The article examines the instruments by which two distinct legal systems – Slovenia’s and Italy’s – address administrative inertia. The non-response of administrative offices may be symptomatic both of entrenched inefficiency and of the bureaucracy’s inability to react adequately to sudden emergencies. By juxtaposing the solutions adopted in the two jurisdictions, the article seeks to contribute to the scholarly debate on the effectiveness of the mechanisms devised to secure an adequate response to citizens’ protection needs.

The article aims to explore the role of oral hearing in Slovenian and Italian administrative procedural law. In both countries the oral hearing is a pivotal moment in the judicial review of administrative decisions. The study aims to identify common elements in each system to determine a unitary content of oral hearing as a human right.