adoptat peste 3000 de decizii n materie de antitrust, aplicnd n toat aceast perioad amenzi n valoare de aproximativ 80 de milioane de euro. n plus, Consiliul Concurenei a reuit s gestioneze cazuri dificile precum cel n care a fost implicat cea mai important companie din domeniul telefoniei fixe din Romnia, cazul privind firmele productoare de ciment, cel referitor la anumii operatori de cablu.

n materie de ajutor de stat, Consiliul Concurenei a impus un control strict al msurilor de sprijin promovate de furnizori, reuind totodat s recupereze sume importante ce au fost acordate fr a respecta criteriile aplicabile n acest domeniu. La finele anului 2006 cuantumul ajutoarelor ilegale recuperate se ridica la peste 16 milioane euro. Aceste evoluii au determinat Comisia European s recunoasc, chiar n Raportul de ar din 2001, faptul c autoritatea romn de concuren aplic la parametri satisfctori regulile din domeniul antitrust, n timp ce confirmarea capacitii de a implementa de o manier corespunztoare legislaia n domeniul ajutorului de stat a venit odat cu Raportul de ar din mai 2006.

Dei Consiliul Concurenei a fost elementul principal n ecuaia prin care s-a gsit n Romnia soluia aplicrii la standarde comunitare a acquis-ului privind concurena, nu trebuie uitat rolul altor actori a cror implicare ne permite acum s vorbim despre succesele obinute n acest domeniu. Astfel, sprijinul permanent al Guvernului Romniei, al Comisiei Europene, eforturile furnizorilor de ajutor de stat, ale autoritilor de reglementare i ale altor instituii au oferit consistena att de necesar aciunilor noastre. n plus, politica n domeniul concurenei trebuie cunoscut, neleas i acceptat de toi cei care sunt implicai n viaa economic, iar acest lucru nu se poate realiza fr aplicarea consecvent a principiilor transparenei i nediscriminrii. n acest sens, Consiliul Concurenei a dezvoltat un dialog permanent cu agenii economici, actorii din pia, cei care trebuie s neleag rolul autoritii naionale de concuren n meninerea funcional a economiei de pia, modalitile prin care acioneaz acesta i scopul aplicrii cu consecven a regulilor de concuren. Receptivitatea de care ne-am bucurat din partea mediului de afaceri a avut un rol extrem de important n activitatea noastr.Din aceste considerente, doresc s adresez mulumiri tuturor celor care au neles c dezvoltarea economic a rii noastre nu putea avea loc fr o politic de concuren coerent i riguros aplicat.

Fiind singura autoritate de concuren din ara noastr, Consiliului Concurenei i revine i rolul de a reprezenta

Rolul altor actori n aplicarea regulilor de concuren

Cooperarea extern a Consiliului Concurenei

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Competition law has as its aim the protection, maintenance and stimulation of competition and of a normal competitive environment with a view to protect consumers, reasons for which it prohibits anticompetitive agreements between undertakings, abuse of dominant position and economic concentrations which could lead to the significant prevention, restriction and distortion of competition.

In addition, the Romanian competition authority plays an important role in the field of State aid. In 1999, it was adopted the Law no.143 on State aid, which entered

stinto force on 1 of January 2000. According to this law, before accession, the role held by European Commission in the field of State aid at Community level was entrusted, in Romania, to the national competition

stauthority. Thus, before 1 of January 2007, any State aid could be granted in our country only after it was authorised by Competition Council. Once Romania obtained the status of EU Member State, this competence was transferred, naturally, to the European Commission; Romanian competition authority will continue to have important attributions in the field of State aid.

Without minimizing the remarkable efforts of those who made possible the adoption of a competition law in Romania, I would like to underline the fact that, in this field, of a great importance is the way in which the competition authority understands to interpret and apply the specific legal framework. This is the consequence of the fact that the enforcement of competition rules is not a mere legal exercise but it requires also the existence at the level of the authority of important abilities of economic analysis. In these conditions, together with the alignment of national legislation to the community one, Competition Council's entrance in the European family of competition has required especially the consolidation of this institution's administrative capacity in order to allow it to enforce the relevant rules at adequate parameters.

The existence of a legislation harmonized with the acquis communautaire and a solid administrative capacity were the ingredients which allowed the Competition Council to ensure an adequate enforcement of specific legislation (on antitrust and State aid).

In the field of antitrust, the Romanian competition authority has made itself known through an active presence on the market, which led to the imposition of substantial fines, to the initiation of numerous ex officio investigations and to the carrying out of unannounced inspections. It must be said that, from its outset and until

Importance of adequate enforcement of competition rules

now, the competition authority has issued more than 3000 decisions on antitrust and has imposed fines in a total amount of approximately 80 million EUR. Moreover, Competition Council has dealt with difficult cases such as those involving the most important company of fixed telephony from Romania, the cement producers, the TV cable operators' case.

In the field of State aid, Competition Council has imposed a strict control of the support measures promoted by grantors and it succeeded to recover considerable amounts granted without the observance of criteria applicable in this field. At the end of 2006, illegal aids mounting to more than 16 million EUR have been recovered. These evolutions have determined the European Commission to acknowledge, even from the Country Report of 2001, that Romanian competition authority applies adequately the antitrust rules, while the confirmation of capacity to enforce effectively the legislation in the field of State aid came with the Country Report of May 2006.

Even though Competition Council was the central element in the equation through which Romania found the solution to enforce the competition acquis at community standards, one must not forget the role of other actors whose involvement allows us to discuss now about the successes in this field. Thus, the continuous support from the Romanian Government, the European Commission, the efforts of State aid grantors, of the regulatory agencies and of other institutions gave to our actions the consistency so necessary. In addition, competition policy must be known, understood and accepted by all those involved in the economic life and this cannot be accomplished without the consistent enforcement of principles of transparency and non-discrimination. To this end, Competition Council has developed a permanent dialogue with the economic operators, the actors on the market, those who have to understand the national competition authority's role in maintaining the functional market economy, its methods of action and the aim regarding the consistent enforcement of competition rules. The business environment's receptivity has played an extremely important in our activity.

From these reasons, I would like to express my thanks to all those who understood that the economic development of our country could not happen without a coherent and rigorously applied competition policy.

As the only competition authority in our country, Competition Council has the role to represent Romania

Role of other actors in competition rules enforcement

Competition Council's external cooperation

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Romnia n relaiile cu organizaiile i instituiile internaionale de profil i de a coopera cu autoritile de concuren comunitare i extracomunitare. n acest context, Consiliul Concurenei a fost instituia desemnat de Guvernul Romniei s asigure coordonarea, pn n decembrie 2004, a negocierilor la capitolul de concuren n cadrul procesului de aderare a Romniei la Uniunea European, iar dup acea dat s gestioneze rezolvarea problemelor ce ar fi putut activa clauza de salvgardare. Relaiile de cooperare internaional stabilite de Consiliul Concurenei nc de la nfiinarea sa au facilitat un schimb foarte util de experien pe probleme specifice i au permis familiarizarea din timp a instituiei cu provocrile i responsabilitile unei autoriti europene. n aceste condiii, autoritatea naional de concuren va continua s acorde activitii sale internaionale o atenie primordial.

Politica de concuren este o component a vieii economice aflat n permanent micare, iar autoritatea de concuren trebuie s fie cea care d prima semnalul adaptrii la provocrile ce apar n acest domeniu. n acest sens, aderarea Romniei la Uniunea European a reprezentat un moment ce a influenat evoluia autoritii naionale de concuren. Astfel, n materie de antitrust, ncepnd cu 1 ianuarie 2007 Consiliul Concurenei aplic direct prevederile acquis-ului, respectiv articolele 81 i 82 din Tratatul CE i legislaia secundar comunitar emis n aplicarea acestor articole. Asta nu nseamn c Legea concurenei nr.21/1996, republicat, a devenit caduc, dimpotriv ea va continua s fie aplicat la cazurile de dimensiune naional. ns, pentru acele practici i nelegeri anticoncureniale ce afecteaz comerul dintre statele membre, Consiliul Concurenei va aplica direct acquis-ul comunitar n colaborare cu Comisia i cu autoritile naionale de concuren. Aceast colaborare ntre Consiliul Concurenei, Comisie i restul autoritilor europene de concuren se va realiza n cadrul Reelei Europene de Concuren.

