Sommario: 

1. Una diversa prospettiva per i rimedi alternativi di risoluzione delle controversie nel settore pubblicistico: da strumenti «efficacissimi della pace sociale» a modalità di utilizzo delle scarse risorse pubbliche. 

2. Un apparente alleggerimento del rischio di responsabilità amministrativa: le ipotesi di mediazione obbligatoria in ambito sanitario. 

3. I nuovi confini della legittimità nel processo contabile ed il sindacato della Corte dei conti sulle scelte di ADR volontarie: verso un’azione amministrativa responsabile o verso un’azione di responsabilità? 

4. La quadratura del cerchio: il vaglio preventivo della Corte dei conti sulla scelta di ricorrere a strumenti alternativi di risoluzione delle controversie diviene elemento valutabile nell’ambito del (l’eventuale) giudizio di responsabilità.

Abstract:

The article deals with the sensitive issue of the relationships between the possible opening towards the use of alternative means of dispute resolution governed by public law and the risk that the choice of non-judicial means could be subjected to the Court of Auditors’ review. The use of ADR by government is a discretionary choice that can have direct effects, either positive or negative, on the administrative body’s public finance, thus it is always under the Court of Auditors’ utmost attention.
The fear of a possible judgment by the Court of Accounts often leads government to limit or even exclude openness to ADR in the public-law sector. Precisely in order to the reduce the risk of future actions for administrative and accounting responsibilities, our legal system has endowed the Court of Auditors with the power to exercise a preventive advisory function in favor of local governments in the fields of accounting, within which choices of using ADR means are also included. Recently, the Madia Act, in its provisions delegating legislative power to the Government, established that preventive advisory opinions issued by the Court of Auditors to local governments, are to be taken into consideration in a possible future judgment on administrative and accounting responsibilities. The hope is that such a provision will be specified by the Government on the right track, so that this useful instrument will not become, instead of an opportunity for public bodies to cooperate, a dangerous way to add functions allocated to the Court of Auditors.