Europe's top court on Friday questioned the legitimacy of the "safe countries" list Italy uses to send migrants to Albania and fast-track their asylum claims, in a fresh blow to a key plank of the government's migration policy.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has criticized Friday's European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling on the classification of safe countries of origin. She said the decision further restricted the already limited room for manoeuvre of governments.

Europe's top court has challenged Italy's use of a 'safe countries' list for sending migrants to Albania, impacting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's migration policy. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) emphasized the necessity for strict legal standards and accessibility for legal challenges to such classifications.