Pe lng cooperarea n cadrul Reelei Europeane de Concuren, politica comunitar n acest domeniu mai dispune i de alte instrumente menite s garanteze consumatorilor cele mai avantajoase opiuni i, n acelai timp, s susin obiectivul principal al Strategiei Lisabona de a crea o economie european durabil, cea mai competitiv din lume. Pentru a permite rii noastre s-i aduc propria contribuie la atingerea acestui obiectiv, este important ca i n viitor Consiliul Concurenei s-i menin atitudinea proactiv n materie de antitrust, ceea ce se poate traduce prin:

concentrarea resurselor asupra cazurilor importante de distorsionare a concurenei,

Noi provocri n domeniul concurenei

Abordarea sarcinilor viitoare

utilizarea adecvat a instrumentelor de investigaie iaplicarea de sanciuni severe n caz de nclcare

grav a regulilor relevante.

n ceea ce privete ajutorul de stat, aa cum am precizat, de la data aderrii, responsabilitatea autorizrii msurilor naionale de sprijin a trecut de la nivelul Consiliului Concurenei n competena Comisiei Europene. Aceast modificare de atribuii nu va nltura ns autoritatea romn de concuren de la aplicarea regulilor n domeniu. Actualele proceduri naionale n domeniul ajutorului de stat confer Consiliului Concurenei statutul de autoritate de contact n relaia cu Comisia European. Astfel, autoritatea romn de concuren reprezint interfaa naional dintre forul comunitar, pe de o parte, i autoritile naionale ce pot acorda ajutor de stat, pe de alt parte.

De asemenea, pentru a rspunde mai bine cerinei din ce n ce mai stringente de a acorda ajutoare mai puine i mai bine direcionate, Comisia European a lansat un amplu proces de adaptare a regulilor europene relevante. Aceast reforma va permite creterea gradului de predictibilitate i transparen n domeniu, va ncuraja analiza economic a msurilor de ajutor de stat pentru a le reorienta astfel nct acestea s contribuie de o manier consistent la implementarea Strategiei Lisabona.

n aceste condiii, eforturile viitoare ale Consiliului Concurenei n domeniul ajutorului de stat vor urmri s asigure gestionarea n mod adecvat a celor dou mari provocri ce se vor regsi pe agenda de lucru a autoritii romne n perioada urmtoare, respectiv:

modificarea de atribuii determinat de transferul competenei de autorizare a ajutoarelor de la nivel naional la nivel comunitar i

adaptarea politicii naionale n domeniu la reformele ce au loc n prezent la nivel european.

Pn la 1 ianuarie 2007 instituia noastr a avut ca prioritate s rezolve ct se poate de eficient aspectele specifice etapei de preaderare. Pentru perioada care urmeaz ne propunem o consolidare a poziiei pe care o avem n cadrul familiei europene de concuren n primul rnd printr-o mai mare implicare n activitatea Reelei Europene de Concuren.

Doar astfel Consiliul Concurenei va rmne un partener de ncredere pentru autoritile din celelalte state membre i pentru Comisia European i va putea astfel s contribuie de o manier consistent la soluionarea aspectelor de interes pentru domeniul concurenei ce se regsesc pe agenda de lucru a Uniunii.

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in relation with the relevant international organizations and institutions and to cooperate with the Community and extra-Community competition authorities. In this context, Competition Council was the institution appointed by the Romanian Government to coordinate, before December 2004, the negotiations for the Competition chapter within the process of Romania's accession to the European Union, and, after that date, to solve the problems which might have triggered the activation of the safeguard clause. The relations of international cooperation established by the Competition Council from the very beginning of its activity have facilitated a very useful exchange of experience on specific issues and have allowed our institution to familiarize itself with the challenges and responsibilities of a European authority. In these conditions, the national competition authority will continue to grant a special attention to its international activity.

Competition policy is a component of economic life in continuous movement, and the competition authority must be the first one which gives the signal for the adaptation to the challenges which occur in this field. To this end, Romania's accession to the European Union represented a moment which influenced the evolution of the national competition authority. Thus, in the

stantitrust field, starting with 1 of January 2007, Competition Council applies directly the provisions of Articles 81 and 82 EC and the secondary legislation based on these. This does not mean that Competition Law no.21/1996, republished, became obsolete; on the contrary it will continue to apply to cases having national dimension. Nevertheless, for those practices and agreements which affect the trade between Member States, Competition Council will apply directly the acquis communautaire in cooperation with the Commission and with the national competition authorities. This cooperation between Competition Council, Commission and the other European competition authorities will be done within the European Competition Network.

In addition to cooperation within the European Competition Network, the Community policy in this field holds other instruments to guarantee for consumers the most advantageous options and, at the same time, to sustain the main objective of Lisbon Strategy the creation of a durable European economy, the world's most dynamic. To allow our country to contribute to the accomplishment of this objective, it is important that the Competition Council maintain in the future a pro-active attitude in the antitrust field, which can be translated through:

focus of resources on the most important cases of distortion of competition,

New challenges in the field of antitrust

Future tasks approach

adequate use of investigative instruments andimposition of severe sanctions in case of severe

infringement of relevant rules.

As mentioned above, with regards to State aid, as of the date of accession, the responsibility to authorize national support measures was transferred from the Competition Council to the European Commission. This change of attributions will not remove the Romanian competition authority from the enforcement of the rules in the field. The current national procedures on State aid confer the Competition Council the status of contact authority in relation with the European Commission. Thus, Romanian competition authority represents the national interface between the community institution, on one hand, and the national authorities able to grant State aid, on the other hand.

At the same time, in order to respond better to the requirement for less and better targeted aids, the European Commission has launched an extensive process for the adaptation of relevant European rules. This reform will determine an increase of the degree of predictability and transparence in this field; it will encourage the use of economic analysis of State aid measures with a view to their reorientation so that they contribute significantly to the implementation of Lisbon Strategy.

In these conditions, the Competition Council' future efforts in the field of State aid will aim to ensure the adequate management of the two great challenges from Romanian authority's agenda of, namely:

the change of attributions generated by the transfer of authorization competence from national to community level;

the adaptation of the national policy in the field to the reforms undertaken at European level.

stBefore the 1 of January 2007, the priority of our institution was to resolve as efficiently as possible the problems specific to the pre-accession period. For the coming period, we aim to consolidate our position in the European competition family, mainly through a greater involvement in the activity of the European Competition Network;

Only in this way will the Competition Council remain a trustworthy partner for the authorities of the other Member States and for the European Commission and it will be able this way to contribute in a consistent manner to solving problems of interest for the antitrust field which are on the Union's working agenda.

9

Protecia mediului n Romnia

n Romnia, protecia mediului a aprut ca un domeniu de sine stttor al politicilor naionale abia n anul 1990, cnd a fost nfiinat primul Minister al Mediului. Primul document oficial ce stabilete obiectivele naionale n domeniu Strategia Naional de Protecia Mediului a fost elaborat abia n 1992. Necesitatea armonizrii politicii naionale n domeniul proteciei mediului cu cea comunitar a determinat reactualizarea documentului n 1996 i 2002.

Strategia autoritilor romne n domeniul mediului nconjurtor a fost fundamentat, mai ales n ultima perioad, pe studiile realizate la nivel naional, studii care au condus la identificarea principalelor categorii de probleme de mediu i la stabilirea necesarului de finanare pentru reglementarea situaiei existente.

Analiznd perioada 2001 2006 din punctul de vedere al fondurilor alocate de statul romn n vederea soluionrii problemelor de mediu, se remarc implicarea simultan a Ministerului Finanelor Publice, Ministerului Economiei i Comerului, Ministerului Mediului (inclusiv prin Administraia Fondului pentru Mediu), precum i a autoritilor locale, prin utilizarea unor mijloace diverse, constnd n subvenii, alocaii, prime, scutiri i reduceri la plata obligaiilor fiscale, participarea cu capital a statului, scutiri de dobnd la creditele bugetare, scutiri i reduceri la plata majorrilor de ntrziere i a penalitilor aferente sau acordarea de garanii de ctre stat.

