Research Article

An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law

Number: Advanced Online Publication Early Pub Date: October 16, 2026
TR EN

An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law

Abstract

This article examines the mechanisms grouped under Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in French administrative law. It distinguishes mediation and conciliation from transaction, mandatory prior administrative review (recours administratif préalable obligatoire, RAPO), and arbitration; it also separates these mechanisms from administrative oversight. The analysis is based on Articles L. 213-1–L. 213-14 of the Code of Administrative Justice, Book IV of the Code of Relations between the Public and the Administration, the Public Procurement Code, sector-specific legislation, and official reports. The 2016 reform created a dedicated framework for administrative mediation, including impartiality, competence, diligence, confidentiality, protection of procedural time limits, and judicial approval of agreements. Transaction permits a written settlement subject to legality and balanced reciprocal concessions. RAPO requires administrative reconsideration before litigation but is not a consensual process. Arbitration remains exceptional for public entities. CADA referral is a compulsory preliminary remedy in access-to-documents litigation and is therefore examined as administrative review rather than mediation. Transport, postal, energy, education, health, and public-procurement mechanisms illustrate the practical diversity of the French system. The article argues that accurate legal classification and enforceable procedural safeguards are essential if ADR is to resolve disputes efficiently without weakening access to judicial review.

Keywords

References

  1. BARTLET M. (2024). Mediation and Other Forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
  2. BELL J. and LICHÈRE F. (2022). Contemporary French Administrative Law.
  3. BERNHEIM-DESVAUX S. (2014). Résolution extrajudiciaire des litiges de consommation. JurisClasseur Concurrence–Consommation, fasc. 1230, 8 April 2014.
  4. BEVAN A.H. (1992). Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Lawyer’s Guide to Mediation and Other Forms of Dispute Resolution.
  5. BOURDIEU P. (1987). The Force of Law: Toward a Sociology of the Juridical Field. Hastings Law Journal, 38, 805-853.
  6. BOUSTA R. and SAGAR A. (2014). Alternative Dispute Resolution in French Administrative Proceedings. In D. C. Dragos and B. Neamtu (eds), Alternative Dispute Resolution in European Administrative Law, 57-83. Springer.
  7. FOUCAULT M. (1995). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Translated by Alan Sheridan. Vintage.
  8. GILBERG K. (2020). Fransız İdari Yargı Sisteminde Reformlar ve Alternatif Uyuşmazlık Çözüm Yöntemleri. Council of Europe, European Union and Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Justice.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Administrative Law

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

October 16, 2026

Publication Date

-

Submission Date

January 6, 2026

Acceptance Date

August 19, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

APA
Kurt, H. (2026). An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law. Çukurova Üniversitesi Hukuk Araştırmaları Dergisi, Advanced Online Publication, 477-490. https://doi.org/10.59399/cuhad.1857682
AMA
1.Kurt H. An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law. CUHAD. 2026;(Advanced Online Publication):477-490. doi:10.59399/cuhad.1857682
Chicago
Kurt, Hayrettin. 2026. “An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law”. Çukurova Üniversitesi Hukuk Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. Advanced Online Publication: 477-90. https://doi.org/10.59399/cuhad.1857682.
EndNote
Kurt H (October 1, 2026) An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law. Çukurova Üniversitesi Hukuk Araştırmaları Dergisi Advanced Online Publication 477–490.
IEEE
[1]H. Kurt, “An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law”, CUHAD, no. Advanced Online Publication, pp. 477–490, Oct. 2026, doi: 10.59399/cuhad.1857682.
ISNAD
Kurt, Hayrettin. “An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law”. Çukurova Üniversitesi Hukuk Araştırmaları Dergisi. Advanced Online Publication (October 1, 2026): 477-490. https://doi.org/10.59399/cuhad.1857682.
JAMA
1.Kurt H. An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law. CUHAD. 2026;:477–490.
MLA
Kurt, Hayrettin. “An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law”. Çukurova Üniversitesi Hukuk Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. Advanced Online Publication, Oct. 2026, pp. 477-90, doi:10.59399/cuhad.1857682.
Vancouver
1.Hayrettin Kurt. An Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the Settlement of Administrative Disputes in French Law. CUHAD. 2026 Oct. 1;(Advanced Online Publication):477-90. doi:10.59399/cuhad.1857682