Il Protocollo n. 16 alla CEDU: chiave di volta del sistema europeo di tutela dei diritti umani?

This paper describes the process which led to the new Protocol No. 16 to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). If the Protocol comes into force, it will give a new advisory competence to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), allowing highest national courts and tribunals to request advisory opinions in order to clarify doubts arising from the ECHR in the context of a specific case dealt with at the domestic level. In this way, the new Protocol could also strengthen the dialogue between the ECtHR and national courts. The main features of the new Protocol are described. In particular, given the non-binding character of the advisory opinions, the article focuses on the possible effects that they could have both on the specific case concerned and at a more general level. The paper then analyses some of the main critical aspects of the Protocol. In particular, it is doubtful whether the advisory opinion mechanism can represent a link between the ECtHR and the Court of Justice of the EU, whether it will be useful to lighten the workload of the ECtHR, and whether it can really improve the dialogue between judges. Finally, future prospects are examined, focusing above all on the impact that the new Protocol is expected to have on the European human rights system and on the “constitutional” features of the ECtHR.