Lipsa unei situaii centralizatoare la nivel naional ne pune n imposibilitate de a evalua volumul investiiilor de mediu realizate n Romnia, indiferent de orizontul

10

Rezumat

Obligaia statului de a asigura refacerea i ocrotirea mediului, aa cum a fost ea instituit prin Declaraia de la Stockholm, din 1972, nu se rezum doar la adoptarea de reglementri n domeniu, ci i la corelarea cerinelor de mediu cu celelalte politici de interes public, inclusiv cu politica n domeniul concurenei.

Elementul comun dintre politica de mediu i cea a concurenei l reprezint aplicarea principiului poluatorul pltete. Principiul, afirmat pentru prim oar n Declaraia Consiliului Europei din 1968 privind lupta impotriva polurii aerului, are la baz elemente din teoria economic potrivit creia costurile sociale externe care nsoesc producia trebuie s fie internalizate, respectiv s fie incluse n costurile de producie ale ntreprinderilor.

Astfel, orice cheltuieli legate de poluare (repararea prejudiciului ecologic, cheltuielile legate de diminuarea efectelor polurii i cheltuielile de prevenire a polurii) trebuie s fie suportate de cel care cauzeaz poluarea i nu de societate n ansamblul su. Aceasta nu nseamn c statul nu trebuie s-i ndeplineasc obligaia de a asigura cetenilor un mediu sntos, ci face referire la faptul c trebuie gasite mijloacele legale care s permit identificarea poluatorului i obligarea acestuia s plteasc.

Asigurarea unui just echilibru ntre responsabilitatea autoritilor de a proteja mediu i aplicarea principiului poluatorul pltete este realizat att prin intermediul normelor care au ca scop direct meninerea echilibrului ecologic, ct i prin regulile specifice dreptului concurenei.

Cuvinte cheie: poluare, dezvoltare sustenabil, ajutor de stat pentru protecia mediului, necesar de finanare, standarde de mediu.

POLITICA DE PROTECIA MEDIULUI I AJUTORUL DE STAT N ROMNIA

3Jzsef Nndor NEMENYI4 Lucian STROE

POLITICA DE PROTECIA MEDIULUI I AJUTORUL DE STAT N ROMNIA

3Jzsef Nndor NEMENYI4 Lucian STROE

POLITICA DE PROTECIA MEDIULUI I AJUTORUL DE STAT N ROMNIA

3Jzsef Nndor NEMENYI4 Lucian STROE

POLITICA DE PROTECIA MEDIULUI I AJUTORUL DE STAT N ROMNIA

3Jzsef Nndor NEMENYI4 Lucian STROE

3 Consilier de concuren, Consiliul Concurenei.4 Inspector de concuren, Direcia Monitorizare Teritorial, Consiliul Concurenei.

Environmental protection in Romania

In Romania, the environmental protection policy became a distinct area only in 1990, when the first Ministry of Environmental Protection was set up. First official document that set up the national objectives in the field The National Strategy in the Field of Environmental Protection, was issued only in 1992. The necessity to harmonize the national environmental policy with the community one determined the successive amendment of this document in 1996 and 2002. The Romanian authorities' environmental strategy was based, in particular in the last period of time, on studies carried out at national level, studies that identified the main categories of environmental issues and quantified the required financing necessary for the rehabilitation of the existing situation.

Analyzing the period 2001 2006 from the point of view of the financial resources granted by the Romania with the purpose to solve the environmental issues, one can notice the simultaneous participation of the Ministry of Public Finance, Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Ministry of Environmental Protection (including the Administration of Environmental Fund) and of the local public authorities, by the meaning of subventions, allocations, bonuses, exemptions and adjustments from the payment of the fiscal taxes, capital injections, exemptions and reductions for the payment of debts, penalties and surcharges or granting state guaranties.

Due to the lack of a summarized table at national level, impede us to evaluate the level of investments in the

11

5 Competition councelor, Competition Council.6 Competition inpector, Territorial Monitoring Directorate, Competition Council.7 Translated into English by Lucian Stroe.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION POLICY AND STATE AID IN ROMANIA

5 Jzsef Nndor NEMENYI6Lucian STROE

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION POLICY AND STATE AID IN ROMANIA

5 Jzsef Nndor NEMENYI6Lucian STROE

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION POLICY AND STATE AID IN ROMANIA

5 Jzsef Nndor NEMENYI6Lucian STROE

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION POLICY AND STATE AID IN ROMANIA

5 Jzsef Nndor NEMENYI6Lucian STROE

7Abstract

The state's obligation to ensure the environmental rehabilitation and preservation, as established through Stockholm Declaration's from 1972 affirms not only the obligation to adopt rules in the field of environmental protection, but also the necessity to correlate the environment policy with others public policies, including the competition policy.

The common element between the environmental and competition policy is the application of the ''polluter pays'' principle. This principle, claimed for the first time in the Council of Europe's Declaration from 1968 on the fight against atmospheric pollution, has as its fundament elements from the economic theory, according to which the external social costs which are related to production must be considered as part of the internal production costs of the undertakings.

Thus, any costs related to the pollution (costs related to the rehabilitation of the environmental damages, diminishing the effects of the pollution and the prevention costs) must be supported by those who causes the pollution and not by the society as a whole. This does not mean that the State does not have to fulfill its obligation to ensure a healthy environment for its citizens. The State must find the legal means in order to identify the polluter and to force him pay.

The ensurance of a correct equilibrium between the authorities' responsibility to protect the environment and the application of the polluter pays principle is attained through normative acts pursuing the maintenance of the environmental equilibrium and also through rules specific to competition law.

Keywords: pollution, sustainable development, State aid for environmental protection, required financing, environmental standards.

de timp analizat. Singurele date statistice disponibile sunt cele referitoare la ajutoarele de stat acordate agenilor economici, date centralizate la nivelul Consiliului Concurenei (tabel nr.1):

Pentru comparaie, ponderea ajutoarelor destinate proteciei mediului nconjurtor n totalul ajutoarelor de stat acordate la nivel european, n UE-25, este de circa 19%, ceea ce determin o pondere a acestora n PIB de circa 0,1900%.

n vederea autorizrii facilitilor cu destinaia protecia mediului/dezvoltare regional acordate de furnizori n perioada 2001 - 2005, Consiliul Concurenei a emis un numr de 8 decizii, beneficiarii fiind: SC TERMOCENTRALA Mintia Deva, SC LUKOIL BLACK SEA ROMANIA SRL, SC ISPAT SIDEX SA Galai, SC METALOPLAST SA Braov, SC REFRABRAZ SA Deva, SC ORIGINAL PROD SRL tei, SC IRA SA Cmpina, SC AUTOMOBILE DACIA SA Piteti, SC TERMICA SA TARGOVITE. Valoarea total a ajutoarelor de stat acordate a fost de 6.838.229,8 lei. Instrumentele financiare utilizate au fost de natur fiscal, mbrcnd forma reducerilor de la plata majorrilor i penalitilor de ntrziere datorate bugetului de stat sau a scutirii de la plata taxelor vamale i a TVA.

ncepnd din anul 2005, o pondere important n totalul investiiilor de mediu realizate la nivel naional au fost derulate prin intermediul Administraiei Fondului pentru Mediu. Menionm finanarea nerambursabil, iniiat n anul 2005, a lucrrilor pentru ndeprtarea efectelor produse de inundaiile din 2005 (39 obiective n valoare de 28.000.000 lei) i pentru ndeprtarea urmrilor dezastrului produs n localitatea Costineti, (n valoare de 14.240.000 lei), precum i proiecte cu impact social deosebit, 4 proiecte viznd educaia i contientizarea publicului, (n valoare de 6.186.829 lei) i Programul de stimulare a nnoirii Parcului naional auto, pentru scoaterea din uz a 15.100 autoturisme cu vechime mai mare de 12 ani de la data fabricaiei (n valoare de 45.300.000 lei).

