Meloni's Albania migration plan in further setback from Italian court

The Italian government has suffered another legal defeat over its efforts to process asylum applications by migrants arriving via the Mediterranean Sea in an offshore facility in Albania.

An appeals court in Rome ruled that 43 men taken to two facilities in Albania must be released and brought back to Italy, the Italian news agency ANSA reported on Friday.

The migrants - from Bangladesh, Egypt, Gambia and the Ivory Coast - were picked up by an Italian navy ship this week and taken to Albania, where far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration has set up camps to house migrants while their applications are processed.

Six of the men were allowed to enter Italy, while the others saw their applications rejected.

Previous attempts to detain migrants in Albania failed in October and November after Italian courts ruled the migrants could not be sent back to safe countries of origin.

Italy is the first country in the European Union to set up facilities outside the bloc's borders to process applications.

The future of the "Albania model" is being closely monitored by other governments.

The European Court of Justice intends to issue a landmark judgement on the actions of the Italian authorities in February.