Rome, 11 November 2024 (dpa/MIA) - An Italian court has ruled that seven migrants held in an offshore asylum-processing centre in Albania must be brought to Italy, in another setback for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's new migration scheme.

The men, who originally come from Egypt and Bangladesh, were picked up by an Italian Navy ship last week in the Mediterranean and taken to the centre in Albania to have their asylum claims processed.

Five of their applications have already been denied, but the Italian judges have also postponed their deportations.

The two asylum-processing centres in Albania have only been in operation since last month but have remained empty for most of that time.

The first group of men to be taken to the centres in October, also of Egyptian and Bangladeshi origin, were ultimately allowed to travel on to Italy after a court ruled that neither Egypt nor Bangladesh is considered safe - a prerequisite for processing in the offshore camps.

Meloni's right-wing government has since issued a decree establishing a new list of 19 supposedly safe countries of origin, which includes Egypt and Bangladesh, but the Italian court has requested that the European Court of Justice reviews the decree.

Under EU law, neither Bangladesh nor Egypt are classified as safe countries of origin.

Italy is the first EU country to process asylum claims in camps outside the European Union. The scheme is being closely watched by other European governments, several of which are considering following a similar approach.

The men are to be taken to Italy as early as Tuesday.