Tot din Fondul pentru mediu au fost aprobate pentru finanare proiecte referitoare la: controlul emisiilor de compui organici volatili (COV), reducerea impactului asupra atmosferei, apei i solului, gestionarea

deeurilor, inclusiv a deeurilor periculoase, deeurile de rumegu, incinerarea deeurilor, deeurile provenite din acumulatori i baterii auto, deeurile de mase plastice, gestionarea deeurilor menajere, epurarea

apelor uzate oreneti, protecia i conservarea biodiversitii, administrarea ariilor naturale protejate, educaia i contientizarea publicului privind protecia mediului.

n conformitate cu Raportul privind activitatea desfurat de Ministerul Mediului i Gospodririi Apelor n anul 2006, la finele anului 2006, Administraia Fondului pentru Mediu avea ncheiate 87 contracte de finanare, n valoare de 80.811.809 lei i era n faza de aprobare a unui numr de alte 29 de proiecte.

Dac ne limitm ns la a face referire direct la schemele de ajutor de stat autorizate de ctre Consiliul Concurenei, din totalul de 10 scheme, cu un buget total prevzut de 353.600.000 RON, doar 4 scheme s-au dovedit atractive pentru beneficiarii finali, fondurile epuizate cifrndu-se la 2.857.947 lei (0,81% din total).

Evaluarea msurilor de sprijin promovate prin schemele anterior-menionate a fost realizat de ctre Consiliul Concurenei n baza criteriilor prevzute n Liniile directoare comunitare n domeniul ajutorului de stat regional sau n Regulamentul CE nr. 69/2001 privind aplicarea art. 87 i 88 din Tratatul CE in cazul ajutorului de minimis datorit dificultilor de determinare exact a extra-costurilor aferente investiiilor de mediu.

Valoarea total estimat a costurilor pentru conformarea cu Directivele UE de mediu este de 29,3 mld. EURO pna n 2018, din care circa 19 mld. EURO sunt necesare pentru realizarea investiiilor privind tratarea apelor uzate, furnizarea de ap potabil i protecia mpotriva inundaiilor, 4 mld. EURO pentru managementul deeurilor, 5 mld. EURO pentru protecia aerului i circa 1 mld. EURO n vederea proteciei biodiversitii. Pentru susinerea acestor cheltuieli au fost prevzute urmtoarele surse de finanare:

Fundamentarea necesarului de finanare la nivel naional pentru perioada 2007 2013

12

30.253,2444.121,7240.869,2243.770,9028.582,97

14.116,5810.882,2510.799,077.888,36

1,641,180,681,34

0,02600,02900,02070,01760,0099

tabel nr.1

field of the environmental protection in Romania, in any period of time. The only available statistical data, summarized by the Competition Council, are those concerning the State aid granted to the undertakings (table no.1):

As a comparison, the statistical weight of the granted State aid for environmental protection in the total of the State aid granted at European level (EU-25), is 19%, having as final result a statistical weight in GDP of 0,19%.

With the view to authorise the facilities granted with the purpose of environmental protection/regional development, in the period 2001 2005, the Competition Council issued a number of 8 decisions, having as beneficiars: SC TERMOCENTRALA Mintia Deva, SC LUKOIL BLACK SEA ROMANIA SRL, SC ISPAT SIDEX SA Galai, SC METALOPLAST SA Braov, SC REFRABRAZ SA Deva, SC ORIGINAL PROD SRL tei, SC IRA SA Cmpina, SC AUTOMOBILE DACIA SA Piteti, SC TERMICA SA Trgovite. The total amount of State aid granted was 6.838.229,8 lei. The financial instruments used had a fiscal nature, taking the form of adjustments from the payment of penalties and surcharges due to the state budget or the form of exemptions from the payment of custom taxes and VAT.

Starting with 2005, a significant weight in the total amount of the investments having as objective the environmental protection, had been supported by the Administration of the Environmental Fund. We can mention the non-repayable financing, initiated in 2005, of the works having as purpose to make good the effects caused by the flooding in 2005 (39 objectives, with a total value of 28.000.000 lei) and of the works for having as purpose to make good the effects of the disaster from Costinesti (with a total value of 14.240.000 lei), as well as projects with a significant social impact, 4 projects concerning the education and acknowledgment of the people (with a total value of 6.186.829 lei) and the Stimulating program on the renewal of the National auto fleet that has like a purpose the cassation of a 15.100 cars, older than 12 years (with a total value of 45.300.000 lei).

Similarly, had been approved for financing from the Environmental Fund projects concerning: control of the

emission of volatile organic compounds, reduction of the impact over atmosphere, water and soil, management of wastes (including the dangerous wastes, sawdust wastes, burning of wastes, wastes from auto

batteries and accumulators, plastic material wastes, management of garbage), purification of wasted waters, protection and preservation of bio-diversity, administration of protected natural areas, education and acknowledgment of people in the field of environmental protection.

According to the Report concerning the activity carried out by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in 2006, at the end of 2006, the Administration of the Environmental Fund had had concluded 87 financing contracts, with a total value of 80.811.809 lei and it had in the final approval phase a number of other 29 projects.

If we are consider only the State aid schemes authorized (by the Competition Council), from the total number of 10 schemes, having allocated a total budget of 353.600.000 lei, only 4 schemes have proved to be attractive for the final beneficiaries. The total consumed funds was 2.857.947 lei (0,81% from the total amount).

Evaluation of supporting measures promoted through the above-mentioned schemes was made by the Competition Council with respect of the criterion provided by the Guidelines on national regional aid or by the Commission Regulation 69/2001 on application of art. 87 and 88 to de minimis aid due the difficulty to correctly determine the extra-costs afferent to the environmental investments.

Total estimated value of the costs raised by the necessity to observe the EU Environmental Directives is 29,3 billion EURO until 2018, from which almost 19 billion EURO are necessary for the completion of the investments linked by the wasted water management, providing drinkable water and protection against flooding, 4 billion EURO are necessary for wastes

Estimation of the required financing at national level for the period 2007 - 2013

13

30.253,2444.121,7240.869,2243.770,9028.582,97

14.116,5810.882,2510.799,077.888,36

1,641,180,681,34

0,02600,02900,02070,01760,0099

table no.1

Investiii de mediu susinute de Administraia Fondului pentru Mediu ncepnd cu 1 ianuarie 2007

Investiii de mediu susinute prin Programul Operaional Sectorial de Mediu

5,4 mld. EURO - buget de stat i buget local (18%);9,9 mld. EURO - fonduri UE (34%);7,8 mld. EURO - sector privat (27 %);6,2 mld. EURO - alte surse (21%).

Investiiile totale necesare n perioada 2007 - 2013 au fost evaluate la un nivel de circa 18 mld. EURO, din care aproximativ 6,4 mld EURO au fost prevzui din fonduri UE.

Obligativitatea atragerii i utilizrii eficiente a fondurilor comunitare pune actualmente autoritile cu atribuii n domeniul proteciei mediului n faa necesitii respectrii reglementrilor europene, att n domeniul mediului, ct i n cel al concurenei i al ajutorului de stat. Rolul Consiliului Concurenei este, n aceast perioad, de a sprijini furnizorii, n elaborarea de noi scheme de ajutor de stat, de a aviza facilitile acordate de acetia i de a susine poziia Romniei n faa Comisiei Europene.

Pn n prezent, Consiliul Concurenei a analizat, avizat i transmis Comisiei Europene spre informare, urmtoarele scheme de ajutor de stat, aplicabile n Romnia pentru perioada 2007 2011, elaborate de Administraia Fondului pentru Mediu cu respectarea prevederilor Regulamentului CE nr. 1.628/2006 privind aplicarea art. 87 i 88 din Tratatul CE in cazul ajutoarelor de stat pentru investiii (tabel nr.2):

POS Mediu este unul dintre cele mai importante programe operaionale din punct de vedere al alocrii financiare, pentru implementarea axelor prioritare prezentate dispunnd de o alocare financiar de aproximativ 4,5 miliarde EURO din Fondul European de Dezvoltare Regional i Fondul de Coeziune, la care se adaug i cofinanarea naional de aproximativ 1 miliard EURO.

Acionnd pe un orizont de timp care se ntinde ncepnd din 2007 pn la finele anului 2013, POS Mediu vizeaz mbuntirea standardelor de via ale populaiei i a standardelor de mediu, n paralel cu

respectarea acquis-ului comunitar de mediu. Pentru aceasta, POS Mediu aloc fonduri spre axele prioritare (tabel nr.3).

n vederea dezvoltrii unei politici integrate durabile n domeniul schimbrilor climatice i al energiei, Consiliul European a stabilit un plan de aciune privind energia, pentru perioada 2007 2009, avnd n vedere c producia i utilizarea energiei sunt principalele surse ale emisiilor de gaze cu efect de ser. Totodat, Consiliul a invitat Comisia European s nainteze propuneri n sprijinul obiectivelor stabilite prin planul de aciune.

Comisia a propus revizuirea Orientrilor comunitare privind ajutorul de stat pentru protecia mediului, aceste noi orientri constituind unul din instrumentele pentru punerea n aplicare a planului de aciune i a obiectivelor privind energia i schimbrile climatice hotrte de Consiliul European. Noile reglementri propuse de Comisia European au n vedere i obiectivele stabilite n Planul de aciune privind ajutorul de stat pentru perioada 2005-2009, respectiv ajutoare mai bine direcionate, raionamente mai economice i proceduri mai eficiente, lund n considerare i evoluiile n planul tehnologiilor de mediu.

Noile orientri comunitare privind protecia mediului sunt n prezent supuse analizei Statelor Membre, urmnd ca acestea s transmit Comisiei observaii i propuneri. Fa de vechile orientri comunitare privind ajutorul de stat pentru protecia mediului, noile reglementri stabilesc norme pentru dou tipuri de evaluri: o evaluare standard, pentru msurile de ajutor de stat a caror valoare se situeaz sub un anumit prag i o evaluare detaliat, pentru msuri de ajutor a cror valoare depete respectivul prag.

n contextul revizuirii legislaiei n domeniul ajutorului de stat pentru mediu se nscrie i ncadrarea anumitor ajutoare pentru protecia mediului n categoria ajutoarelor de stat exceptate de la obligaia notificrii la Comisia European. n acest sens, Comisia a elaborat un

Tendine noi n domeniul ajutorului de stat pentru protecia mediului la nivel european

14

tabel nr. 2

management, 5 billion EURO for air protection and about 1 billion EURO for maintaining the biodiversity. In order to sustain these expenses, have been provided the following financial sources:

5,4 billion EURO from state and local budget (18%);

9,9 billion EURO from EU funds (34%);7,8 billion EURO from private sector (27 %);6,2 billion EURO from other sources (21%).

The necessary of total investments in the period 2007 - 2013 have been evaluated to a level of almost 18 billion EURO, from which almost 6,4 billion EURO have been provided from EU funds.

The obligation to attract and use efficiently the community funds obliges the authorities with competences in the field of environmental protection to observe the European regulations, both in the field of environment, competition and State aid. In this period, the Competition Council's role is to support the grantors in issuing new State aid schemes, to approve the facilities granted by them and to sustain the Romania's position in front of the European Commission.

Until now, the Competition Council analyzed, preliminary approved and send for information to the European Commission the following State aid scheme, applicable in Romania for the period 2007 2011, issued by the Administration of Environmental Fund, with respect of the Commission Regulation 1.628/2006 on application of art. 87 and 88 to investment aid (table no.2):

SOP Environment is one of the most important operational programs from the point of view of financial allocations. It allocates for the implementation of its priority axes a total amount of almost 4,5 billion EURO from the European Fund for Regional Development and the Cohesion Fund and also 1 billion EURO from national sources.

Environmental investments sustained by the Administration of Environmental Funds after 1 January 2007

The environmental investments sustained by the SOP Environment

stStarting from 2007 and operating until December 31 2013, SOP Environment supports the improvement of the population living standards and the improvement of the environmental standards, at the same time with the observing the community environment rules.For this, SOP Environment allocates funds to the priority axes (table no. 3).

For the development of a durable integrated policy in the field of climatic changes and energy, the European Council set up an action plan concerning energy for the period 2007 2009, considering the fact that the production and use of energy are the main sources of gas with greenhouse effect, Therewith, the Council invited the European Commission to elaborate and sustain propositions in support of the objectives set up through the action plan.

The Commission proposed the modification of the Community Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection. These new guidelines will constitute one of the main instruments used for appliance of the action plan and of the objectives concerning energy and climatic changes, as was established by the European Council. The new rules takes into consideration both the objectives established by the Action plan in the field of State aid 2005 2009, respectively less and better aid, a more economical approach, a more efficient procedures and the evolutions in the field of environmental technologies.

Currently, the new community guidelines concerning the environmental protection are analyzed by the Member States. In the next period, the Member States will submit their observations to the Commission. In comparison with the old guidelines in the field of environmental protection, the new guidelines set up rules for two types of evaluations: a standard evaluation, for the State aid measures with a total value below a certain threshold and a detailed evaluation, for those

New orientations in the field of environmental State aid at European level

15

table no.2

proiect de regulament general de exceptri n bloc, supus de asemenea dezbaterii Statelor Membre, n care, pentru prima dat, sunt prevzute i exceptri n domeniul ajutorului de stat pentru protecia mediului, cu condiia ca ajutorul s ndeplineasc toate condiiile de exceptare prevzute n regulament.

Ambele proiecte de reglementri comunitare care privesc ajutorul pentru protecia mediului sunt publicate pe site-ul Comisiei Europene i pot fi consultate n limba romn la adresa http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/state_aid/reform/reform.html.

Dezvoltarea durabil (sustenabil) presupune desfurarea activitilor economice cu prezervarea resurselor naturale i a ecosistemelor, asigurnd accesul generaiilor viitoare la resursele planetei. Bazat nc din 2005 pe structurile economiei de pia, economia romneasc trebuie s in seama, n acelai timp, de dimensiunea social i de mediu, lucru imposibil de

*

realizat fr o suficient alocare de resurse financiare din partea tuturor factorilor implicai.Prevederile art. 135 alin. (2) lit. e) din Constituia Romniei (ediia 2003) definesc cu claritate rolul statului, care este obligat s asigure refacerea i ocrotirea mediului nconjurtor, precum i meninerea echilibrului ecologic [...] contribuind la crearea condiiilor necesare pentru creterea calitii vieii.

Resursele alocate pn n prezent pentru protecia mediului n Romnia, sunt departe de a satisface necesitile reale de combatere a polurii. n anumite condiii, msurile de natura ajutorului de stat pot contribui la completarea acestor resurse. Rolul Consiliului Concurenei este de a asigura cheltuirea eficient a resurselor statului romn, n condiiile creterii nivelului general de protecie a mediului i a asigurrii respectrii stricte a standardelor europene n domeniul limitrii emisiilor poluante, prevederi obligatorii i n Romnia, ncepnd cu data de 1 ianuarie 2007.

16

tabel nr.3

measures with a total value that exceed the above-mentioned threshold.

In the same context of reviewing the legal framework in the field of State aid for environmental protection, some State aid for environmental protection will be exempted from the notification obligation. To this end, the Commission elaborated a draft general block exemption regulation that is now also debated by the Member States. In this draft, for the first time, there were also included exemptions in the field of State aid for environmental protection.

Both drafts are published on the European Commission s i t e and can be read in Roman ian a t : http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/state_aid/reform/reform.html.

Sustainable development means that the carrying out of the economic activities is made with the preservation of the natural resources and eco-systems, assuring the access of future generations to the Earth resources. Based on the principle of a functional market economy

*

since 2005, the Romanian economy must respect also the social and environmental dimension, which is impossible to achieve if the financial resources granted by the responsible factors are insufficient. The Romanian Constitution (edition 2003) provides in art. 135 par. (2) let. e) a clear definition of the state's role. This must ensure the rehabilitation and preservation of the environment, as well as the maintenance of the ecologic equilibrium [] contributing to the creation of necessary conditions for increasing the level of life quality.

The financial resources allocated until now in Romania were not sufficient for satisfying the real necessities in the field of fight against pollution. In certain conditions, the State aid measures can contribute to the completion of these resources. The Competition Council's role is to ensure that the state resources are used efficiently, at the same time with the increasing of the general level of environmental protection and assuring the strict observing of European standards in the field of reducing pollutant emissions, standards which are compulsory for

stRomania since January 1 2007.

17

table no.3

8CONTROLUL AJUTORULUI DE STAT N ROMNIA (III)9Prof. dr. Reimer von BORRIES

8CONTROLUL AJUTORULUI DE STAT N ROMNIA (III)9Prof. dr. Reimer von BORRIES

V. Finalizarea negocierilor de aderare i Tratatul de aderare

1. Pe 8 decembrie 2004, negocierile tehnice pentru Capitolul 6 privind concurena, precum i pentru celelalte dou capitole care erau nc deschise (Justiie i Afaceri Interne i Mediu) au fost finalizate. Aceasta a pregtit terenul pentru finalizarea negocierilor de aderare cu Romnia pe 14 decembrie 2004. n urma acestui important eveniment, Consiliul European a considerat, n Concluziile ntlnirii din 16-17 decembrie 2004 c Romnia este capabil ca, la data estimat a aderrii sale (2007), s-i asume toate obligaiile de membru, cu condiia continurii eforturilor n acest sens i a realizrii ... tuturor reformelor i angajamentelor ... n special a celor viznd Concurena (pe lng Justiie i Afaceri interne i Mediu).

La ncheierea negocierilor, Romnia s-a angajat la urmtoarele:

s asigure un control efectiv, prin intermediul Consiliului Concurenei, al oricrui ajutor de stat potenial, inclusiv n ceea ce privete ajutorul de stat sub forma reealonrii plilor obligaiilor din domeniul fiscal sau social ctre bugetul de stat ori a reealonrii plilor privind furnizarea de energie;

s consolideze, fr ntrziere, mecanismele de

monitorizare a ajutorului de stat i s asigure un nivel satisfctor al monitorizrii att n domeniul politicii antitrust, ct i n domeniul ajutorului de stat;

s continue s aloce Consiliului Concurenei mijloacele financiare adecvate, precum i resursele umane suficiente i pregtite corespunztor;

s prezinte Comisiei, pn la mijlocul lunii decembrie 2004, un plan revizuit de restructurare a industriei siderurgice n conformitate cu cerinele stabilite n Protocolul 2, privind produsele CECO, din

11Acordul European .

2. ntruct Comisia i unele state membre continuau s fie ngrijorate n legtur cu caracterul eficiena controlului ajutoarelor de stat n Romnia, s-a decis ca aceste angajamente s fie integrate n Tratatul de aderare, semnat pe 25 aprilie 2005, iar ndeplinirea acestora s fie o condiie pentru evitarea aplicrii aa numitei super clauze de salvgardare coninut n art. 39 alin. (3) din tratat. Aceast clauz permite amnarea cu un an, pn n ianuarie 2008, a datei aderrii, prevzut pentru ianuarie 2007. n cazul Romniei, super clauza de salvagardare putea fi activat dac erau observate serioase deficiene n ndeplinirea de ctre Romnia a obligaiilor din Acordul european sau a uneia sau mai multor angajamente i cerine asumate de Romnia la finalizarea negocierilor de aderare. Activarea super clauzei de salvgardare n cazul

18

8 Acest articol a fost publicat n European State Aid Law Quartely, nr. 3/2006. Consiliul Concurenei a obinut acordul autorului pentru publicarea articolului. 9 L.L.M Reimer von Borries a fost expert de preaderare la Consiliul Concurenei din Romnia ntre 2001 i 2002, respectiv 2003 i 2005. nainte de a se pensiona, a fost consilier ministerial la Ministerul Federal de Finane din Germania i profesor onorific la Universitatea din Osnabrck. Opiniile din prezentul articol reprezint punctele de vedere ale autorului.10 Traducerea n limba romn a fost realizat de Georgeta Gavriloiu11 Pentru textul integral al acestui angajament, a se vedea Anexa IX, punctul II din Actul de aderare.

10Rezumat

Comisia European a identificat, cu regularitate, controlul ajutoarelor de stat drept una dintre zonele cu probleme, care puteau conduce la ntrzierea ncheierii negocierilor de aderare sau chiar la amnarea datei aderrii Romniei la Uniunea European. Prin Raportul de monitorizare, publicat de Comisia European n luna mai 2006, au fost recunoscute progresele realizate de Romnia n aplicarea legislaiei ajutorului de stat i s-a decis declanarea procedurii ajutoarelor existente.

n evoluia controlului ajutoarelor de stat n Romnia pot fi identificate trei perioade distincte. Dup prezentarea n numrul anterior al revistei, a celei de a doua perioade de control al ajutoarelor de stat n Romnia, prezentul articol, continu cu descrierea perioadei 2005-2007.

Cuvinte cheie: ajutor de stat, autoritate de concuren, Consiliul Concurenei, controlul ajutoarelor de stat.

12STATE AID CONTROL IN ROMANIA (III)13Prof.Ph.D. Reimer von BORRIES

12STATE AID CONTROL IN ROMANIA (III)13Prof.Ph.D. Reimer von BORRIES

V. The closure of the accession negotiations and the Accession Treaty

1. On 8 December 2004, the technical negotiations on Chapter 6 on competition and on the other two chapters still open (justice and home affairs, and the environment) were closed. This paved the way for the closure of the accession negotiations with Romania on 14 December 2004. Following this important event, the European Council considered, in the Conclusions of its meeting on 16-17 December, 2004, that Romania would be capable of assuming all the obligations of membership at the envisaged time of its accession (2007), provided that it continues its efforts to that end and completes..all necessary reforms and commitments....in particular regarding Competition (besides Justice and Home Affairs and Environment).

At the closure of the accession negotiations, Romania committed itself to the following: to ensure effective control by the Competition

Council of any potential State aid, including in relation to State aid foreseen by means of deferrals of payments to the State budget or fiscal or social liabilities or deferrals of liabilities related to energy supply; to strengthen its State aid enforcement record

without delay and to ensure a satisfactory enforcement record in the areas of both anti-trust and State aid thereafter;

to continue devoting adequate financial means and sufficient and adequately qualified human resources to the Competition Council; to submit to the Commission by mid-December 2004

a revised steel restructuring plan.in line with the requirements set out in Protocol 2 on ESCS products to

14the Europe Agreement...

2. Since the Commission and several Member States remained concerned about the effectiveness of State aid control in Romania, it was decided to integrate these commitments into the Accession Treaty, signed on 25 April 2005, and to make their fulfilment a condition for avoiding the application of the so called super safeguard clause provided in Article 39 para. 3 of the Treaty. This clause allows for the postponement of the date of accession, envisaged for January 2007, by one year to January 2008. In the case of Romania, the super safeguard clause could be activated if serious shortcomings have been observed in the fulfilment by Romania of the obligations under the Europe Agreement or of one or more of the commitments and requirements listed in Annex IX, point II. This point contains exactly the above-mentioned four commitments undertaken by Romania at the closure of the accession negotiations. Activating the super safeguard clause would, in Romania's case, procedurally require a decision of the Council, acting by qualified

19

12 This article was published in the European State Aid Law Quarterly, no.3/2006 and the Competition Council received the authors' approval for publishing this article. 13 Reimer von Borries, LL.M, was Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA) at the Romanian Competition Council 2001-2002 and 2003-2005. He is a retired Ministerial Counsellor of the Federal Ministry of Finance and Honorary Professor at the University of Osnabrck. Opinions in this article are the author's personal views.14 For the complete text of this commitment, see Annex IX point II to the Act of Accession.

Abstract

The European Commission has constantly identified the State aid control as one problematic area, which could lead to a delay in the closure of accession negotiations or even to the postponement of the date of accession. In the Monitoring Report issued by the European Commission in May 2006, Romania's progresses in the field of state aid were acknowledged and it was decided that the existing aid procedure become available for Romania.

In the evolution of State aid control in Romania three distinct periods can be identified. After the presentation, in the previous issue of this magazine, of second period in the State aid control, the present article continues with describing of the period 2005-2007.

Keywords: State aid, competition authority, Competition Council, State aid control.

Romniei necesit, din punct de vedere procedural, o decizie a Consiliului [Uniunii Europene n.t.], acionnd cu majoritate calificat, pe baza unei recomandri a Comisiei, decizie care putea fi adoptat

15n orice moment nainte de sfritul anului 2006 .

3. Anexa V, seciunea 2, paragraful 1 din Actul de aderare prevede o procedur a ajutorului existent (denumit, de asemenea, mecanismul interimar) n conformitate cu care urmtoarele scheme de ajutor i ajutoare individuale aplicate ... nainte de data aderrii i care sunt aplicabile i dup aceast dat vor fi considerate la data aderrii drept ajutor existent n sensul art. 88 (1) din Tratatul CE: a) msurile puse n aplicare nainte de 10 decembrie 1994;b) msurile cuprinse n lista ataat prezentei anexe;c) msurile de ajutor care, nainte de data aderrii, au fost evaluate de ctre autoritatea de monitorizare a ajutoarelor de stat din noul stat membru i considerate compatibile cu acquis-ul, i cu privire la care Comisia nu a ridicat obieciuni pe baza dubiilor serioase cu privire la compatibilitatea msurii cu piaa comun, n confromitate cu procedura prevzut n paragraful 2.

n consecin, msurile de ajutor de stat care nu ndeplinesc aceste condiii i care sunt aplicabile dup data aderrii, vor fi considerate drept ajutor nou la

16momentul aderrii . Totui, cu privire la Romnia, paragraful 5 din seciunea 2 a anexei 2 prevede faptul c paragraful 1(c) se va aplica doar msurilor evaluate de ctre Consiliul Concurenei dup ce Comisia, n baza monitorizrii continue, va emite o decizie prin care declar c Aplicarea regulilor de ajutor de stat n Romnia n perioada de preaderare a atins un nivel satisfctor. n acest scop, Romnia trebuie s demonstreze exercitarea consecvent, de ctre Consiliul Concurenei, a unui control deplin i corespunztor al ajutoarelor de stat, n legtur cu toate msurile de ajutor acordate n Romnia, inclusiv adoptarea i implementarea, de ctre Consiliul Concurenei, a unor decizii deplin i corect motivate, coninnd o evaluare corect a naturii de ajutor de stat a

fiecrei msuri, precum i aplicarea corect a criteriilor de compatibilitate.

Comisia poate, de aceea, s ridice obiecii, pe motive serioase, cu privire la compatibilitatea cu piaa comun, fa de orice msur de ajutor de stat acordat n perioada de pre-aderare, ntre septembrie 2004 i data fixat n decizia de mai sus a Comisiei prin care se constat c aplicarea legislaiei a atins un nivel

17satisfctor .

4. O list de ajutoare n sensul paragrafului 2 din seciunea 1(b) nu a fost ataat Tratatului, ns anexa VII, paragraful 4 din Actul de aderare conine dou aranjamente tranzitorii speciale privind msuri de ajutor fiscal: prevederi speciale privind reducerea treptat a ajutoarelor fiscale incompatibile acordate n baza legii privind zonele libere (pn la 31 decembrie 2011), pentru ntreprinderile care au avut contracte comerciale semnate nainte de 1 iulie 2002, i n baza Ordonanei de Urgen a Guvernului privind zonele defavorizate (pn la 31 decembrie 2010), pentru ntreprinderile crora le-a fost acordat un certificat permanent de

18investitor nainte de data 1 iulie 2003 .

1. Controlul ajutoarelor de stat se afl acum ntr-o nou faz. Aceast faz a nceput n toamna anului 2005 cu evaluarea n general pozitiv a rezultatelor Consiliului Concurenei n activitatea de aplicare a legii, evaluare fcut de Comisie n Raportul de monitorizare din 2005 (n ciuda existenei nc a unor deficiene). n cel mai recent Raport de monitorizare, din 16 mai 2006, Comisia a concluzionat c eforturile ntreprinse de autoritile romne ncepnd cu toamna 2005 a artat faptul c s-a mbuntit considerabil calitatea evalurii i analizei msurilor de ajutor i c s-a atins un nivel satisfctor n activitatea de aplicare a legislaiei din domeniul ajutorului de stat.

VI. Perioada 2005 - 2007

20

15 A se vedea i Van de Casteele, Next EU enlargement: Romania and State aid control Competition Newsletter of the European Commission nr.1/2005, pag.39. Super-clauza de salvgardare poate fi activat, de asemenea, n eventualitatea unor dificulti serioase n domeniul Justiie i Afaceri Interne (art.39, alin.2 din Tratatul de aderare, cu referire la Anexa IX, pct.I din Actul de Aderare). Clauza de salvgardare - piaa intern (art.37 din Tratatul de aderare), care este aplicabil n cazul nendeplinirii angajamentelor asumate n contextul negocierilor de aderare, poate fi, de asemenea, activat de ctre Comisie dac Romnia nu acioneaz n confortmitate cu angajamentele din domeniul ajutorului de stat, ns aceasta ar putea conduce doar la luarea de msuri adecvate i nu la amnarea aderrii Romniei.16 A se vedea i Schtterle, Enlargement: Pre-Accession State aid after Accession, EStAL /2003, pag. 29-38, i n: Heidenhain, Hdb. d. Beihilfenrechts, 61, Rn. 46-48; Merola/Ballester, State Aids and Enlargement, Specificities of New Member States, n: Geradin (ed.), Modernisation and Enlargement: Two major challenges for EC Competition Law, Antwerp/Oxford 2004, pag. 321 (341). Clauza a fost creat pentru a determina n mod rapid Romnia s i respecte obligaiile n domeniul ajutorului de stat din moment ce incertitudinea legislativ ar putea fi un aspect descurajant pentru investitori; a se vedea Van de Casteele , supra nota 4, pag.42.17 A se vedea Van de Casteele, supra nota 47, pag.40; Oprescu, A Pre-Accession Perspective: Romania, n: New Developments in European State Aid Law 2005. Proceedings of the 3rd Experts Forum, pag. 35. Pentru produse agricole, pescuit i transport se aplic reguli speciale. 18 n sectorul siderurgic se aplic dispoziii speciale i detaliate; a se vedea Anexa VII la Actul de Aderare, seciunea 4.B.

major i t y on the bas i s o f a Commis s ion recommendation, which could be taken at any time

19before the end of 2006 .

3. Annex V section 2 paragraph 1 of the Accession Act provides an existing aid procedure (also called interim mechanism) according to which the following aid schemes and individual aid put into effect before the date of accession and still applicable after that date shall be regarded upon accession as existing aid in the meaning of Article 88(1) of the EC Treaty: (a) aid measures put into effect before 10 December 1994; (b) aid measures listed in the Appendix to this Annex; (c) aid measures which, prior to the date of accession, were assessed by the State aid monitoring authority of the new Member State and found to be compatible with the acquis, and to which the Commission did not raise an objection on the grounds of serious doubts as to the compatibility of the measure with the common market, pursuant to the procedure set out in paragraph 2.

Consequently, aid measures which do not fulfil these conditions and are applicable after accession will be

20considered as new aid upon accession . However, with regard to Romania, paragraph 5 of section 2 of Annex 2 provides that paragraph 1(c) shall only apply to aid measures assessed by the Romanian Competition Council after a decision by the Commission, based on continuous monitoring, stating that Romania's State aid enforcement record in the period prior to accession has reached a satisfactory level. For this purpose, Romania must demonstrate the consistent application of full and proper State aid control in relation to all aid measures granted in Romania, including the adoption and implementation of fully and correctly reasoned decisions by the Competition Council, containing an accurate assessment of the State aid nature of each measure and a correct application of the compatibility criteria.

The Commission may therefore object, on serious grounds regarding compatibility with the common market, to any aid measure granted in the pre-accession period between September 2004 and the

dated fixed in the above Commission decision finding that the enforcement record has reached a satisfactory

21level .

4. An existing aid list in the sense of paragraph 2 section 1(b) has not been attached to the Treaty, but Annex VII paragraph 4 to the Act of Accession contains two specific transitional arrangements regarding fiscal aid measures: special provisions on the phasingout of incompatible fiscal aid under the Law on free trade areas (by 31 December 2011) for undertakings having signed commercial contracts before 1 July 2002, and under the Government Emergency Ordinance on deprived areas (by 31 December 2010) for undertakings having been given a permanent investor certificate

22before 1 July 2003 .

1. State aid control in Romania is now in its third stage. This stage started in autumn 2005 with the generally positive evaluation of the enforcement record of the Competition Council by the Commission in its Monitoring Report 2005 (in spite of certain shortcomings still existing). In its most recent Monitoring Report of 16 May 2006, the Commission concludes that the efforts undertaken by the Romanian authorities since autumn 2005 show that the quality of the Competition Council's assessment and analysis of aid measures has noticeably improved and that a satisfactory level of the State aid enforcement record has now been attained.

(a) Consequently, the Commission has decided to start applying the interim mechanism (paragraph 1(c) of Annex V to the Act of Accession) as of May 2006. This means that State aid measures authorised by the Council after this date and applicable after accession to which the Commission did not raise an objection. will be regarded as existing aid. Under these conditions, any retroactive scrutiny of such aid measures or recovery orders by the Commission after accession are excluded. Romania will therefore have to continue to submit State aid draft decisions to the Commission in order to be on the safe side.

VI. The period 2005-2007

21

19 See also van de Casteele, Next EU enlargement: Romania and State aid control, Competition Newsletter of the European Commission No. 1/2005, page 39. The super safeguard clause could also be activated in the event of serious shortcomings in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (Article 39 para. 2 of the Accession Treaty with reference to Annex IX, point I, to the Act of Accession). The internal market safeguard clause (Article 37 of the Accession Treaty), which is applicable in the case of a failure to implement commitments undertaken in the context of the accession negotiations, could also be activated by the Commission if Romania did not live up to its commitments in the State aid area, but this would only lead to specific appropriate measures and not to the postponement of Romanias accession.20 See also Schtterle, Enlargement: Pre-Accession State aid after Accession, EStAL /2003, pages 29-38, and in: Heidenhain, Hdb. d. Beihilfenrechts, 61, Rn. 46-48; Merola/Ballester, State Aids and Enlargement, Specificities of New Member States, in: Geradin (ed.), Modernisation and Enlargement: Two major challenges for EC Competition Law, Antwerp/Oxford 2004, page 321 (341). The clause is designed to push Romania to quickly respect its obligations in the field of State aid control since legal uncertainty could be a considerable disincentive for investors; see van de Casteele, supra note 4, page 42. 21 See van de Casteele, supra note 47, page 40; Oprescu, A Pre-Accession Perspective: Romania, in: New Developments in European State Aid Law 2005. Proceedings of the 3rd Experts Forum, page 35. Special rules apply to agricultural products, fisheries and transport. 22 Special and detailed transition provisions apply to the steel sector; see Annex VII to the Act of Accession section 4.B.

a) n consecin, Comisia a decis declanarea mecanismului interim (paragraful 1 (c) din Anexa V din Actul de aderare) ncepnd cu luna mai 2006. Aceasta nseamn c msurile de ajutor de stat autorizate de ctre Consiliul dup aceast dat i aplicabile dup data aderrii cu privire la care Comisia nu a ridicat nici o obiecie ... vor fi considerate drept ajutor existent. n aceste condiii, este exclus orice evaluare retroactiv a acestor msuri de ajutor de stat sau emiterea de ctre Comisie a unor ordine de recuperare. De aceea, pentru a se situa n zona sigur, Romnia va trebui s continue s transmit Comisiei proiectele deciziilor de ajutor de stat.

Pe de alt parte, msurile de ajutor autorizate ntre 1 septembrie 2004 i 30 aprilie 2006 i aplicabile dup aderare nu sunt cuprinse n mecanismul interimar i, de aceea, nu sunt sigure: acestea ar putea (cel puin teoretic) s fie puse n discuie de Comisie dup aderare i s devin obiectul unui ordin de recuperare.

b) Aprecierea Comisiei, din raportul su din 16 mai 2006, c, n Romnia, controlul ajutoarelor de stat a atins un nivel satisfctor i c nu mai reprezint o zon care ridic ngrijorri serioase nseamn c nu exist un pericol real de activare a super clauzei de salvgardare. Doar n cazul unor evenimente noi i extraordinare ar putea Comisia s i revizuiasc evaluarea i s reconsidere aplicarea acestei clauze. Faptul c Romnia a atins n prezent acest stadiu merit un respect deosebit, avnd n vedere preistoria i mediul procesul lent de transformare i condiiile politice, economice i sociale extrem de dificile din Romnia de dup 1990. Acest succes se datoreaz n primul rnd eforturilor imense fcute de Consiliul Concurenei n ultimii ani i a muncii susinute a

23personalui, foarte dedicat al acestuia , precum i Comisiei Europene, ai crei experi au fost devotai aderrii Romniei la Uniunea European, cu condiia unei funcionri adecvate a controlului ajutoarelor de stat.

2). Chiar dac situaia nu mai este grav, Romnia trebuie n continuare s depeasc un numr de deficiene cu privire la aplicarea regulilor de ajutor de stat, n conformitate cu observaiile formulate de

24Comisie n Raportul su de monitorizare din mai 2006 . n special, Raportul observ c notificarea ex-ante a tuturor msurilor noi de ajutor n legtur cu cazurile de restructurare, a amnrilor de pli sau a msurilor n contextul privatizrii nu este realizat nc la

standardele cerute. Deoarece aceste msuri reprezint o responsabilitate special a marilor furnizori de ajutor de stat, cum sunt Ministerul Finanelor Publice i autoritatea de privatizare AVAS, n raport, Comisia ndeamn furnizorii de ajutor de stat s i mbunteasc cooperarea cu Consiliul Concurenei i s asigure exercitarea de ctre acesta a controlului strict, ex ante, al msurilor de ajutor de stat. De aceea, Comisia a concluzionat c: acum, sunt necesare eforturi sporite i aciune prompt n acest domeniu pentru rezolvarea deficienelor la timp, nainte de aderare.. ngrijorare special genereaz proporia foarte mare a ajutorului fiscal, vizibil n mod clar n actualizarea din primvara anului 2006 a Tabloului ajutoarelor de stat (State aid scoreboard). Romnia mai are mult de parcurs pn la redirecionarea ajutoarelor ctre obiective orizontale. Va trebui s fie dezvoltate de ctre Guvern scheme de ajutor de stat cu perspectiv pe termen lung, n special privind ajutorul regional pentru co-finanarea proiectelor din fondurile structurale. Evaluarea msurilor de ajutor de stat importante va trebui s fie finalizat. n acest context, Comisia continu monitorizarea pregtirilor pentru aderare pentru a se asigura c ara i ndeplinete angajamentele i ia n

25considerare comentariile formulate n Raport .

3. n perioada rmas pn la aderare, Romnia va trebui s ia msuri legislative i administrative care s vizeze situaia dup data aderrii, cnd controlul ajutorului de stat va fi preluat de ctre Comisia European. n special, legiuitorul va trebui s decid ce instituie va deveni responsabil cu notificrile ctre Comisie dup data aderrii:

ar trebui ca, dup aderare, Consiliul Concurenei s devin autoritatea naional de montorizare n domeniul ajutorului de stat, avnd sarcina de a superviza notificrile tuturor furnizorilor de ajutor de stat din Romnia i acionnd ca un corespondent al Comisiei n toate problemele privind ajutorul de stat?

ar trebui ca aceast sarcin s fie atribuit unui minister (lsnd Consiliul Concurenei fr atribuii n

26domeniul ajutorului de stat)?sau

ar trebui ca autoritile furnizoare de ajutor de stat s i notifice proiectele direct la Comisie (n toate cazurile prin Reprezentana Permanent a Romniei la Uniunea European)?

Aceste ntrebri sunt n prezent n discuie n Romnia. Se lucreaz la un proiect de lege. Comisia a recomandat

22

23 ntruct, n Romnia, controlul ajutoarelor de stat a existat doar n ultimii ase ani, ceea ce reprezint o perioad scurt dac avem n vedere situaia iniial, mediul politic, economic i social dificil i volumul enorm de munc necesar.24 Din cele 14 domenii care prezint ngrijorri serioase, menionate n Raportul de monitorizare din 2005, potrivit Raportului de monitorizare din mai 2006, au mai rmas doar patru, care ar putea conduce la activarea super-clauzei de salvgardare dac Romnia nu ia msurile necesare.25 n iunie 2006, procesul de ratificare nu se ncheiase nc. Pn la acea dat, Tratatul de aderare fusese ratificat de 14 state membre. 26 Astfel, Consiliul s-ar ocupa doar de politica din domeniul concurenei, exact ca Oficiul Federal Antitrust din Germania. n Germania, autoritatea de monitorizare este Minsterul Federal pentru Economie i Tehnologie.

On the other hand, aid measures authorised between 1 September 2004 and 30 April 2006 and applicable after accession, are not covered by the i